Rosen makes the life and work of Shakespeare vibrant and exciting in this perfectly splendid biography. He opens with Shakespeare and his cohorts pulling down a wooden theatre under cover of night, to rebuild it as the Globe on the other side of London Bridge. He continues by describing in clear contemporary language some famous plots from the plays, spiced with quotes. He gives enough history so readers can understand that Shakespeare lived in tumultuous times, and that such was reflected in what he wrote. For Shakespeare’s life, Rosen sticks strictly to what is known, and does a beautiful job of tying those few facts into English life in the 16th century, to make a brief but coherent whole. A Midsummer Night’s Dream, King Lear, Romeo and Juliet, The Tempest, and Macbeth are treated at some length, and Rosen is very good at offering just the right hook to lure young readers in. His analysis of Juliet’s screaming argument with her parents, who want her to marry Paris when she has already secretly wed Romeo, will find readers nodding in abject recognition. He urges his audience to rent a video or see a performance, reminding them that Shakespeare wrote scripts, not books. But it’s the format that makes this stand out from the usual treatment of these times; large type on oversized pages, quotes in bold, and lots of white space invite younger readers to explore this fascinating universe. Ingpen’s exquisitely detailed watercolors range from full two-page spreads to marginalia; most are in full, burnished color but some are done in grisaille very effectively. Beautiful and engaging. (timeline, bibliography) (Biography. 10+)
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-7636-1568-4
Page Count: 104
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2001
Small but mighty necessary reading.
A miniature manifesto for radical queer acceptance that weaves together the personal and political.
Eli, a cis gay white Jewish man, uses his own identities and experiences to frame and acknowledge his perspective. In the prologue, Eli compares the global Jewish community to the global queer community, noting, “We don’t always get it right, but the importance of showing up for other Jews has been carved into the DNA of what it means to be Jewish. It is my dream that queer people develop the same ideology—what I like to call a Global Queer Conscience.” He details his own isolating experiences as a queer adolescent in an Orthodox Jewish community and reflects on how he and so many others would have benefitted from a robust and supportive queer community. The rest of the book outlines 10 principles based on the belief that an expectation of mutual care and concern across various other dimensions of identity can be integrated into queer community values. Eli’s prose is clear, straightforward, and powerful. While he makes some choices that may be divisive—for example, using the initialism LGBTQIAA+ which includes “ally”—he always makes clear those are his personal choices and that the language is ever evolving.
Small but mighty necessary reading. (resources) (Nonfiction. 14-18)Pub Date: June 2, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-593-09368-9
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2020
A satisfying rivals-to-lovers romance played to the beat of marching bands and D&D dice rolls.
Can former friends, now members of mutually antagonistic marching band sections, trade rivalry for love?
In Glen Vale High’s marching band, the percussion section and color guard are bitter rivals. Senior Hazel Buchanan, whose mother—a former Glen Vale Marching Knights trumpet player—pours on the pressure to succeed, is captain of the unfortunately mediocre color guard. Recently, her junior high friend and secret crush, Max Coleman, moved back to town—and he’s grown distractingly hot. However, not only does he play percussion, for unknown reasons he’s taken against Hazel. While mean pranks and an ill-conceived bet fuel the band rivalry, at home, Hazel’s parents welcome Max’s mother back into their Dungeons & Dragons game—and the parents assume the two will hang out together like they used to. Can D&D offer Hazel and Max, who present white, a path back to friendship—and maybe more? Fans of both marching band and D&D will find much to love in the detailed descriptions of both activities and how they resonate through the characters’ lives. While the band rivalry feels somewhat contrived, Max and Hazel’s personal challenges ring true. As Max struggles with his parents’ separation, Hazel faces her mother’s crushing expectations, trying to train and bond her rookie team, and being a first-time Dungeon Master. The romance between these two overly competitive ex-friends is sweet.
A satisfying rivals-to-lovers romance played to the beat of marching bands and D&D dice rolls. (Romance. 12-18)Pub Date: May 5, 2026
ISBN: 9780593899229
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Delacorte Romance
Review Posted Online: Feb. 2, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2026
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