Shakespeare adaptations

To celebrate the Bard's birthday on 23 April, take a look at our list of some favourite retellings of Shakespeare's plays. From picture book versions from Michael Rosen and Marcia Williams through to teenage novels by Mal Peet and Celia Rees, these books provide the perfect introduction to Shakespeare.

King of Shadows

by Susan Cooper

Red Fox

Nat Field, an orphaned American actor, is taken ill during a performance and slips back in time to the Tudor era, where he finds himself acting alongside William Shakespeare in a secret performance for Queen Elizabeth I. Cooper wonderfully creates...

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Romeo and Juliet: Manga Shakespeare

by Sonia Leong and William Shakespeare

Self Made Hero

Set in modern Tokyo, with the Capulets and Montagues recast as organised-crime rivals, this racy retelling gets to the heart of the love story and the foolish rivalry that dooms it.

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The Merchant of Venice: A Shakespeare Story

by Andrew Matthews

Orchard Books

Shakespeare's dialogue is greatly abridged, but key passages are kept, and the well-known sayings remain.

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Exposure

by Mal Peet

Walker Books

The third of Peet's thrillers involving South American football journalist Paul Faustino. The novel superimposes Posh and Becks-type characters on the plot of Othello, involving corruption, deceit and apparent infidelity. There’s not a great deal of football, especially as Otello’s...

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The Fool's Girl

by Celia Rees

Bloomsbury

After her father has been murdered and her lands and treasures taken, young Duchess Violetta seeks the help of Will Shakespeare to regain a treasure vital to her homeland.

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Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet

by retold by Michael Rosen

Walker Books

This beautifully desinged book will really bring Shakespeare alive for a new generation of readers.

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Shakespeare's Storybook

by Patrick Ryan

Barefoot Books

These enjoyable traditional tales are an enticing introduction to Shakespeare for young readers

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Manga Shakespeare: King Lear

by William Shakespeare

Self Made Hero

Ilya's illustrations match the intensity of the play to bring this tragic classic vividly to life

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Bravo, Mr William Shakespeare!

by Marcia Williams

Walker Books

Illustrator Marcia Williams offers up lively illustrated retellings of some of Shakespeare's most famous plays in this entertaining picture book perfect for use in the classroom.

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