"Horrible Histories" creator Terry Deary dishes up an irreverent and funny slice of Shakespearean storytelling in his own take on the bard's work.
"Shakespeare Tales" is a range of awesome re-imaginings of the life and times of the bard himself, and the plays that made him famous (and vastly unpopular with generations of schoolkids who never quite understand what all the fuss is about!)
Picking "Macbeth" as the first title in the series, Deary delves into the story of orphaned pot girl Mary, who has the rather disgusting task of clearing up buckets of stage blood after spirited performances of Macbeth.
It's a brilliant and original idea to make the works of Shakespeare more fun and accessible to kids (particularly kids who absolutely love the mucky and often quite grim humour of Horrible Histories).
Personally I can't wait to see Terry's take on my favourite Shakespeare Play, "The Tempest" - there's acres of potential there for hilarity and grossness. Bring it on!
"Shakespeare Tales: Macbeth" by Terry Deary is out now, from A & C Black Children's Books