I really like the books in this collection, they're great for making Shakespeare accessible to younger learners, or to students like mine who speak English as a second language.
The Merchant of Venice was a new one to me and I loved this little book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for letting me access an advance copy of this bok in exchange for my honest feedback.

This is a good book for young readers to be exposed to Shakespeare. They will easily understand and enjoy the book. There is also a note for parents/adults to be warned to read the stories with children because the stories have adult themes.

Shakespeare’s Tales: The Merchant of Venice offers another accessible retelling in this series of titles. The PDF ebook of this was easy to read even on a small device with great illustrations. For me, it offered The Merchant of Venice in an easy to digest version with modern language.

This was such a joy and I loved reading it.

There is much to learn and enjoy from Shakespeare’s work and I love that the writers walked The Merchant of Venice back in such a way for children to enjoy the stories and themes at their development level. I imagine that this particular method of teaching children Shakespeare’s stories would effectively plant seeds in aspirations to read the original works in later years. His works can feel like daunting tasks through school assignments, The approach in this book has great potential to encourage young and beginner readers to familiarize themselves with both his stories, and realizing how many other pieces of writing and film are inspired by Shakespeare.

The text is paired down in a colloquial manner at an accessible reading level with accompanying illustrations. Not only is this wonderful for children, but it also makes the storytelling accessible for various intellectual levels despite age.

Shows humour and cleverness in adaptation and is an overall success, Brava!

Thank you NetGalley and Arcturus Publishing for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review. I will certainly be recommending it.

I have read this book along with many of Samantha Newman's other 'Shakespeare tales' books. I have always been intrigued by Shakespeare's books but have only ever read Romeo and Juliet and that was about 20 years ago when I was in school. When I came across this book I thought it was a perfect way to get these stories out in the world for those who struggle with classic books. I read this book to my son along with him reading them. Malaki is ten years old and has loved reading these along with myself. Along with being interesting and fun books with great narrations they have all included morals/tales of some sort which Malaki enjoys telling me what the lesson to the story is. A great book and I'm looking forward to reading more of them. My son says that he has enjoyed reading them and it is good that there are books from Shakespeares he is able to read and understand.

I really enjoyed Arcturus' series of abridged Sherlock Holmes stories for young readers, so I was very pleasantly surprised to find that Arcturus have launched a series of abridges Shakespeare tales as well. While Charles and Mary Lamb's classic adaptations will always be my number one choice for introducing young readers to the Bard, I will definitely recommend this new series as well!

This is a nice re-telling of The Merchant of Venice, one of Shakespeare's most insightful comedies. It is not a laugh-out-loud comedy like A Midsummer Night's Dream or Twelfth Night, but rather a more solemn tale with a very strong female character. When Antonio borrows money from Shylock to lend to his dear friend Bassanio, he never imagines that he wouldn't be able to pay it back. But misfortune strikes as Antonio's ships are lost at sea, and he cannot pay the wicked Shylock back in time. Shylock demands to literally exact a pound of flesh from Antonio as stipulated in his contract. All hope seems lost for poor Antonio, but Bassanio's newlywed wife Portia is a lady of great intelligence and compassion who is willing to do anything she can to help her husband's dear friend. Will Portia be able to outwit Shylock at his own game at the last minute and preserve Antonio's life? Young readers will enjoy this moving tale of friendship and justice, and I hope this series will spark children's interest in the wonderful world of Shakespearean drama!

A child friendly version of The Merchant of Venice that shortcuts most of the plot in favor of bubble wrapping and modernizing the story for children. It's not bad per say, it gets most of the points across fairly well. I just was personally unimpressed as an adult.

I always find this story so enthralling and the adaptation of The Merchant of Venice I found so effortless to read. It’s perfect for younger readers comprehension and taking what can be very heavy writing into a medium more digestible and easy to read.

We have romance, trickery, a ‘pound of flesh’ in suspense, drama and friendship. I love this story for all of those things and coupled with wrong doing and seeing an enemy thwarted makes it a great adaptation for kids. As is most of Shakespeares stories.

Take away some of the complicated language and you get the foundation of some great and compelling stories perfect for younger audiences.

I love that they’re short and easily digestible, with some images to break up the text and maintaining the magic of Shakespeare and the original story.

