Kissing Shakespeare

Lore & Background

The novel follows American teenager Miranda Graham, who hopes to become a Shakespearean actress. After a poor performance in The Taming of the Shrew, fellow cast member Stephen Langford—a time traveler from 1581—transports her to 16th-century Lancashire. He wants Miranda to use her acting skills and modern charm on a teenage William Shakespeare to prevent him from becoming a Jesuit, which would endanger his future as a playwright. Miranda reluctantly agrees, taking on the identity of Stephen's sister Olivia, and lives with his uncle and aunt, Alexander and Elizabeth Hoghtons. There she meets young Shakespeare, hired as a headmaster, and finds herself attracted to both Stephen and William.

Reader's Guide

Kissing Shakespeare is significant as a young adult novel that creatively fills the historical void of Shakespeare's 'lost years' (1564–1590) with a romantic fantasy. The author, Pamela Mingle, draws on clues from the 1580s to construct a narrative that remains true to the era's history, including religious persecution and suppression of women. The novel received mixed critical reception: Lara Avery praised its use of the lost years and its 'improbable but no less fascinating story,' while Kirkus Reviews criticized its 'exceptionally silly premise' and 'inanity.' Despite this, it won several awards, including the 2013 Colorado Book Award for Young Adult Literature. The book's premise—a love triangle involving a contemporary girl, a time traveler, and William Shakespeare—reflects a blend of historical fiction and teen romance, appealing to readers interested in both Shakespeare and time-travel narratives.

Did You Know?

• The novel is set in 1581, during Shakespeare's 'lost years,' for which no historical records exist between his birth in 1564 and his arrival in London in 1590.
• The protagonist, Miranda Graham, is a contemporary teenage girl from the 21st century who is transported back in time by a spell.
• The novel won the 2013 Colorado Book Award for Young Adult Literature and was a runner-up for the 2013 Colorado Romance Writers Award of Excellence.
• Kirkus Reviews described the novel's premise as 'exceptionally silly' and the offering as achieving 'only inanity.'

Author & Publication

Pamela Mingle, a former American teacher and librarian who transitioned into writing, crafted her debut novel Kissing Shakespeare, a young adult book released on August 14, 2012, through Delacorte Books. The story draws its foundation from a well-known historical gap: there are no surviving records documenting William Shakespeare's life between his 1564 birth and his 1590 arrival in London. While historians have long speculated he may have worked as a schoolteacher during this period, Mingle took the available clues from the 1580s and built an entirely new narrative around them. Rather than treating the so-called lost years as a dry academic puzzle, she transformed them into the backdrop for a romantic fantasy. The novel weaves together a twenty-first-century teenage girl, a time traveler from the past, and a young Shakespeare in a love triangle that spans centuries. Mingle's background in education and library work likely informed her commitment to grounding the fantastical premise in the real social and political textures of Elizabethan England, making the story feel anchored even as it stretches the boundaries of historical fiction.

Plot & Premise

American teenager Miranda Graham carries a deep belief that Shakespeare runs in her family's blood, dreaming of following her parents into Shakespearean acting. That dream shatters after a disastrous school production of The Taming of the Shrew, when castmate Stephen Langford pulls her backstage and proposes meeting the Bard in person. Before Miranda can dismiss him, Stephen casts a spell that yanks them both into 1581 Lancashire, the era he actually hails from. His mission is clear: Miranda must charm a teenage Shakespeare using her acting talent and modern confidence, because without her intervention the world will never receive its greatest playwright. To blend in, Stephen has Miranda assume the identity of his long-lost sister Olivia, and she settles into the household of his uncle Alexander and aunt Elizabeth Hoghtons, who never suspect the impostor because the family had been estranged for years. At a family dinner, Miranda first encounters the young Shakespeare, working as a headmaster for local children. Over the following days, William invites her to dance and offers to teach her poetry, while Stephen coaches her through sixteenth-century customs. Miranda finds herself drawn to both men, setting the stage for a complicated romantic triangle.

Historical Stakes & Thematic Depth

Mingle anchors her time-travel fantasy in the very real dangers of Elizabethan England, ensuring the story carries weight beyond its romantic plot. The novel is set during a period of intense religious persecution, and Miranda witnesses a religious execution that underscores the lethal stakes of the era. Stephen warns her that current events could derail William's path entirely: under the influence of Jesuit leader Thomas Cook, the young Shakespeare could be recruited into the Catholic Church. If that happens, he would face persecution and likely execution, which in turn would endanger Miranda's own timeline. The proposed solution is both desperate and morally fraught—Stephen suggests Miranda seduce Shakespeare, causing him to lose his virtue so the church can no longer claim him. This plot device forces the narrative to confront the suppression of women in the sixteenth century, as Miranda's agency is literally weaponized to save a man's future. Mingle remains committed to the historical record, revealing the harsh realities of religious conflict and gender restriction while still delivering the romantic fantasy at the story's core.

Critical Reception & Awards

Kissing Shakespeare received a sharply divided critical response upon its 2012 release. Lara Avery praised Mingle's ability to make effective use of Shakespeare's undocumented years, calling the result an improbable yet genuinely fascinating tale of a modern young woman navigating the harsh yet courtly conditions of rural sixteenth-century England. O'Malley echoed this enthusiasm, declaring the novel a clear step above the typical teen romance. On the other hand, Kirkus Reviews was far less forgiving, singling out what it called an exceptionally silly premise as the only unpredictable element in an otherwise predictable time-travel romance, and going so far as to describe the book as achieving only inanity. Despite the polarized reviews, the novel earned significant recognition in its home state. In 2013, Mingle was named runner-up for the Colorado Romance Writers Award of Excellence in Young Adult with Romantic Elements, won the Colorado Authors' League Book-length Middle Grade/Young Adult Fiction prize, and took home the Colorado Book Award for Young Adult Literature. These accolades suggest the book struck a resonant chord with regional readers and industry judges even as national critics remained split.