Macbeth United
Publisher: Scholastic
In this reimagined version of William Shakespeare's Macbeth, 12-year-old football-mad Macbeth has a lot of talent on the field, but also has a bit of a liking for fouling the other players. He also has a burning desire to become captain of Shotfield football team, and is prepared to do whatever it takes.
Macbeth's hard-hearted mother also pushes him to succeed – getting ahead to get spotted by academy scouts, even if it means dirty tricks. But will Macbeth’s bad sportsmanship pay off? And is it ever worth winning at all costs?
Chock full of football commentary and with plenty of sporty detail for football-mad readers, Macbeth United also follows the plot of the famous play, with local radio sports announcers taking the place of the chorus and mysterious men on Hampstead Heath replacing the three witches. The tale has the same theme of a young man exploring the dark side of his personality, and the obsessive desire for power which will eventually lead him to disaster. It’s an interesting take for a football-themed book which very much captures the passion and obsession that can develop in the "Beautiful Game".
