I have been fortunate enough in my life to not only write goofy, whimsical books as a job, but to perform Shakespeare live on stage as a job as well. Of all my enthusiastically geeky interests, Shakespeare is hard to top. Stepping into a playing space and embodying characters from and for all time, speaking words committed to paper when the printing press was scarcely more than a century old and reigned as the cutting edge of idea dissemination, is an experience profound and thrilling enough that I couldn’t possibly give this sentence an ending that would do it justice.
It was that deep fondness in my heart that led to these books, and the odd adventures of the characters within. They aren’t severe departures from Shakespearean tendencies, either. His plays are full of silly jokes and “lowbrow” humor. They are, for the most part, straightforward stories with big, easily relatable themes. And they are entirely capable of being appreciated—and understood—by young audiences. It’s my hope that the Fakespeare tales will be enjoyed both as stories in their own right and as a way to tell young readers not to be afraid of Shakespeare.
I must thank the excellent people at Paper Lantern, in particular Kamilla Benko and Lexa Hillyer, the latter of whom helped with this project while preparing to have and subsequently caring for an entirely other tiny human, a task I can’t conceive the dauntingness of. I also extend heartfelt thanks to the good people at Macmillan, without whom you could read this book only if I printed it out, walked up, and handed it to you. My editor (and publisher of Imprint) Erin Stein, editorial assistant Nicole Otto, creative director Natalie C. Sousa, associate marketing director Kathryn Little, publicist Kelsey Marrujo, senior production manager Raymond Ernesto Colón, and production editor Ilana Worrell.
I also want to thank those who led me down the path to Shakespeare: Woody Howard, one of my first acting teachers and the subject of this book’s dedication, and Paul Moser, whose Shakespeare acting course was the centerpiece of my acting training. I also want to toss some thanks to the good people of the Adirondack Shakespeare Company who keep hiring me to act in their productions even after getting to know me.
As always, thanks to all of my friends for giving me someone to discuss these cool things with, my mother and sister for taking time out of doing great things themselves to cheer me on, and a lady named Andrea whom I asked to dance a few years ago and, to my great fortune, haven’t yet trod on the toes of enough to end that dance.