The latest installment in the Hogarth Shakespeare series takes us to a 1970s suburban Washington D.C. middle school, with Tracy Chevalier's take on "Othello."

Osei Kokote, a Guyanian diplomat's son, is not only the new boy at school -- he's the only black student. Since he has spent his life moving around the world he is significantly more cosmopolitan and cultured than his classmates; however, he's not a show-off. He knows it's best to lay low and be friendly, but not overbearing. The popular girl at school takes a liking to him, and this doesn't sit well with the school bully, who conspires about the best way bring Osei down.

The entire story takes place during the course of a single school day, and the book itself isn't that long. Chevalier's writing is filled with tension and the sense that *something* is on the verge of happening. That said, I couldn't shake the sense that this would have worked much better as a short story, rather than a novel (or novella -- I'm not sure how this book is technically classified).

Thank you to NetGalley and Hogarth for a galley of this book in exchange for a galley of this book.

It’s hard to fault the Hogarth Shakespeare series for its effort the past few years to present Shakespeare’s stories in new prose form, since Shakespeare himself did exactly the same thing, plundering old stories and rejuvenating them. And certainly one can’t complain about their choice of authors, which includes Margaret Atwood, Jeanette Winterson, and Howard Jacobson. But it’s proving difficult to overcome a basic flaw in the premise, which is that Shakespeare’s genius lies in his story plotting as opposed to his stage plotting (not to mention his startling use and invention of language) and said genius can therefore translate easily to prose. But there’s a propulsive and self-evident theatrical nature to stage narrative that can go a long way toward overcoming plot issues and so the task has so far, in my mind at least, proven beyond most of the writers’ worthwhile efforts. Tracy Chevalier is the latest to wilt a bit beneath the withering sun of Shakespeare in her retelling of Othello, which has been transplanted to an all-white American elementary school in Washington, D.C. of the ‘70s and retitled New Boy.

Othello remains the titular character, a young boy from Ghana whose African name Osei is shortened to O. The other sixth-graders have similar “almost the same” names: teacher’s pet Dee is the stand-in for Desdemona, her good friend Mimi is Emilia, bad boy bully Ian is Iago, his puppet Rod—who likes Dee-- is Roderigo, and so on. The story mostly remains the same. The outsider O and the sensitive girl Dee fall for one another, Iago plots to break them up, Rod and Mimi get caught between the two forces, things don’t end well.

There’s a lot to like here. The racism is sharp and bitter and more directly evident (most blunt in the adult’s words than the kids’), the sense of racial isolation felt by Osei is wonderfully handled (Chevalier’s introduction of Osei’s older sister, who works her way toward a more militant 1970’s style of “Black Power” was an excellent addition.), but so too is the general pre-adolescent sense of not belonging even as one fiercely desires to, no matter what the reason (and they can by sundry). For the most part. Chevalier nails the childhood experience and mind set. And the translation to a elementary school playground highlights how the adults of the play acts in petty, childish fashion. I had mixed feelings about Ian/Iago’s backstory, which seemed a little neat for an explanation of what is often a wonderfully frustrating mystery of why Iago does what he does, but I quite enjoyed entering Mimi/Emilia’s mind, which fills in a sympathetic exploration of how Emilia might have ended up with Iago.

And the good carried me along for the first twenty percent of the book. But then things began to slowly fall apart for me. The acidic point of portraying the play’s adults as children wore off (one only need be shown it once after all), and after a while the effect for me was that the events were trivialized and infantilized. The telescoping of the plot into a single day didn’t help matters, as it just made the events feel all the more implausible and trivial. While Chevalier, as noted, often struck gold in her portrayal of a child’s point of view, more and more the inner thoughts and sometimes the dialog began to sound less and less childlike, so that the shifts became a bit jarring—sometimes sounding just like an 11-year-old and sometimes sounding much more adult. The same double-sided nature was involved with the racism aspects, which while often powerfully effective sometimes came across as a bit clunky or too on the nose. The same held true with some of the more direct connections to the plot. In fact, I‘d say adhering too closely to the plot constrained Chevalier and bled the story of some of its rich potential.

