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Shakespeare Stories #11
Hamlet: A Shakespeare Story
A simplified version of William Shakespeare's 'Hamlet'.
With notes on: Shakespeare and the Globe Theatre
Revenge in Hamlet
With notes on: Shakespeare and the Globe Theatre
Revenge in Hamlet
Unknown Binding
First published October 10, 2002
14 people are currently reading
240 people want to read
About the author
Andrew Matthews
128 books24 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.
Andrew Matthews was born in South Glamorgan in 1948. Andrew taught English in Hampshire after which he became a full-time writer. He lives in Reading with his wife and their cats. Andrew's work has been widely translated and he has made numerous appearances at schools and libraries throughout the UK.
Source: United Agents.
Andrew Matthews was born in South Glamorgan in 1948. Andrew taught English in Hampshire after which he became a full-time writer. He lives in Reading with his wife and their cats. Andrew's work has been widely translated and he has made numerous appearances at schools and libraries throughout the UK.
Source: United Agents.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 80 reviews
August 19, 2018
It’s a great way for children to understand Shakespeare’s stories.
March 3, 2017
After asking to hear about the play l'd been to see, and whetting their appetites with my conclusion "and everybody died", (EVERYBODY??)l picked this up one evening when my children were quite tired. l expected to read a few pages, stop to explain a great deal and repeat over the next few nights. lnstead, we gobbled it up in one sitting and they listened in rapt silence. "What a mess of dying" as my seven year old succinctly put it. We had an interesting discussion afterwards regarding belief in God, heaven and hell, and what we might have done in Hamlet's place....l will definitely be looking at other plays in this series.
November 2, 2022
"Something in me died too that day, and was sealed up in the Royal Tomb with my father. My grief was so great that it sucked the light and joy out of everything."
A really nice version of the classic play. I have been looking for this type of thing for a long time and am thinking of acquiring more from this series now. it is great potential teaching material, though the combination of the drawins aimed at younger readers and the language that still have some dfficult phrases for second-language learners could be a tougher sell for young Dutch students. I will certainly recommend this to native speakers, get the young readers acquianted with Shakespeare at a wonderfully young age!
The story remains the same but interesting symbolism is added, by the initial suggestion that Hamlet senior died due to a snake-bite. This then turns into a symbolic reference to the actual serpent in the court, Claudius, who murdered the old king. I quite like that, a nice way to teach symbolism to young readers.
(Thanks Eva v K., for lending me your copy!! :) )
A really nice version of the classic play. I have been looking for this type of thing for a long time and am thinking of acquiring more from this series now. it is great potential teaching material, though the combination of the drawins aimed at younger readers and the language that still have some dfficult phrases for second-language learners could be a tougher sell for young Dutch students. I will certainly recommend this to native speakers, get the young readers acquianted with Shakespeare at a wonderfully young age!
The story remains the same but interesting symbolism is added, by the initial suggestion that Hamlet senior died due to a snake-bite. This then turns into a symbolic reference to the actual serpent in the court, Claudius, who murdered the old king. I quite like that, a nice way to teach symbolism to young readers.
(Thanks Eva v K., for lending me your copy!! :) )
September 28, 2022
Okay...so this might not be the most academic version of Hamlet, but I just couldn't resist picking up this one. It was a short read but entertaining nonetheless. I liked the way it tells the story of Hamlet from a first-person narrative. It reads basically like your average children's book but with many characters dying horrible deaths because well... it remains a work of Shakespeare after all
October 2, 2022
"Jelen ranjen suze lije, Ali igra, dok je zdrav - Netko spava, netko bdije, Takav nam je život sav."
"Jer navika je kadra gotovo promijenit biljeg ljudskoj prirodi."
"U obilju ćeš imat prijatelja, gdje za njima i ne mori te želja, a tko u bijedi kuša druga svoga, taj dušmanina steče velikoga."
"Uistinu bit velik ne znači bez velikog se dizat razloga, već držati, da vrijedno se je borit za slamku, ako čast je na kocki."
"Ne napreduje ljudsko tijelo samo u mišicama i u rastu svom, već kao što se hram taj razvija, i unutrašnja služba uma se i duše tako širi zajedno."
"Tko silno ljubi, silan strah ga mori."
"Daj svakom uho, malo kome glas."
"Jer navika je kadra gotovo promijenit biljeg ljudskoj prirodi."
"U obilju ćeš imat prijatelja, gdje za njima i ne mori te želja, a tko u bijedi kuša druga svoga, taj dušmanina steče velikoga."
