From School Library Journal
Grade 6-10-Sharon M. Draper's novel (Atheneum, 1999) is a contemporary retelling of Shakespeare's drama, Romeo and Juliette. It contains many elements of the original, combined with many updates from West Side Story and a happy ending. The very currency of the characters' language and expressions make the story convincing and suspenseful. Julio Montague meets Romiette Cappelle in an Internet chat room when his family moves to Cincinnati to escape from the gangs in his high school. The gang theme is prominent in this story, along with the age-old issues of teens confronting parents' values and beliefs and racial misunderstandings. Young adult listeners will appreciate the tension and danger that develops in the story as these young lovers strive to avoid being star-crossed. Sisi Aisha Johnson deserves the highest praise for her narration. Her voicing of Romiette is excellent, and her Hispanic accent for Julio is a real tour de force. This fast-paced story of young love and near-tragedy will be a popular addition both for its similarities to and its differences from Shakespeare's tale.
Jane P. Fenn, Corning-Painted Post West High School, Painted Post, NYCopyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
When Romiette Capelle, aka Afroqueen, and Julio Montague, aka Spanishlover, meet in an Internet chat room, neither of them has any idea they both go to the same Cincinnati high school. Afroqueen is from a prominent African American family; Spanishlover is Hispanic and the new kid in town. When Romiette and Julio meet in person, they know they are fated to be together. In keeping with their Shakespearean counterparts, they are thwarted in love: a local gang, the Devildogs, is set on keeping Romiette away from the "foreigner." The dialogue (and there's lots of it) is jarring and stilted, and Romiette's father and some peripheral adult characters are overdone. But Draper has created Julio's parents and Romiette's mother with sensitivity and has given readers a pair of intriguing, unusual protagonists with the sort of real thoughts and feelings that will make this interracial story satisfying despite its stylistic problems.
Holly Koelling
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