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Cat_Cavendish
Posted March 16, 2012
I have always thought that the measure of a good children's - or in this case - teen - novel is if, as an adult, you can also read and thoroughly enjoy it. This definitely falls into this category.
As it is a short story it is all too easy to give too much away, so I won't go into the plot, but I will say that I enjoyed the characters. They were real, had genuine and authentic emotions and reactions and the interactions worked every time. Wanda's style is light, with appropriate touches of humour and the pace is perfect. While 'The Next Shakespeare' is the first book of Wanda's I have read, it certainly won't be the last. I will be seeking out her other work and am looking forward to it. I highly recommend this - whatever your age!
The Next Shakespeare is very much about forging your own path and learning to accept defeat. In this story, Tristan unintentionally wins an award that Chris covets and despite receiving five scholastic awards of his own, Chris is not satisfied. He cannot fathom how "stupid" Tristan beat him at anything, but ends up learning something more important in the end. It's an extremely cliché storyline and I wasn't very impressed at all. The setting is not very well established and, although your mind can fill in the blanks, I would have liked to know more. I understand it's a short story and there isn't much room for development, but it seemed thrown together. I would recommend reading this if you have absolutely nothing else to do for twenty minutes, otherwise, forget it.
Reviewed by Brittany for Book Sake.
Read_A_Book
Posted August 1, 2011
This is a very interesting coming-of-age short story entailing greed and selfishness. Tristan has won an award he doesn't want, Chris has won five awards except the one he really wants, and Astra is stuck in the middle of this war brought on by Chris, a greedy, selfish young man who can't fathom how someone like Tristan, of all people, could have won The Next Shakespeare award.
I thought this was a very well written short story, though I wasn't able to connect with the characters as much as I'd have liked to. I found them to be a little flat, but I think it's near impossible to create round, enticing characters within twenty pages, so I commend Ernstberger on her ability to create a great story in such a short span of pages. Ernstberger has created a wonderful tale of right and wrong for all ages, and I especially think the message would benefit both MG and YA as greed and selfishness is a problem I see in the classroom all the time. Three stars.
LendMe™
Overview
Who thought a poem would trigger World War Three?Tristan Gunner—skateboard fanatic, junk food junkie, award-winning poet. But you’d think he just got detention instead of the school’s grand prize for poetry. And even though Chris won five Math and Science awards, the next Einstein is crying because he’s not the next Shakespeare. Astra wants them both to cut the drama, and caught between a mortified winner and a crybaby loser, she hopes Chris can get over his attitude before World War Three erupts in her kitchen.