"Uistinu bit velik ne znači bez velikog se dizat razloga, već držati, da vrijedno se je borit za slamku, ako čast je na kocki."
"Ne napreduje ljudsko tijelo samo u mišicama i u rastu svom, već kao što se hram taj razvija, i unutrašnja služba uma se i duše tako širi zajedno."
"Tko silno ljubi, silan strah ga mori."
"Daj svakom uho, malo kome glas."
February 2, 2021
Always a pleasure. One of my favourite Shakespeare plays and always love to re-read it. Brilliant key messages of mental health alongside the classic story that follows other key adaptations such as lion king!
To be or not to be, that is the question
To be or not to be, that is the question
August 15, 2022
shakespeare war damals schon so woke dafür dass er horatio gay machte
May 10, 2024
My mother read this to me today as I’m currently bedridden due to illness and it was really lovely. I read all of these children’s Shakespeare’s classics when I was really young and enjoyed them all! I’ve always particularly loved Hamlet as I found it easy to connect with and I loved the twisted and transparently evil themes of the tale.
In terms of the actual writing, it’s condensed enough that you get just the right amount of detail but it doesn’t drag on and make your interest wander. You can sit down and read it in one session with ease and the font size is easy to read. I would honestly really recommend the full set for parents who would like to introduce their children to classical literature at a young age!
In terms of the actual writing, it’s condensed enough that you get just the right amount of detail but it doesn’t drag on and make your interest wander. You can sit down and read it in one session with ease and the font size is easy to read. I would honestly really recommend the full set for parents who would like to introduce their children to classical literature at a young age!
September 17, 2018
A Shakespeare story Hamlet Matthews Ross Orchard
Illustrations like QB infact Tony Ross 60 pages, large text
Cast list
Excerpt from Shakespeare
Narrated first person by hamlet simplistic & short but thorough gives excellent overview and comprehensive version of play
Good vocab burdened avenge destiny en garde
Could discuss themes of play, love, madness, revenge, grief.
Look at a couple of actual lines
Could discuss genres is it tragedy?
What does tragedy mean? What’s covered in a tragedy
Shakespeare week compare to another play? One from each genre
Could watch rsc excerpt of play
Could write a more detailed scene from one aspect
Could act it out
Revenge summary dps
Globe theatre, bit like our tv 1penny seats entertainment for the masses, what was it like, explore the globe
Illustrations like QB infact Tony Ross 60 pages, large text
Cast list
Excerpt from Shakespeare
Narrated first person by hamlet simplistic & short but thorough gives excellent overview and comprehensive version of play
Good vocab burdened avenge destiny en garde
Could discuss themes of play, love, madness, revenge, grief.
Look at a couple of actual lines
Could discuss genres is it tragedy?
What does tragedy mean? What’s covered in a tragedy
Shakespeare week compare to another play? One from each genre
Could watch rsc excerpt of play
Could write a more detailed scene from one aspect
Could act it out
Revenge summary dps
Globe theatre, bit like our tv 1penny seats entertainment for the masses, what was it like, explore the globe
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 6, 2025
Bought at Kronborg Castle, where Shakespeare's "Hamlet" was set. Short and sweet kid version, finished in one sitting. Read to my girl the same weekend Taylor Swift's "The Fate of Ophelia" debuted. This is about as pop culture as I get. 😁
March 18, 2019
Wow, it's an actual Shakespeare Stories that makes me want to read the original! It was a lot of fun and it made me really interested in the play, what more do you want?
May 11, 2025
A concise , engaging edition of the famous play.
November 30, 2023
I was going to review this ‘short and sweet’ but it’s…really not sweet at all 🥲
September 6, 2020
SUMMARY: The ghost of the King of Denmark appears and tells his son Hamlet to avenge his murder by killing the new king, Hamlet’s uncle. Hamlet pretends to be mad while he prepares his plan for revenge and thinks about life and death. His uncle, afraid for his life, also plots to kill Hamlet. The play ends with a duel, during which the King, Queen (Hamlet’s mother), Hamlet’s opponent (Laertes) and Hamlet himself are all killed.
This is an action-packed retelling of Shakespeare’s play about revenge and murder. I enjoyed the descriptions of the fight scenes and there was a lot of suspense while waiting to see if Hamlet’s plan would work and he would get revenge for his father.
The book also contains useful notes on Shakespeare, the Globe theatre and the theme of revenge in Hamlet. The play has been retold using accessible language and has detailed black-and-white illustrations which help children enjoy the plot of the play. I liked the pictures as they add to the written descriptions in the book and really help me imagine the scene. These books are also good as quick revision guides for adults or older children who need to understand the plot of Hamlet.
