Artists will tell you that inspiration often strikes at unexpected times. Inspiration for RA Spratt’s latest novel struck while she was reading an Indian graphic novel version of Hamlet, the famous Shakespeare play.

“I was standing in the local bookshop in the main street of Bowral, and I’m trying to get my kid to read, so I suggested a graphic novel,” Spratt told The Bugle.

 “I picked up an illustrated Hamlet and started reading through it and it was really interesting because when you see Hamlet performed as a play, it’s usually someone in their 30s or 40s playing Hamlet because it’s a difficult part so they need an experienced actor.

“The character is supposed to be around 23, and you don’t think about him being so young. But in the graphic novel, because it’s just a cartoon, he looked that young. I thought, Oh, the character makes so much more sense, he’s like a university arts student who has studied a semester of philosophy and thinks they know everything!”

“All of a sudden, the character became very clear to me as to who he really is. He’s this really articulate guy that’s full of ideas but has no worldly wisdom.”

The revelation of Hamlet’s true character inspired Hamlet’s Not OK, Spratt’s latest novel for young adults. Spratt is already an accomplished author of such series as Shockingly Good Stories, Friday Barnes, The Peski Kids and Nanny Piggins, and hosts the Bedtime Stories with R.A. Spratt podcast.

Spratt had always enjoyed taking her kids to see local Shakespeare performances and wanted to write about it for years, but acknowledged a lot of the stories aren’t entirely appropriate for children in 2023.

“We saw a modern production of Richard II which was kind of baffling because it’s not the most accessible play.

“I was thinking about how to make Shakespeare more accessible and fun for kids and explain the ideas that seem really dated. Some of these themes feel old fashioned, but then some of the things in Hamlet seem like just as big an issue now as it ever was even though it’s hundreds of years old.”

 At first, Spratt thought of writing a novelisation of the play, but the project soon grew to a much larger scale. Instead, the book became about a modern 15-year-old drawn into the world of Hamlet meeting the titular character and working with him to find better solutions to his problems.

Spratt tends to put aspects from her own personality into her characters and it’s no different with Hamlet’s Not OK’s heroine, Selby. This time though, Spratt also drew from her own children’s personalities as well, especially when it comes to social issues.

“They’re very woke-aware. They see issues and call you out on issues, definitely not in a way they did when I was 15,” says Spratt.

“It’s very front-of-mind for them, things like racism, sexism, bullying, those sorts of things. When Hamlet tells Ophelia to go to a nunnery, they see that and think Hamlet is being a bully, whereas I don’t think people would have seen it the same way in the past.”

Hamlet’s Not OK was only recently published, but Spratt is already thinking about the next instalment. While she initially envisioned exploring Shakespeare’s entire works through Selby’s eyes, Spratt has caught on to a different trend.

“I would love to be able to help people unpick whatever the Shakespeare syllabus is for that year.

“If you read the book, there’s a point where Pride and Prejudice gets involved as well, so there’s some discussion as to whether there is another book, whether it’s a Shakespeare play, probably Macbeth or King Lear, or it will be something totally different. I am tempted to work out what all the year 12 students are studying and just do those books.”

To find a copy of the book, Spratt suggests you contact your local bookshops or library. Or buy it online at amazon.com.au