The Wednesday Wars (Audio Book)

A Newberry Honor Book!

My English teacher hates me. From the first day she saw me she rolled her eyes. Maybe she got an eyelash in them, I reasoned. Yeah right! Now, it’s inevitable. I’m stuck with her every Wednesday after school…just me and her. All because I’m Presbyterian! She’s trying to kill me. I just know it!

Look, I can take a lot of things.

Cleaning rat cages…

Chalky cream puffs...

but...

Shakespeare?

This means war!





It’s good as a book…but even better on tape. You’d never think one person’s voice and tone could bring such depth to a story, but Joel Johnstone manages to do it. Your class will be in both stitches and tears. A must read for any English teacher who takes their job…and their students…way too seriously!

Willa: An American Snow White

Here's a riddle you might enjoy!



What
do
you
get
when
you…




Replace Snow White

with a girl named Willa...

Make the evil stepmother

a fading Shakespearean actress...

Turn the seven dwarfs into

a traveling comedy troupe...

And change the prince

into a budding film maker?

Throw in some dramatic monologues
from Willy Shakes, and you’ve got:
Willa: An American Snow White.

A Carnegie Medal Award Winning Film!

This movie is dedicated to all you thesbians out there. Go ahead, pick your poison. There’s a little bit of everything…Cinematic photography, dramatic irony, chiaroscuro. And did I forget to mention that all of the actors were cast from the American Shakespeare theater in Washington D.C.? Teachers, fool your students with this classic fairy tale and show them how Shakespeare was meant to sound.

Warning: Graphic scenes may not be suitable for use with younger children

Davenport M. (Producer), & Davenport, T (Director). (1998). Willa: An American Snow White. Delaplane, VA: Davenport Films.

Manga Shakespeare Series: Hamlet

To be or not to be?

Can Shakespeare survive the modern era?

"The year is 2107. Global climate change has devastated the earth. This is now a cyberworld in constant dread of war. Prince Hamlet of Denmark has come home to face an uncertain future...."


Believe it or not, it's the classic story of Hamlet that remains true to Shakespearean literature. However, this is one adaption that you'll have to see to believe. Indeed, seeing is the key factor here. The manga Shakespeare series puts the plots of Shakespeare's most famous plays in plain sight using classic japanese animation to hook the reader in like never before. Just flipping through these books is more than enough to pique your curiousity.

While these books hardly do justice to the original plays of this famous bard, this series is still incredibly useful for students who struggle with his work.
I would recommend keeping them on hand in the classroom for students as a reference tool. Perhaps older students would be interested in a comparison critique between the original play and adapted manga version!

However you chose to use it, it is still one of the best ways to give our apathetic students an exciting look into the underbelly of the beast that is Shakespeare.

Emma Vieceli (Illus.). (2007). Manga Shakespeare: Hamlet. New York, NY: Amulet Books.