This book was one from a boxed set of 16 books. I would recommend them as quick and easy Shakespeare reads for children.
This is an action-packed retelling of Shakespeare’s play about revenge and murder. I enjoyed the descriptions of the fight scenes and there was a lot of suspense while waiting to see if Hamlet’s plan would work and he would get revenge for his father.
The book also contains useful notes on Shakespeare, the Globe theatre and the theme of revenge in Hamlet. The play has been retold using accessible language and has detailed black-and-white illustrations which help children enjoy the plot of the play. I liked the pictures as they add to the written descriptions in the book and really help me imagine the scene. These books are also good as quick revision guides for adults or older children who need to understand the plot of Hamlet.
This book was one from a boxed set of 16 books. I would recommend them as quick and easy Shakespeare reads for children.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 10, 2018
I bought this book from Baguio last December on our way back to La Trinidad; I got the book for just 1$, such a steal! Plus it’s a Shakespeare book with fun illustrations which caught my attention. I did enjoy reading this book even it’s a short one. All the illustrations in it are so cute! which is good for the little ones. Since it’s a classic story few kids might get easily bored with it but this one is good because it makes it easier for readers to read or chew a good story without getting bored with the help of these illustrations. I do wish school libraries have this kind of books for every students. All and all I love the story of Hamlet, because it shows love and finding the truth even how disastrous it turned out I’m still impressed about the whole concept, Shakespeare never disappointed me with all his works. Well done!
February 17, 2020
If there were a poll to learn the most famous line from the Shakespearean plays, it would most likely be, “To be or not to be, that is the question,” a line from Hamlet. It is the first line in what is arguably the best description of the human condition ever put on paper and read aloud. Hamlet is one of the most performed Shakespearean plays as well as the one most often made into a movie. The base plot has been reused many times and in many forms.
This book is designed to be a primer of the plot, it uses no actual dialogue from the play to explain it. While purists can argue that much of the tone of the story is lost, it does explain the fundamentals of the play very well. It is a good book for school children that will introduce them to what is a really good story imbedded in a classic Elizabethan play.
This book is designed to be a primer of the plot, it uses no actual dialogue from the play to explain it. While purists can argue that much of the tone of the story is lost, it does explain the fundamentals of the play very well. It is a good book for school children that will introduce them to what is a really good story imbedded in a classic Elizabethan play.
May 18, 2020
After reading this book, I have come to the conclusion that this is now my favourite Shakespeare story. This book really kept me interested in the story and kept me wanting to keep reading. The theme of revenge is by-far the most interesting one theme that Shakespeare utilized in this story instead of pretty much always basing his works on the theme of love. The end of the book when Hamlet fights against Laertes was very interesting and was definitely my favourite scene out of all of the works that I have read by Shakespeare so far. This story had encouraged me to continue to read more of these translated summaries of Shakespeare's works as it was action-packed and reminded me of numerous action movies that I have a scene before. If I did not understand before why Shakespeare's works were very popular, I believe that I have now achieved a better understanding of why that is so.
February 2, 2022
Proported to have been motivated by his son’s death and having recently read Hamnet (Maggie O’Farrell) I thought it only fitting that I should acquaint myself with Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet - which is considered his greatest work.
Anyone who has studied Shakespeare at school (The Merchant of Venice was our compulsory curriculum text) will know this is likely to be seriously heavy going. Therefore, looking for a way to ease myself into this intellectual exercise, I chose this Orchard Classic retelling as my entry point. Dumbed down to the most basic summary (reading age 6-11), it was enough to glean the general gist of the story without putting me off entirely. Armed with this basic understanding of who’s who and what’s what, I now feel confident(ish) to tackle, the real thing - but only using Spark Notes to distill and decipher as my companion piece.
Anyone who has studied Shakespeare at school (The Merchant of Venice was our compulsory curriculum text) will know this is likely to be seriously heavy going. Therefore, looking for a way to ease myself into this intellectual exercise, I chose this Orchard Classic retelling as my entry point. Dumbed down to the most basic summary (reading age 6-11), it was enough to glean the general gist of the story without putting me off entirely. Armed with this basic understanding of who’s who and what’s what, I now feel confident(ish) to tackle, the real thing - but only using Spark Notes to distill and decipher as my companion piece.
December 27, 2022
"I wandered through the castle, weeping and sighing, seeking out shadowy places to brood."
