Some Cupid kills with arrows, some with traps... Mistaken identities, deceipt, lovers' quarrels and a happy ending... discover the entertaining story at the heart of Much Ado About Nothing, one of Shakespeare's best-loved comedies.

The age-appropriate text in Short, Sharp Shakespeare Stories: Much Ado About Nothing introduces readers to the play by re-telling the story in modern English. It's an ideal introduction to Shakespeare for children of 9 and above, and perfect for fans of the Tony Ross and Andrew Matthews series Shakespeare Stories.

The book also contains information about the background to Much Ado About Nothing, its major themes, language, the Globe theatre, and Shakespeare's life during the time he was writing the play, so is a useful resource for project work, or for anyone studying the play itself. Gossip, and its role in society in 16th century England, is also examined.

Anna Claybourne's concise, witty text really brings out the humour and the drama of the stories, rendering them as relevant today as they were in Shakespeare's time. Comparisons with themes in modern life: love, revenge, family relationships, political power struggles, etc., serve to reinforce this.

The text is supported by Tom Morgan-Jones' fantastic artwork, giving the series real visual appeal.

Short, Sharp Shakespeare Stories allow children today to be as enthralled by Shakespeare's tales as audiences were 400 years ago. Publishing to coincide with the 450th anniversary of Shakespeare's birth, they are an ideal resource for project work connected to this, or to Shakespeare Week 2015. Other titles in the series include Macbeth, A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Tempest, Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet.

This book is part of a book series called Short, Sharp Shakespeare Stories .

This book is aimed at children in primary school.

There are 80 pages in this book. This book was published 2014 by Hachette Children's Group .

Tom Morgan-Jones is an award winning illustrator whose work has appeared everywhere from children's books to buses and milk cartons to magazines. He has a sideline in satirical board games, and his work in this area is held in major collections including the V&A, Bodleian Library and GOMA, and has been exhibited in the Berlin Academy of Arts. Anna Claybourne has been a writer and editor of children's non-fiction for over eight years.

This book has the following chapters:

• 1: Introducing Much Ado About Nothing
• 2: Much Ado About Nothing
• 3: Much Ado About Nothing at a glance
• 4: The story of Much Ado About Nothing
• 5: Shakespeare and Much Ado About Nothing
• 6: Staging Much Ado About Nothing
• 7: Much Ado About Nothing: themes and symbols
• 8: Much Ado About "Noting"
• 9: The language of Much Ado About Nothing
• 10: What Much Ado About Nothing means today
• 11: Glossary
• 12: Much Ado About Nothing quiz