Many modern YA authors are following the time honored tradition of retelling a classic story in a modern setting or incorporating elements of a classic in a modern tale. By having students read and compare the classic and the related modern novel, teachers can expose kids to plots that form the backbone of literature and help them appreciate the clever variations that the modern authors imagine. In Hamlet is Not OK by R.A. Spratt a reluctant student is assigned a paper on Shakespeare's Hamlet and finds herself able to transport herself into the story. Twelfth Knight by Alexene Farol Follmuth is a feminist reimagining of Twelfth Night which incorporates Shakespeare's characters into a story about a girl who is a whiz at multiplayer role-playing games. The Calculation of You and Me by Serena Kaylor finds the main character employing the services of a rock star to write lyrics to win back her ex-boyfriend.
Hamlet is Not OK introduces Selby Michaels, who is left on her own for six months and stops doing her homework. Her parents, who own a bookstore, go to a parent-teacher conference and return home in a rage. She is banned from TV, computers and music and must work with her brother's nerdy friend Dan to make up the work. When she is working on an English paper on Hamlet, Dan has her read the play aloud, and they are magically transported to Elsinore Castle in Denmark and meet Hamlet's father's ghost. As the story unfolds, Dan explains what's happening, and Selby is determined to stop the violence. Dan cautions her about changing the narrative, telling her it will impact literature for centuries to come. As Selby attempts to save Ophelia and stop Hamlet's downward spiral, they travel back and forth between the bookstore and the 17th century, witnessing familiar plots and famous lines, that even Shelby recognizes. Coming up with a compromise to stop the mayhem, but leaving the story intact, Dan and Shelby bond over their shared magical journey. Although the author includes lines from the play, she prefaces the story with a caveat suggesting the reader to skip them if they wish, as Dan's explanations of them suffice.
In Twelfth Knight Viola Reyes is a high school student, who loves multiplayer role-playing games, in particular "Twelfth Knight." When her tabletop game team rejects an original game she created, her best friend suggests she try being nicer, and the Student body President and star quarterback Jack "Duke" Orsino leaves all the school event planning to her, Viola retreats into online game play. Then Jack has a season ending injury and decides to begin playing Twelfth Knight. Viola has disguised herself as a male player, Cesario, to avoid the misogynist attitudes of guys who play the game. Cesario and Duke begin teaming up and are surprisingly successful together. As Jack begins falling for her in real life, Viola worries about what will happen when he discovers the truth about her Cesario identity. A quick way to introduce students to the classic is to read the picture book Twelfth Night: For Kids by Lois Burdett aloud, so that kids will recognize all the references to the classic in this clever retelling.
The Calculation of You and Me uses the basic premise of Cyrano de Bergerac to tell the tale of Marlowe Meadows, a whiz at math whose interpersonal skills are not as sharp. When popular Josh sets his eye on her, she suddenly has a golden ticket to a social life. Two years later he unexpectedly breaks up with he, because she isn't romantic enough. Despite her friends' disdain for Josh, she is determined to win him back. Enter Ashton Hayes, a goth rock god with whom she is paired for an English project. When she reads his love lyrics for his band's songs, she makes a bargain with him. If he helps her get Josh back by writing romantic love notes for her, she will revamp the band's social media to help them go viral. Although he hates Josh, Ash agrees, and he and Marlowe begin meeting at the romance bookshop/cafe where he works. He gives her an assigned reading list of romance novels, and she works on a data analytics formula for the band to follow. As she gets to know Ash better, she begins to wonder why she is chasing Josh. She is used to math problems which are easily solved, but love has a funny way of complicating everything. The story is retold for children in The Story of Cyrano de Bergerac (Save the Story) by Stefano Benni, illustrated by Miguel Tanco, which can facilitate easy access to the story for comparison purposes.
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