Sunday, May 4, 2014

Just Macbeth by Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton




New to the classroom bookshelves is Andy Griffith's Just Macbeth. It is a must-read for all diehard Griffiths fans. This is the seventh book in the Just series. It is written as a play and blends the characters from the Just series with the story and characters from Macbeth. Andy, Lisa and Danny are rehearsing the famous witches' scene from the play in preparation for a performance they are doing for their English class. They concoct a disgusting potion and then dare each other to try it. Suddenly, they are transported back in time into the battle scene of Act 1. Andy is mistaken by the three hags as Macbeth and told his future, that he should become a king. The book then pretty much follows the plot line of the original play with Andy, Lisa and Danny taking on the roles of Macbeth, Lady Macbeth and Banquo. The language is a mix of colloquial kids' language with sprinklings of Shakespeare's famous lines. The illustrations and quips of Terry Denton, as always, do justice to the book giving humorous advice and suggestions to the reader as well as deviating from the plot with other ridiculous but very funny reinterpretations of historical events.

The stage show was a hit.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_eUpkFVE95Y