William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar: The Graphic Novel

Gr 9 Up—This book is a retelling of a retelling, the reality of history filtered through the prism of Shakespeare and then refiltered through this adaptation. When sharing this story with students, it is especially important to clarify what is fact and what is fiction, which this book does not do well. There is no mention at the beginning of the book that Shakespeare's play was a fictionalized version of real events, and the "After the Curtain Fell" addendum refers to what happens next to the characters, rather than to the actual people those characters were based on. In addition, Julius Caesar, while a well-known play, requires readers to know more information ahead of time to follow the convoluted plot, and this book lacks an introduction or enough helpful footnotes. The cover artwork is both striking and visually appealing; in fact, it is one of the best things about this book. Unfortunately, the interior illustrations, while colorful and realistic, sometimes have a peculiar overuse of shading that might distract readers. The ideal audience for this book would be teens who understand the historical background of the play but who would have an easier time reading a shorter version; the language used is close or identical to the original.–Andrea Lipinski, New York Public Library