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February 26, 2007
RETELLING THE CLASSICS
Some well-loved stories are retold again and again, whether it fairy tales or Shakespeare. Here are a few young adult titles that illustrate this idea.
ALICE IN WONDERLAND RETOLD
DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE by Peter Abrahams
Like her idol Sherlock Holmes, eighth grader Ingrid Levin-Hill uses her intellect to solve a murder case in her home town of Echo Falls. Welcome to Echo Falls. Home of a thousand secrets, where Ingrid Levin-Hill, super sleuth, never knows what will happen next. Ingrid is in the wrong place at the wrong time. Or at least her shoes are. Getting them back means getting involved in a murder investigation rivaling those solved by her idol, Sherlock Holmes, and Ingrid has enough on her plate with club soccer, school, and the plum role of Alice in the Echo Falls production of Alice in Wonderland . But much as in Alice's adventures down the rabbit hole, things in Ingrid's small town keep getting curiouser and curiouser. Her favorite director has a serious accident onstage (but is it an accident?), and the police chief is on Ingrid's tail, grilling her about everything from bike-helmet law to the color of her cleats. Echo Falls has turned into a nightmare, and Ingrid is determined to wake up. Edgar Award-nominated novelist Peter Abrahams builds suspense as a smart young girl finds that her small town isn't nearly as safe as it seems. RECOMMENDED FOR GRADES 7UP.
LOOKING GLASS WARS by Frank Beddor
When she is cast out of Wonderland by her evil aunt Redd, young Alyss Heart finds herself living in Victorian Oxford as Alice Liddell and struggles to keep memories of her kingdom intact until she can return and claim her rightful throne. RECOMMENDED FOR GRADES 7 UP
SHAKESPEARE WITH A TWIST
ARIEL by Grace Tiffany
In this prequel to William Shakespeare's THE TEMPEST the reader is given centuries of background to show how Caliban, Miranda, Prospero and the rest came to be who they are by the time Shakespeare picked up the tale. RECOMMENDED FOR GRADES 7 TO 10.
ROMIETTE AND JULIO by Sharon Draper
Romiette, an African-American girl, and Julio, a Hispanic boy, discover that they attend the same high school after falling in love on the Internet, but are harrassed by a gang whose members object to their interracial dating. RECOMMENDED FOR GRADES 7 TO 10.
THIS MUST BE LOVE by Tui T. Sutherland
Two good friends tell of strange occurrences between themselves and the boys they like during a high school production of "Romeo and Juliet," which are reminiscent of the magical world of William Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream." RECOMMENDED FOR GRADES 7 TO 10.
FAIRY TALES FOR THE 21ST CENTURY TEEN
BEAST by Donna Jo Napoli
Elaborates on the tale of "Beauty and the Beast," told from the point of view of the beast and set in Persia. RECOMMENDED FOR GRADES 7 TO 10.
BELLA AT MIDNIGHT by Diane Stanley
Raised by peasants, Bella discovers that she is actually the daughter of a knight and finds herself caught up in a terrible plot that will change her life and the kingdom forever. RECOMMENDED FOR GRADES 6 TO 8.
DUCKLING UGLY by Neal Shusterman
When sixteen-year-old Cara, a girl ugly enough to break mirrors, is drawn to a place where everyone can be beautiful, her deepest desire is to return home to say goodbye--and get revenge. RECOMMENDED FOR GRADES 7 T0 10.
RED RIDER'S HOOD by Neal Shusterman
After learning that there are werewolves in his city, a sixteen-year-old is even more surprised to discover the identities of the hunters who drove them out decades earlier, but he soon infiltrates the Wolves gang to help destroy them for good. RECOMMENDED FO GRADES 7 T0 10.
THE WITCH’S BOY by Michael Gruber
A grotesque foundling turns against the witch who sacrificed almost everything to raise him, when he becomes consumed by the desire for money and revenge against those who have hurt him; but he eventually finds his true heart's desire. RECOMMENDED FOR GRADES 6 TO 8.
SHERLOCK, EBENEEZER, ARTHUR AND THE GREEKS
THE CASE OF THE MISSING MARQUESS: AN ENOLA HOLMES MYSTERY by Nancy Springer
Enola Holmes, much younger sister of detective Sherlock Holmes, must travel to London in disguise to unravel the disappearance of her missing mother. RECOMMENDED FOR GRADES 6 TO 8.
MARLY’S GHOST: A REMIX OF CHARLES DICKENS’ A CHRISTMAS CAROL
The spirit of Ben's girlfriend Marly returns with three other ghosts to haunt him with a painful journey though Valentine's Days past, present, and future. RECOMMENDED FOR GRADES 7 TO 10.
THE EXTRAORDINARY ADVENTURES OF ALFRED KROPP by Rick Yancy
Through a series of dangerous and violent misadventures, teenage loser Alfred Kropp rescues King Arthur's legendary sword Excalibur from the forces of evil. RECOMMENDED FOR GRADES 6 TO 9.
DREAD LOCKS by Neal Shusterman
Accustomed to a carefree existence, fourteen-year-old Parker Baer meets the girl next door and finds his life taking a menacing turn as he begins to absorb some of her terrible powers. RECOMMENDED FOR GRADES 7 TO 10.
Mrs. Jackson
Head of Young Adult Services
Posted by fjacksonem at February 26, 2007 3:45 PM