So far Margaret Atwood’s Hag-Seed has been my favorite of the Hogarth run, but perhaps someone else will come along and breathe new life into one of the Bard’s classics, as he himself did. Or then again, maybe the oft-used descriptor of “singular genius” for Shakespeare is as well earned as many think.

I was not aware that this book was a modern retelling of Othello, the classic Shakespeare story and part of something called the Hogarth Shakespeare series. I’ll be honest with you, when I saw mention of Shakespeare, I did think - uh oh, what I have got myself into?

I’ll tell you what I got myself into. A real pager turner. I could not put this down. From the beginning, you know something bad is going to go down. I just wasn’t sure who or what it was going to involve. I gave fleeting thought to googling Othello just to get the gist of the story. I’m glad I didn’t. I liked the suspense. I liked rooting for the good guy and hoping the bad guy gets his comeuppance. Can I tell you that is what happened in the end? Well - you’ll just have to read it to find out for yourself.

This now means I must read the other books in the Hogarth Shakespeare series. I’m actually pretty excited about this!

ARC from Hogarth Publishing, via Netgalley.

Tracy Chevalier’s retelling of Shakespeare’s Othello has all the elements of treachery and tragedy present in the original text played out on a sixth grade playground. This update of the classic would be a fitting companion for students studying they play. I’m sure it would lead to some spirited conversations.

Because the story involves children this time, the ending was jarring and (to me) even more tragic than the bard’s play. However, as a longtime teacher of middle school students, I found myself questioning the actions and motivations of these characters. I thought they often acted, spoke, and behaved more maturely than typical sixth graders. I would have been totally invested in characters a bit older, but I realize this would compromise the playground setting. I wonder if young people would agree with my thoughts. I certainly wouldn’t allow this small criticism to keep me from recommending this book, however; it definitely has a place in the classroom. I would also recommend it as an independent read for someone who hasn’t ever read or studied Othello, in hopes that it might encourage them to do so.

Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A short but powerful read, New Boy is enjoyable even for those who have never read Othello. The idea of transporting Shakepeare’s play to a single day in the 1960’s is genius. While the casting of 6th graders was unique, I didn’t feel like it was as authentic. Sometimes the characters did things (or had thought processes) that I couldn’t see an 11-year-old doing. I did like that fact that they were young enough to still have an innocence about them but enough age to know the ways of the world. I particularly liked the character of Mimi and how she was used. I liked the rotating points of view and felt like that was done really well and I felt that the setting allowed for a lot of great discussions about race and social dynamics. The asides of the adults in the book were interesting as well and added a lot to the whole tone of the story. I really enjoyed this book, not just as a version of Shakespeare but in its own right.

Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC of this book.

Excellent retelling of Shakepeare's Othello. This however takes place on a 6th grade playground. It was an engrossing . poignant read. Although you know what is coming it does not make the story any less tragic. I read this in one sitting it captivated me straight away

I have been enjoying the Hogarth Shakespeare series and I usually love Tracy Chevalier’s books, but I have to admit that I did not enjoy this book.

I have checked to see if it is intended for teens/YA but it’s classified as General Fiction(Adult). Not only were the protagonists a group of grade six kids, I found the dialogue very basic at times. (“’You know why,” Mr. Brabant answered darkly. “This school isn’t ready for a black boy.” Really?)

I struggled to finish the book and probably would not have continued had I not been asked to write a review for receiving an advanced copy. It seemed to drag out the one day interminably. And I hated the ending.

Maybe my expectations were too high because I love Tracy Chevalier’s historical fiction.

If this was marketed as a way to make Shakespeare more accessible to teens then I could see the appeal.

Full review can also be found on my blog LairOfBooks:
https://lairofbooksblog.wordpress.com...

