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.

Nice retelling of King Lear for kids, capturing the complex plot and tense atmosphere of the story very well. King Lear is getting old and wants to divide his kingdom among his three daughters. He makes each of them tell him how much they love him. The wicked elder daughters exaggerate and flatter their way into getting their share of the kingdom, while the honest youngest daughter gives a sincere, measured reply. The proud king is enraged and disowns her at once!

But when the king starts to repent his mistake, it is way too late. His older daughters and their evil allies are too powerful and they will stop at nothing to throw him out and claim the whole kingdom for themselves! This is a tragedy, so young readers must be prepared for the worst possible ending, and be willing to accept that there will be no magical happy resolution to the catastrophic chain of events.

Thanks Netgalley for this ARC!

** “Well, you know the times are bad when the mad men lead the blind.” **

Sam Newman retells William Shakespeare’s “King Lear” for young readers, a story of pride, weaving a web of lies, jealousy, vengeance, betrayal and madness, with illustrations by Ceej Rowland.

When Britain’s King Lear decides he wants to retire, he reveals he will split his kingdom between his three daughters — Goneril, Regan and Cordelia — if they will tell him how much they love him and who loves him the most. When Cordelia refuses to lie just to impress her father, he splits the kingdom between his two other daughters.

As he enjoys the revelry of retirement, and the mistreatment from his two daughters, King Lear dives deeper and deeper into madness. What follows is a story of treachery, deceit and murder.

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.

This is a nice introduction to Shakespeare's King Lear for younger readers. It captures all the essentials of the play and is very accessible. With nice illustrations throughout, i felt this worked quite well.

Here is another in this publisher’s retellings of Shakespeare works for young readers. These are chapter books with illustrations that are suitable for elementary school aged kids.

This time, readers will meet three of the most famous sisters in tragedy. They are Regan, Goneril and Cordelia. Who loves their father, Lear, the most and who wants to take advantage of an old king? It is a story that kids could relate to and one that could lead to some excellent discussion. At the same time, maybe it will inspire its audience to engage with the dramatist’s many works.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Arcturus Pub

A great adaptation for younger adults and teens to understand Shakespeare. The story is well done and easily understood. This is a good start for those interested in the works of Shakespeare, but unwilling to read the old English writing.

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

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 abridged 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 great re-telling of King Lear, one of Shakespeare's most poignant tragedies. The aged king foolishly decides to partition his kingdom amongst his three daughters according to how much they profess to love him. Goneril and Regan, his two eldest daughters, impress King Lear with there insincere flattery and win a third of his kingdom each. But honest Cordelia, the youngest daughter, cannot bring herself to mouth empty praises and incurs her father's wrath and causes him to disinherit her, but the wiser King of France takes her as his wife. King Lear soon realises his terrible folly as he is ill-treated first by Goneril and then by Regan. The two wicked sisters, along with Edmund -- the illegitimate son of the Duke of Gloucester who has deceitfully turned his credulous father against his innocent younger brother Edgar -- make evil schemes to get rid of King Lear, and gain supreme power over the entire kingdom themselves. The poor old king is driven mad and the poor Duke of Gloucester is cruelly blinded thanks to their children's wickedness; their only hope now lies in the aid of Cordelia and the French army...if only they can arrive in England in time to defeat the wicked sisters and Edmund's troops! Can Cordelia ever forgive her erring father and emerge victorious over her sisters? Will King Lear be restored to good health and regain his kingdom? Or will it be too late to stop the nefarious machinations of his power-hungry, merciless eldest daughters? Young readers will be hooked by the moving scenes unfolding one after, and I hope this series will spark children's interest in the wonderful world of Shakespearean drama!

Shakespeare's Tales: King Lear
by Samantha Newman, Ceej Rowland

I really enjoy these types of novels. an easy adaption of the classic Shakespeare play, it makes Shakespeare accessible to all.
I had never read King Lear and I did not know anything about it.. but this book made the story easy to understand and it was enjoyable tale.

King Lear demands that his three daughters tell him how much they love him. When his youngest, Cordelia, refuses, he casts her out and divides his kingdom between the other two. But when those two reject him, he descends into despair and madness...
It’s a really good story and told well, very easy to understand and to understand the consequences of King Lear’s decision to cast out Cordelia

This adaption is faithful to the original play and tells the story in a way that we can all enjoy.
#shakespeare #King Lear #Netgalley #adaption

King Lear is such an interesting one and one I’ve always remembered from Shakespeares tales. The story of three daughters, all eager to show the king, their father, how much they love him and who loves him the most. They embark on a peacock-esque display to show their love to him but he is soon to find how false words can truly come back to haunt him..

It was another one greatly and effortlessly adapted, retaining all key points of the original whilst making it easy to read for younger readers. It is such a sad tale though I find and not one of Shakespeares happier ones!

The illustrations paired great with the main text and it’s not too long to make it over-facing for those that may not have very long attention spans! It’s a sorry tale but a great play showing happy endings aren’t a guarantee in every book. Really well adapted to make it more accessible for a different generation.

A fabulous way for kids to get the tales from Shakespeare without having to read the plays and understand the old English language. Also great for any ages