Beatrice Bunson's Guide to Romeo & Juliet

Gr 7 Up—Beatrice and Nan have been best friends almost all of their lives. Now a freshman, Nan has transformed herself from a frumpy, nerdy eighth grader to a trim, cool high schooler. This, of course, changes not only Nan's personality but also her relationship with Beatrice, who is still considered one of the "smart kids." Struggling to figure out how to maintain the closeness Beatrice once shared with Nan while identifying how she fits in is the heart of this somewhat engaging novel. Beatrice is relieved and excited when she finds out that the older, dowdy, female freshman English teacher has been replaced by the young Mr. Martin. He introduces the students to Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. As the class dives deeper into the play, Beatrice finds herself comparing her real life with a Shakespearian one. She realizes that, just as there is more to Romeo and Juliet than meets the eye, there is more to Beatrice than most of her classmates (even Beatrice herself) could first admit. Cohen integrates snippets of the play into the plot structure in a way that helps readers understand the stanzas' hidden meanings. Those unable to decipher the prose will be relieved by how the characters explain the play's nuances in interior monologues and dialogue. The biggest drawback is the novel's predictability.