THOUGHTS

This is my first read from the Hogarth Shakespeare collection & it will not be the last. Originally I had plans to start with another Hogarth title, Margaret Atwood’s Hag-Seed but I’m glad I opted to go with this one. A short read coming in at just about 200 pgs., New Boy by Tracey Chevalier packs a hell of a punch! Seeing as this is a short book, I decided to go with my thoughts & not go too in depth with plot for fear of spoilers. I was drawn to this book once I read “tragedy of Othello is transposed to a 1970’s suburban Washington schoolyard” in the Goodreads blurb & thought YES PLEASE! I was the kid in Junior High School who actually enjoyed the classics & read as many as possible (prob why I read so much YA now lol) so this was like music to my 7th grade self. This will def not be the last Hogarth title I read, I found the writing easily accessible when compared to the Ol’ legend Shakespeare himself. I’m all for a modern take on the classics when it’s done right & Tracy Chevalier delivered a poignant re-telling.

95% of this story takes place in the school yard & the main characters are 6th graders aka the seniors. We follow our main character Osei Kokote who has just transferred into the school about 7 mths prior to graduation. Osei is the son of a diplomat & no stranger to being the new boy in school/playground. This school however is a bit tougher to adjust to with Osei being the only child or for that matter, the only person of color. Osei is a very quiet, observant, and wise for his age child. Still, at the end of the day he is just a child in a all white school during the Nixon era which sadly made him the target. We see the trickle down effects of racism from the adults to the children. The atmosphere on the playground changes whenever Osei is around & the tension is palpable to the reader. From the children staring & whispering to the teachers who immediately peg him as a problem child, the build up leaves you with a bad feeling in the pit of your stomach.

I felt a range of emotions reading New Boy, anger was a big one. Chevalier didn’t hold back, providing us with the POV’s of both the children and the teachers. Many times I found myself wondering who was worse, the children who were taught to hate a skin color or the teachers with racism embedded in their hearts. Osei made one friend on that playground, Dee who found herself fascinated by him because he was different. Dee found herself wanting to spend all her time with Osei, talking about all he had seen while traveling with his parents. The attention Dee gave Osei was immediately noticed by all others. Playgrounds are known to be the scene of many dramatic events between friends and foes. Also, they typically have some sort of hierarchy with cliques that form & dissolve at the blink of an eye. This story has it’s bully aka aggressor, his name is Ian & throughout the course of this book we see him plot & scheme. Although you see the typical childhood dramas unfold, it isn’t without an underlying feeling sense of danger.

This book made me think for days about what the younger generations are being taught at home. Not the lessons you get from books but rather the ones passed on by the older generations. How racism isn’t something you are born with, it is taught. The kids in this book were repeating things they heard at home but lacked conviction. There were moments when they included Osei in games & you almost thought they’d forgotten they feared him. Then an incident would occur & serve as a reminder of who they were taught to keep their distance from. I’ve never had a book invoke this much emotion to leave me shaking, making New Boy a read I’ll never forget. It’s short & to the point. Raw & unapologetic til the very last sentence. A relevant read given our current social & political climate. I highly recommend this one to all my book blogging buddies & readers. If you do decide to pick this one up, feel free to contact me to talk about this read ;)

Have any of you read New Boy or perhaps have plans to? if so (w/out spoilers), what are your thoughts? Also, if you’ve read any of the other books in the Hogarth collection, which would you recommend I read next?

It's been a long time since I was in 6th grade, but still I find it hard to believe students of this age would act this way all in one day. To begin, why would a teacher appoint a girl to show around a new boy - and not just any new boy, but a black boy in an all white school? It just doesn't ring true to me. Then there's Dee falling head over heels with O in a matter of minutes. Seriously?

I really tried to 'suspend disbelief' but just couldn't totally do that. It was at the back of my mind the whole time I read the book that it just wasn't believable to me.

Lovers of the Bard rejoice! Another Hogarth Shakespeare offering has arrived!

Hogarth, an imprint of Crown Publishing, is continuing their series of literary reimaginings of the works of William Shakespeare. The latest offering is “New Boy,” Tracy Chevalier’s retelling of “Othello.”

