William Shakespeare, the most celebrated poet in the English language, left behind nearly a million words of text, but his biography has long been a thicket of supposition arranged around scant facts. With his trademark wit, Bill Bryson sorts through this colorful muddle to reveal the man himself. Bryson documents the efforts of earlier scholars, and, emulating the style of his travelogues, records episodes in his own research. He celebrates Shakespeare as a writer of unimaginable talent and enormous inventiveness, a coiner of phrases ("vanish into thin air," "foregone conclusion," "one fell swoop") that even today have common currency. His Shakespeare is like no one else's--the beneficiary of Bryson's genial nature, his engaging skepticism, and an unrivaled gift for storytelling.

Cooney, Caroline B.. Enter Three Witches : A Story Of Macbeth. 2007. (YA Fiction Coone.C) 

A battle is looming over Scotland, but fourteen year-old Lady Mary is safe in Inverness Castle, awaiting her marriage to a young squire. As the ward of Lord and Lady Macbeth, Mary has nothing to fear until her father betrays the king and is hanged as a traitor. In an instant, both her father and her future are lost to her forever. Condemned to spend her days as a scullery maid, Mary becomes a firsthand witness to Lord and Lady Macbeth's relentless pursuit of power. As the events of Shakespeare's tragedy unfold around her, she discovers that destiny is hers to change and that the power to save the Scottish throne from tyrants lies in her hands.

Cooper, Susan. King Of Shadows. 1999. (J Coope.S)

While in London as part of an all-boy acting company preparing to perform in a replica of the famous Globe Theatre, Nat Field suddenly finds himself transported back to 1599 and performing in the original theater under the tutelage of Shakespeare himself.

In a contemporary story based on Shakespeare's play, Macbeth, Horatio Wilkes seeks to solve the murder of Duncan MacKae at the Scottish Highland Games in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.

When high school junior Kate wins an essay contest that sends her to Verona, Italy, to study Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" over the summer, she meets both American and Italian students and learns not just about Shakespeare, but also about star-crossed lovers--and herself.

In a story based on Shakespeare's Hamlet, Ophelia tells of her life in the court at Elsinore, her love for Prince Hamlet, and her escape from the violence in Denmark.

In this Harlem story told in free verse, seventeen-year-old Damien takes a bold step to ensure that he and his new love will not be separated. For fans of Who Am I Without Him?, Monster, and Romeo & Juliet.

Sixteen-year-old Jessica, who longs to be free of the restrictions of her father and life in the Jewish ghetto of sixteen-century Venice, falls in love with a Christian aristocrat and must make choices which will affect her whole family. Inspired by Shakespeare's play The merchant of Venice.

Fourteen-year-old Amrith faces an uneventful summer in the household of his Aunty Bundle and Uncle Lucky until the arrival of his cousin Niresh from Canada, when he eventually realizes his feelings for Niresh go beyond friendship, which finally makes him aware of his sexual identity.

Ariel is beautiful and magical, a creator of dreams and of mischief. Sprung from the mind of a dazed sailor shipwrecked in the Bermuda Triangle, she rules half of her enchanted isle, dreaming of the savior from the east who will help her conquer all. When Prospero, a lost mariner, appears on the beach, his young daughter, Miranda, in tow, Ariel entices him with her visions of conquest. Together, she promises, they will defeat the mysterious tribe whose drums beat beyond the island's rain forest. The homesick Prospero struggles to resist Ariel's charms, but he almost falls under her spell when Miranda falls in love with their servant, the island boy Caliban. Ariel wants to march west, Prospero wants to sail east, and daughter Miranda wants to play on the beach with her boyfriend. Their clash comes to a head when Ariel, summoning her full powers, creates a cataclysmic storm that will change their lives and the island forever. Shakespeare scholar Grace Tiffany looks at the dark side of Shakespeare's The Tempest, investing a female Ariel with tremendous strength.

MANGA SHAKESPEARE

Hello Manga Shakespeare! In Shakespeare's enduring tale of ancient Rome, Julius Caesar is at the height of his powers - but there are men plotting his destruction. Is Caesar a tyrant or a dynamic leader? Are his enemies greedy or noble? The Manga Shakespeare adaptation of this important work maintains Shakespeare's language - and the fierce political intrigue - of the original while including a fresh perspective through the style of modern manga.

Appignanesi, Richard and William Shakespeare.. Hamlet. 2007. (YA 822.33 Hamlet Appig.R) 

One of Shakespeare's best-known plays, "Hamlet" is now adapted to the ever-popular manga format, offering an exciting new retelling to introduce young readers to the melancholy Dane.

The latest in the breakout series Manga Shakespeare, introducing you to a new kind of Bard. In one of Shakespeare's funniest, most enduring stories, meddling fairies create unexpected love triangles among a group of teenagers. Hermia is in love with Lysander. Demetrius is in love with Hermia. Helena is in love with Demetrius. Add to the mix Puck, a fairy with a powerful love potion, and chaos is sure to follow. Now everyone's in love with Helena, Hermia is hopping mad, and the fairy queen Titania is in love with a man with a donkey's head! Using the style and visual language of manga, Kate Brown transforms Shakespeare's world into something new and vibrant. It's the perfect introduction to Shakespeare's work for reluctant readers and manga fans alike.