A Midsummer Night's Dream

Shakespeare short 'n' simple

by Helen Street (Adaptor), Charly Cheung (Illustrator), William Shakespeare

Mischief is in the air when the King and Queen of the Fairies quarrel and Puck is left in charge of the love potion. Four young people are lost in the woods on midsummer’s night. Will they find each other and true love, or will Puck’s meddling leave them broken-hearted and alone? A band of players prepares to entertain the Duke of Athens. But now that the fairies have made a donkey out of their leading man, will Quince and the others ever get to play their parts? Is there time to put everything right before this magical night is over?

Real Reads are accessible texts designed to support the literacy development of primary and lower secondary age children while introducing them to the riches of our international literary heritage. Each book is a retelling of a work of great literature from one of the world’s greatest cultures, fitted into a 64-page book, making classic stories, dramas and histories available to intelligent young readers as a bridge to the full texts, to language students wanting access to other cultures, and to adult readers who are unlikely ever to read the original versions.

Genres: Fantasy

64 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hippolyta and Theseus; Hermia and Lysander; Helena and Demetrius; Titania and Oberon; these four love-couples make up the play "A Midsummer Night's Dream" by William Shakespeare. Hermia is promised to Demetrius, but she won't have it. She loves Lysander and will stop at nothing to have him. Helena is a sad, depressed child who wants Demetrius to love her, yet, his eyes rest on the fair Hermia. Hippolyta is engaged to Theseus, who won her in a mighty battle. Titania and Oberon continue with constant fighting and arguing.
Athens, the beautiful city and woods surrounding it, where all this chaos takes place. The heat is rising as Hermia and Lysander plan to run away to get married, but Helena won't let it go without a fight. She goes to tell Demetrius, and together they seek Hermia and Lysander. Meanwhile, the mechanicals are hard at work with the play for the wedding.
I personally didn't really like the book. With all the love fights, I just get sick.
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a love adventure.

[Anirban Mookerjee · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Midsummer Summer Night's Dream is a romantic comedy written by William Shakespeare. It rovolves around 3 main couples. Hermia and Lysander, Helena and Demetrious and Titania and Oberon. There is a lot of drama happening in the book, which is what makes this book full of comedy.