(The previous four in the series are Jeanette Winterson’s “The Gap of Time” (based on “The Winter’s Tale”); Howard Jacobson’s “My Name is Shylock” (“The Merchant of Venice”); Anne Tyler’s “Vinegar Girl” (“The Taming of the Shrew”); and Margaret Atwood’s “Hag-Seed” (“The Tempest”). You should read them if you haven’t already.)

“New Boy” transfers the action of “Othello” to a suburban middle school in 1970s-era Washington DC. Despite the seeming incongruity of that shift, the story is actually a beautiful fit, hitting all the narrative high marks while informing the proceedings with an innocence that makes the tale’s tragedy all the more impactful.

Osei Kokote is stepping onto the playground of his fifth school in as many years. His father’s job – he’s a diplomat from Ghana – requires a lot of movement for Osei and the rest of the family. He’s been the new boy enough times to know that he’ll need to get someone on his side quickly. So when the vivacious, popular Dee takes a liking to him, things are looking up.

Unfortunately, Osei (or O, as he prefers to be called) is still a black boy in a predominantly white school in the 1970s. This results in a fair amount of resistance to the idea of him getting close to a nice young girl like Dee – resistance that comes from students and teachers alike.

But the person it bothers the most is Ian, the bully whose control of the schoolyard has heretofore been unchallenged. Ian hates the idea of Dee and O being together, and so sets into motion plans to tear the two of them apart. He draws some of the other children into his scheme – his reluctant girlfriend Mimi, his sycophantic toady Rod and the school golden boy Casper are all pulled into Ian’s tween Machiavellianism.

Over the course of a single school day, love rises and falls. Alliances are made and broken and mended and broken again. And the lives of these young people – just one month away from the end of another school year – are irrevocably, irreparably altered.

One might think moving a tragedy like “Othello” to a middle school would prove incongruous, but there’s a remarkable smoothness to Chevalier’s execution of the concept. The truth is that the playground can play host to power struggles and acts of cruelty not dissimilar to what you find on the Shakespearean stage; additionally, it’s not difficult to argue that many of the original’s military men have elements of the squabbling sixth-grader in their respective characters.

“New Boy” reads like the most sophisticated YA novel you’ve ever encountered. The youth of the characters is played naturalistically and honestly, yet still manages to elicit much the same pathos that Othello’s tragic path does. The depth of connection between the original work and this new one is astonishing; Chevalier builds parallels within parallels that are both unexpectedly creative and exquisitely apt.

Seriously – it is legitimately stunning how well the narrative transfers. It is clean and clever and emotionally charged, filled with moments that reflect perfectly the source material while never straying from the truths of the new setting.

Even the more sophisticated thematic issues are handled with aplomb. O deals with systemic racism as everyone around him projects their prejudices onto him. The hierarchal layers of deception inherent to the original are present and accounted for. Even the at-times intense sexuality of “Othello” is translated, albeit in a manner that matches more appropriately with adolescents awash in the hormonal maelstrom of puberty.

In case it isn’t clear, I LOVE the Hogarth Shakespeare series. I find it to be an inspired and compelling way to cast the great narratives of the Bard into a new light. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that they’ve enlisted a horde of incredibly talented novelists to help bring the project to fruition – a horde into which Tracy Chevalier fits nicely.

“New Boy” is another outstanding entry in what is proving to be one of the most – if not THE most - rewarding literary endeavors of the decade. Tracy Chevalier’s take on the Moor of Venice blends innocence and darkness in a way that is both unanticipated and incredibly effective. It is powerful and thoughtful and captivating, a book you’ll want to savor even as you tear through its too-few pages.

