Shakespeare's Hamlet for Kids: 3 Short Melodramatic Plays for 3 Group Sizes (Playing with Plays) - Softcover

Kelso, Brendan P

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0998137618 ISBN 13: 9780998137612

Publisher: Playing with Plays, 2010

Synopsis

Hamlet like you have never read it before: quick, fun, and easy to understand. Designed for 6-20+ actors, kids of all ages, or anyone who wants to enjoy and loosely understand Shakespeare's play.

What you will get:

• Fun!
• 3 melodramatic modifications for group sizes:
  • 6-7+
  • 8-14+
  • 11-20+
• Actual lines from Shakespeare's play mixed in
• Creatively funny interpretations of the remaining script
• A delightfully funny rendition that is easy for ADULTS to understand too!
• A kid who loves Shakespeare!

This mini-melodramatic masterpiece is sure to be a doorway for your child to love all the classics. Shakespeare is difficult enough in class or watching on stage, let alone trying to teach the stories to children, but as the author's mantra states in the book, "there is no better way to learn than to have fun!" Kids who have read this have also eventually purchased Shakespeare's entire works and have completed 'hero' reports on Shakespeare at school. Guaranteed to have you and your kids coming back for more!

About this title

About the Author:

Brendan P. Kelso, known to the kids as Professor Peculiar because of his unique and humorous personality, came to writing modified Shakespeare scripts when he was taking time off from work to be at home with his son. "It just grew from there" Within months, he was being asked to offer classes in various locations and acting organizations along the coast of California. Employed as an engineer, Brendan never thought about writing. But he has always stated, "There is no better way to learn than to have fun!" Brendan makes his home on the central coast of California and loves to spend time with his wife and son.

Review:

"The only difficulty I'm having with Brendan's versions, is that the students can't get enough and I am having difficulty getting them to do other things. It's actually a problem that I wish upon all teachers." - Amazon Review "I ordered Brendan Kelso's Hamlet, A Midsummer Night's Dream and Macbeth to use in my sixth grade classroom. The books arrived promptly, and I was eager to get them (my class has been working on the story of Hamlet). I sent an E-mail to PlayingWithPlays.com to request permission to reproduce a classroom set. The response I received was unbelievably quick and wonderful! Today was the first day the students worked in groups of six or seven to act out the book's first version (there are 3 versions in each book) of Hamlet. They had a blast! Talk about cooperative learning! They were so totally involved that all I had to do was listen. The students were doing all of the teaching and learning! The class can't wait to do the longer version with the whole class acting it out together. I am looking forward to Macbeth and a Midsummer Night's Dream. I hope the author will continue to write more Shakespeare plays for kids. I would love to see the students act out King Lear! Definitely order the books! Teaching has never been so easy!" - Amazon Review "Hamlet Act 1 Scene 1 (Enter GHOST wandering on stage in ghostly fashion) GHOST: (waits a few seconds, then tries to scare the audience) BOO! (GHOST exits) Here it is. The best way to introduce Shakespeare to kids. If you are a teacher, an after school programs director or a parent with a lot of time on your hands, you owe it to your students to buy this book. I promise, you will not be sorry. Brendon has come up with an innovated and truly engaging way for students to have fun while learning the basics of Shakespeare. This book series is a must if we are going to keep the arts alive. Educators are always complaining that it is hard to get kids interested in the classics. Brandon has found away to engage kids of all ages. Within the pages of these books (there are 11 so far) you will find the key to getting kids excited about Shakespeare. Each book contains three variations on the play. The three plays are broken down by age appropriate learning; 6-7 8-14 & 14-20. The plays run under 30 minutes, designed to introduce the basic plot. As the play's age level progress, so do the plot details. Brendon has included many of Shakespeare's more famous lines, while keeping the script simple and direct. I cannot image a more engaging and entertaining way to introduce Shakespeare to kids." - Amazon Review "I'm a grade 3/4 teacher and have been introducing Shakespeare to my students. The students wanted to create their own productions of some of the plays and Brendan Kelso's Hamlet for Kids was the perfect solution. Brendan's versions of the plays mixes authentic lines from the play with regular, modern-day language that the students find irresistible. As a result, the students not only get an introduction to real Shakespeare lines, but they get immersed in the story. In other words... "the story" is the things that grabbed the conscience of the students. the only difficulty I'm having with Brendan's versions, is that the students can't get enough and I am having difficulty getting them to do other things. It's actually a problem that I wish upon all teachers." - Amazon Review "As a teacher, I have been looking for a kid/teen "easy" version of Hamlet to read in my class. This play book is perfect! It has 3 different plays....let me clarify. Depending on how many students you want to participate, there is a shorter or lengthier play. Of course, with a class of 30, I have all of my students take a specific role. The others are in charge of setting the scene and props. The language used in this play is everyday language, and I love the sound of teen voices saying, " now I get what...said!" It's a beautiful thing, and I highly recommend this to any teacher!" - Ama

About this edition

• Publisher: Playing with Plays
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 0998137618
• ISBN 13: 9780998137612
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 104
• Illustrator: Hallmeyer Shana