This is a simplified re-telling of The Merchant of Venice, one of Shakespeare's most problematic comedies. In order to lend his friend Bassanio money to go win the hand of the woman he loves, Antonio must borrow a large sum from the moneylender Shylock on Shylock's strange terms: failure to repay the debt in three months will result in Shylock taking a pound of flesh from Antonio. When Antonio's ships are wrecked, he must allow the cruel Shylock to take his pound of flesh from his chest, thus allowing Shylock to kill him. All seems to be lost, until Bassanio's newly-won wife and her companion turn up dressed as the judge and his assistant, and Portia cleverly orders Shylock to take only a pound of flesh, threatening him that he will be in big trouble if he spills even a single drop of Antonio's blood, since the contract said nothing about taking blood. Shylock is defeated at his own game, and must pay reparations to Antonio.

I was extremely surprised that this abridgement did not mention Shylock (the "bad guy") being a Jew and the "good guys" being Christian. Shylock's religion is an important point in the original play, and Shakespeare actually draws our sympathy for him when he is bullied by the Christian men and insulted for being a Jew. Although this re-telling includes the side plot of Shylock's daughter Jessica wantonly eloping with her Christian lover and taking Shylock's jewels, it omits poignant details such as the fact that Jessica even took away the ring of great sentimental value that her mother had given her father. It is little moments (in the real play) like the one where we see Shylock lamenting the loss of the ring that is a reminder of his deceased wife, that Shakespeare humanizes Shylock and makes us feel for him. The "good guys" are actually not so good after all, since in the original play they even force Shylock to convert to Christianity!

But this abridged edition does not mention any of this religion-based harassment that Shylock receives. By failing to do so, it paints Shylock as a one-sided evil man with no humanity, which was not Shakespeare's goal at all. This abridged series does not shy away from darker mature topics like murder, marital infidelity and implied sex, etc. (even provides a content warning at the start of each book). So it makes no sense why it would deliberately avoid including the religion-based abuse that a multi-layered character like Shylock receives! It feels rather insulting to Shakespeare's original tone and intent, as though kids already reading about murder and implied sexuality still somehow shouldn't be exposed to themes of religious discrimination.

Shakespeare's Tales: The Merchant of Venice retold by Samantha Newman

I really enjoy these types of novels. an easy adaption of the classic Shakespeare play, it makes Shakespeare accessible to all.

Antonio borrows money from loan shark Shylock so that he can marry well but Shylock demands a pound of flesh when the debt cannot be repaid... but its the women of the tale who save the day.

This humorous adaption is faithful to the original play and tells the story in a way that we can all enjoy.

#Shakespeare #muchadoaboutnothing #Netgalley #adaption #humour

A brilliant way to get the tales from Shakespeare in to kids reading that isn’t in olde English and that actually makes the story understandable. Can be read by any age. Look forward to the rest in the series

** “If you prick me, do I not bleed? If you poison me, would I not die? And if you wrong me, shall I not seek revenge?” **

Sam Newman retells Shakespeare’s “The Merchant of Venice” for young readers, with illustrations by Ceej Rowland, a story of revenge, mercy, and being brave and willing to risk everything.

Merchant Antonio likes to take thrilling risks and so sends all his fleet and goods out to sea. But when his friend Bassanio comes to him requesting to borrow money so he can woo his beloved Portia, Antonia must borrow the money from a man named Shylock until his ships and goods return.

Shylock agrees to lend Antonio the money, with an agreement that if he cannot repay Shylock can demand a pound of flesh. And to win Portia’s hand, Bassanio must pass a riddle created by her father.

Will Bassanio solve the riddle and marry Portia? Will Antonio be able to repay Shylock, or will he lose all his goods to wicked seas?

Newman does a brilliant job of retelling a classic Shakespeare tale in five short acts in a way readers of all ages will understand and enjoy. The publisher does include a note indicating Shakespeare’s works can contain sensitive themes so adults should read these stories with their children.

Five stars out of five.

Arcturus Publishers provided this complimentary copy through NetGalley for my honest, unbiased review.

Here is another entry in this publisher’s series of Shakespeare plays for young readers. Each is written in prose form and, while they simplify the story, all of the important details are there in the illustrated text.

The Merchant of Venice was one of the first Shakespeare plays that I read. It is one that may require some conversation between the reader and an adult, especially because of the blatant antisemitism. That does not mean that it is not a worthwhile read but just that some discussion is merited.

Kids may well be intrigued by the caskets (more like treasure chests). What is in each? Along the way they will get to know a well known Shakespearean character, Portia.

Recommended for home and school libraries as a good way to introduce kids to the bard.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Arcturus Publishing for this title. All opinions are my own.