“Beware, my lord, of jealousy! It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock the meat it feeds on.”
- Iago, “Othello” Act III, scene iii

The latest in the Hogwarth Shakespeare series, Chevalier (Girl with A Pearl Earring) takes on the story of Othello, the tragic tale of friendship, love, and the ultimate betrayal. Chevalier, however, takes the plot line and places it into...wait for it...a fifth grade playground, with each of the five acts a recess, lunchtime, and after school. As a former elementary teacher, it is quite a brilliant move, as recess is the ultimate social experiment, with friendships lost over not being picked by a kickball team, a love affair that blooms at lunch time and is killed by the end of the day, and schoolyard bullies who rule the school. In this case, Osei is the new boy from Africa, in a 1972 white school outside Washington, D.C. Immediately, Osei and Dee (ie Desdemona, the hot popular girl, ) become an item, causing Ian (ie. Iago, resident schoolyard bully) to become jealous, Casper (ie. Cassio, the hot popular boy) to become entangled in their web, and even Mimi (ie. Emilia, Dee's best friend) gets her loyalties pulled in opposite directions. At times, I wanted more complex thinking and writing from this story, yet the voice truly fit those of elementary age children; they were fleeting in their emotions, impulsive in their behavior, and short-sighted over their relationships. Would you enjoy this book more if you knew the story of Othello? Absolutely. Would it be an entertaining companion to the teaching of Othello in your classroom? For sure. However, it is also another excellent example of how Shakespeare continues to be relevant hundreds of years after his death; he spoke of the most basic human emotions (love, revenge, betrayal, loyalty) that are still wrestled with in today's world.

First of all, even though I know she is a prolific author, this is my first Tracy Chevalier novel, . I’ve not had the pleasure of reading her stuff up until this point. Truthfully this was not a bad story, I'd read more of her books.

My initial thought on this book is: Are these really children?! OMG the scheming and the conniving that happens in this book is something that I would find incredible in an adult. That seriously and honestly is probably the biggest plot hole that I can see in this book. When I was reading I had to keep reminding myself that these were 6th graders that we were talking about here. Their behaviors were mixed at times too. Sometimes they were extremely immature in their behavior, other times the same characters had the mentality of a 17 year old on The Sopranos. No matter how good the writing or the crafty storytelling it was hard for me to get past this part of the book.

Told from essentially four points of view, Osei, Dee, Ian and Mimi, we spend the entire story peeking over the shoulder of 12 year olds during the course of only one school day. They aren’t exactly characters that you go attached to, but instead just a conduit for the story to be told. It was hard for me to connect the thoughts and actions that I was reading about with 12 year olds. Plus they were pretty much detestable, but this is the author nailing her characterizations in my opinion. The book is dripping with racism and sexism, both things that cultivate many uncomfortable emotions in most people.

If you do not already know the story of Othello written by Shakespeare, you can read up on it here. Its pretty much a huge bummer for everyone involved.

Now what I think that the author HAS done in this novel is craft a well written tale that perfectly retells the story of Othello, it's just on a schoolyard playground. Regardless of the advanced thinking and speech of the children in the book, the story is very well done, intriguing, relatively easy to follow.

Even if you have read Othello and you think you know how this one is going to end, you don’t. Keep in mind that he intended it to be a tradgedy.

I am intrigued by the Hogarth Shakespeare series by Penguin. There are five other Shakespeare books retold in such a fashion already written, and I think that I would like to add them to my tbr.

I looked forward to reading the Hogarth Shakespeare update of Othello by one of my favorite historical fiction authors, Tracey Chevalier.

Set in the 1970s, New Boy is the story of Osei Kokote, son of a diplomat from Ghana, newly arrived on the suburban Washington D.C. schoolyard. O, as he is called, soon finds that Dee, the most popular girl in school, chooses him to be her boyfriend. But Ian, the playground bully, sees his entire social hierarchy threatened by O's love conquest and kickball ability.

Racial stereotyping and prejudice simmers, unspoken but obvious in the teacher's attitudes. When teachers observe Dee and O touching each other's hair it only confirms their worst fears about the black boy.

Ian sets up a series of events to make O suspect his good fortune, bringing misery and physical harm.

Chevalier's playground society rings true to the character's age and time, and the Othello story becomes more chilling and disturbing played out by characters in an America divided by racism.

New Boy is a powerful book. It can stand on its own, but I hope it will be used to introduce young adult readers to Shakespeare's tragic play. I recommended it to my book club.

