Merlin's Shakespeare Series & Carol Ann Douglas

One of the genres that I love the most are retellings and reimaginings of older stories! Authors always find a way to put a new twist on things that makes them fun and interesting for readers. Well, I'd say that's definitely the case for Carol Ann Douglas' duology Merlin's Shakespeare and The Mercutio Problem. These books throw together a modern high school girl with the tales of Camelot and Shakespeare for some fun adventures...and I loved it!

In the first book, Merlin's Shakespeare Beth Owens is a high school girl who loves to act. One day she discovers that her words have magical powers but she struggles to use them. Merlin transports her back in time to the London of Shakespeare's time and even the world of his characters in order to search for a missing play about King Arthur. She meets many characters that come from these plays like Mercutio who guides her in her adventure and Richard III who plays the villain in Beth's tale but also the Macbeths, Romeo and Juliet. Why is this missing play so important? Will Beth manage to find it with help or will Richard III foil her plan?

I felt like there was a lot going on in this book. There are a lot of characters introduced in the book and if you aren't already familiar with Shakespeare it might be difficult to keep straight. I think that this was a great read for teenagers who might be seeking to understand a little bit more about Shakespeare and the world of his plays in a fun and adventurous way.

Which leads me to book two of the series, The Mercutio Problem. Richard III is still a problem in Shakespeare's World so Merlin sends Beth back in time once again to London. This time the challenge is to bring one of her favorite characters back from the dead. Even more dangerous than the first adventure, Beth continues to face the havoc that Richard III is wreaking across the rest of Shakespeare's plays. 

I know that this summary of the second book is a little vague but I'd hate to spoil the happenings of the first book. Trust me when I say that it was a really good read. It was unique from the first book but I noticed that other reviewers have mentioned that they read the second book without reading the first book and had no problem understanding what was happening in the book. The plot from the first book was well laid out and they picked it up no problem--good to know!

I thoroughly enjoyed both books of this short series. Beth is a fun and interesting character and I think would be relatable for teenagers and young adults. I also loved that the books, especially The Mercutio Problem also addressed a lot of social issues such as racism and gender. These are hard to do sometimes in a fiction novel but I felt like Douglas did a great job with it!

Luckily, I had the chance to ask Carol Ann Douglas a few questions about her inspiration for writing young adult literature. She said, "I'm afraid this is a conventional response, but my primary inspiration for writing a young adult series was J.K. Rowling's wonderful Harry Potter series. I was a devoted fan. I later read other young adult series, but none had the magic of Harry Potter. I like very much that the series has humor as well as drama. That's also what I love about Shakespeare. 

I had written stories for my friends' children for many years and enjoyed it very much. I created characters like the world's most passionate lover of olives, Oliver Olivier. But I stopped writing the stories when my friends' children became adolescents."

Carol Ann Douglas loves to write fantasy novels and plays and many of her books are based on the Arthurian legends and the works of Shakespeare. I also loved to hear that she worked on a feminist news journal for a long time also taught women's studies as George Washington University. A change in circumstances led to time and inspiration to write Merlin's Shakespeare.

"I volunteered for a feminist news journal for many years. In 2008, it ceased publication for financial reasons. I worked as an editor of a trade publication, but I needed to have a project that took more of my creative energy. In a few weeks, the idea came to me: I would write a young adult fantasy about the immortal wizard Merlin sending a high school girl who loves to act to Shakespeare's world to find a manuscript that Merlin believes Shakespeare wrote. 

My inspiration for that particular story was my honorary niece, who has excelled at acting ever since fourth grade, when she played Puck and learned all the lines in the play so she could coach the other actors."

I also asked her what she felt like young adults could gain from reading her books and she said, "I hope that young adults will enjoy my books. I think readers will increase their appreciation of Shakespeare's work. Also, they may learn that one can create one's own version of many beloved stories. Readers also will see characters making difficult choices, which is something we all face in our own lives."

Overall, I feel that this duology is one that I would recommend for teens and young adult readers who love or have an interest in Shakespeare or Arthurian legends, that want a funny, relatable story, or adore fantasy and time travel stories! You can purchase Merlin's Shakespeare and The Mercutio Problem here.