This encapsulates Hamlet's emo spirit perfectly. It's written for kindergartners though, so I feel like thats why the authors left out the graveyard scene, although kindergarten me would've been absolutely stoked to read a scene where two men jump into some girl's grave and proceed to physically attack each other. It's also probably good that they removed the parts where Hamlet calles his mother a slut.
This book was filled with edgy, overdramatic quotes and I am 100% here for it. Extremely entertaining read.
This encapsulates Hamlet's emo spirit perfectly. It's written for kindergartners though, so I feel like thats why the authors left out the graveyard scene, although kindergarten me would've been absolutely stoked to read a scene where two men jump into some girl's grave and proceed to physically attack each other. It's also probably good that they removed the parts where Hamlet calles his mother a slut.
This book was filled with edgy, overdramatic quotes and I am 100% here for it. Extremely entertaining read.
June 2, 2025
was my favourite book when i was in class 5. found this in the school library.a very interesting,easy portrayal of Shakespeare.one of the reasons why i fell in love with him as a child.amazed me when i was 10 years old.i would just have wished to have bought the whole collection.well,someday i will.
it can also be read by adults as a introductory book.now having dug much deeper into Shakespeare the idea it feels slightly boring yet not less amazing at the same time. just a bit extended.not to mention the wonderful childlike illustrations.<3
it can also be read by adults as a introductory book.now having dug much deeper into Shakespeare the idea it feels slightly boring yet not less amazing at the same time. just a bit extended.not to mention the wonderful childlike illustrations.<3
December 25, 2017
I want to read more Shakespeare's but didn't know where to start so I bought the kids versions of his works. They are easy to understand and have some nice illustrations to look at, plus the covers are in my opinion so cute.
I found the story of Hamlet rather intriguing and defiantly wast to read the original.
I found the story of Hamlet rather intriguing and defiantly wast to read the original.
January 4, 2020
This is the only way I'm going to read Shakespeare.
From my point of view everybody knows the story of Hamlet, so I'm not going to summarize the plot or anything.
Hamlet, however, is a very unlucky guy and indeed there is a high price for revenge (it doesn't matter the situation, it is always like this).
From my point of view everybody knows the story of Hamlet, so I'm not going to summarize the plot or anything.
Hamlet, however, is a very unlucky guy and indeed there is a high price for revenge (it doesn't matter the situation, it is always like this).
November 22, 2024
Indeed, grief changes people. We all cope differently.
Tragic yet my favorite out of the all the eight books of the Shakespeare Stories. Makes me want to get the original Hamlet by Shakespeare.
Tragic yet my favorite out of the all the eight books of the Shakespeare Stories. Makes me want to get the original Hamlet by Shakespeare.
August 3, 2017
This story was talk about a prince father had been killed. He tried to revenge to her aunt. The content of this story was so good because a lot of characters were dead by killing each other. Finally all characters dead so the story quite dramatic.
January 21, 2018
Very quick and enjoyable read of this children's version of Hamlet. Will read more from this author soon, of you don't want to read the Shakespearean version or take up a lot of time, this is perfect for you.
February 10, 2018
3.5 stars
This is my first time reading Hamlet and I really did enjoy this read because unlike macbeth hamlet was not driven by power of the want to become king, he simply wanted revenge for the murder of his father which leads to some other tragic events.
This is my first time reading Hamlet and I really did enjoy this read because unlike macbeth hamlet was not driven by power of the want to become king, he simply wanted revenge for the murder of his father which leads to some other tragic events.
September 30, 2018
I absolutely love this book. It is such a good story, plus it is really short. I have read it at least 10 times since I got it in 2017. I can't think of any other way to express my love for this book since it is so simple, and short. It usually takes me maybe one hour to finish this book!
January 5, 2019
There is no tragedy worst that Hamlet. I say that all murder stories in one way or another takes inspiration from Hamlet's tragedy.
This is a wonderful story to teach our children what it takes to exact revenge.
This is a wonderful story to teach our children what it takes to exact revenge.
November 24, 2019
Although this is meant for a younger reader, it was an enjoyable and quick version of one of Shakespeare’s tales. The opening format, explaining the characters is excellent. Looking forward to reading the others.
January 16, 2020
Wow, I never realised hamlet was so gory and bleak. Which is probably quite naive considering how old I am and how much I’ve read.
A child in my class loaned me this and I think it’s a nice, short and accessibly written version of a Shakespeare play. Just what I needed to stay in the loop!
A child in my class loaned me this and I think it’s a nice, short and accessibly written version of a Shakespeare play. Just what I needed to stay in the loop!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 80 reviews