This is one of the Hogarth Shakespeare series; the Bard’s classic plays reimagined by modern-day authors. Last year I got to read Hag-Seed, Margaret Atwood’s retelling of The Tempest. Now, I’m moving on to Othello as envisioned by Tracy Chevalier.

Chevalier sets her retelling in 1970s Washington DC. The era, with its incendiary post-civil rights racial tensions, provides a brilliant backdrop for a story that orbits intimately around Othello’s otherness (both his race and, presumably, his religion).

Disconcertingly, Chevalier has set her story in an elementary school. The major players are now sixth graders; the horror and the tragedy of the plot enacted by eleven year olds. A bold choice, but one that ultimately plays out well. The petty intrigues and backstabbing of playground rivalries seem to need only a small push to spiral into terminal misunderstanding and violence.

The story, set over a single school day, begins with Osei, also called O, the son of a Ghanaian diplomat starting his first day at a new school, and the only black student enrolled. He quickly befriends Daniella (also called Dee), one of the most popular girls in school, and the two hit it off almost instantly. Unfortunately, Osei’s unlikely friendship with Dee, and his acceptance by Casper, the most popular boy at the school, inspire bully Ian to concoct a malicious plot to put the “uppity” Osei in his rightful place.

New Boy is a powerful retelling of a play that is in itself timeless. Othello continues to resonate with audiences today because the attitudes of racism, resentment, and revenge are depressingly familiar to us all. The child-like cruelty of the elementary students in New Boy is at once horrifying and familiar. The reinforcement of this cruelty by the adults in the picture (who, as one character points out, “should know better”) provides further commentary on the pervasiveness of racism and the continuous effort at education and cultural exploration needed to help combat it. By setting the story in the 1970s, Chevalier gives us some temporal space from such abominable ideas, but recent events should quickly make it obvious that we have not come nearly as far as we would like to think.

In all, this is a great modern retelling of a Shakespeare classic (is that redundant? I think it may be). Othello is an important story, and New Boy will make it more accessible for those who don’t have the time or inclination to wade through the Bard’s archaic prose.

An advance copy of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

The Shakespeare play that served as inspiration for this novel is Othello, which is one of the few works by Shakespeare that I actually don't like too much. I've never been a fan of tragedies, especially ones that deal with the whole concept of misunderstandings. I was quite impressed by the originality of this novel, in taking a serious adult tragedy like Othello and transplanting it into a Washington school playground. It reminded me of my cringe-worthy days in elementary school, struggling to fit in with my peers, facing the social hierarchy that was constantly shifting, and dealing with betrayals and crushes. The author did a great job of giving each character a unique voice and exploring the playground politics in a serious tone that went beyond the surface. This novel speaks at length on the issue of race in an unusual setting that is really just a microcosm of our own society; it both surprised and delighted me to see this concept work out as well as it did! Was this novel a complete success? No. It had its flaws and the ending, while tragic, was a bit too dramatic for the setting the author was trying to maintain. However, this is still a powerful rendition of Othello, and I appreciate its uniqueness. Overall, an interesting novel!

What a book! Really enjoyed! Highly recommend. Perfect book club pick!

This book is a retelling of Othello. Set in Washington, DC with the charecters being sixth graders, it was an ok read. The writing was ok, but the premise was a bit over-whelming at times. Yes in Othello there was tragedy, but to see sixth graders being so about "hooking up", "kissing", etc. it was a tad bit much. Maybe if the childeren had been in a higher grade it would have been a bit more believable To believe that these children had very limited encounters with a black student...well....really? The attitude of these children you may be able to think this is how they are raised. But, a teacher using the "N" word at the end of the big? A big no-no for me.. Not sure if I would read any of this serious again. I gave it a chance and decided not for me. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publiser for the ARC copy of this book in return for my honest review.

I love Tracy Chevalier and Shakespeare so I thought this would be a good match. Plus it has gotten good reviews from bloggers I follow. However, I just couldn't get into it so decided not to finish it.