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63 of 71 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Meg Cabot's Best YA Work Thus Far, December 27, 2005
Elaine "Ellie" Harrison is fuming over her parents choice to take a sabbatical from their professor duties at the beginning of the school year, just in time to make Ellie's life take a complete 360. Not only is she forced to move to Washington, DC, but she has to leave behind her closest friends, and create a new identity for herself. Hopefully one that will leave an impression on her new classmates. But Avalon High is an exact replica of every other high school in America. It's students are classified in the same way: jocks, cheerleaders, class president...But suddenly Ellie finds herself mixed up with the cool crowd. Now she's hanging with Lance the jock, Jennifer the cheerleader, and Will, quarterback and senior class president. But the more Ellie spends time with her newfound friends, the more she realizes that their lives are mimicking history. History from centuries ago. Like the time when King Arthur ruled. Now, Ellie must figure out how to stop a chain of events that is destined to leave everyone around her in tears, or worse...dead.
I have read every book by Meg Cabot, and have never come across one that didn't spark an interest in me, but I must say that AVALON HIGH could very well be her best contribution to the publishing world thus far. Being a fan of the story of King Arthur, I loved how Cabot incorporated her modern, present day characters, into the story of the Round Table, and pulled it off without a hitch. Cabot has an insurmountable amount of talent and imagination, and it is showcased more in AVALON HIGH than in any of her previous novels. A delightful romp with mysteries on every page that will leave readers begging to hear more of Ellie's story.
Erika Sorocco
Book Review Columnist for The Community Bugle Newspaper
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31 of 36 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Another strong effort from Meg Cabot, January 4, 2006
Ellie Harrison has just moved to Annapolis. Her parents are Medieval professors and are currently on sabbatical, busy writing their books. Ellie's about to start a new high school, Avalon High. At first glance, it seems like the typical high school: there's the popular clique lead by senior class president and quarterback A. William Wagner, the class hottie, Lance, and the cheerleader everyone loves to hate, Jennifer. Your typical high school right?
Unfortunately, wrong. As Ellie comes to realize, something is happening at Avalon High, something that seems eerily familiar to the Arthurian legends her mom and dad love to study. But that's only a legend right? There really was no King Arthur or Sir Lancelot... right? As Ellie digs deeper into the Avalon High social scene, she realizes that Will is about to play a major part in history. But will she realize her own part, before it's too late?
Avalon High is yet another creative endeavor from Meg Cabot, an author who provides endless laughs and shocks for her readers. Those who have always loved the legend of King Arthur and Sir Lancelot will surely enjoy Meg Cabot's twenty-first century update. Will may not be the typical nerd hero that Cabot fans have come to know and love, but he still proves to be a fun hottie for Ellie to crush on, even if he does carry a weight on his shoulders that he doesn't quite realize.
Fun, frothy, and very charming, Avalon High updates a legendary tale to make it palatable for today's teens and tweens. You'll definitely come away from this story with a need to uncover some more information about King Arthur and the infamous knights of the round table. This is a tale that is sure to satisfy.
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Arthurian Legend comes to Annapolis, MD, August 25, 2006
In Avalon High, Meg Cabot brings the legend of King Arthur and The Lady of Shalott to a present day high school in Annapolis, MD. Ellie is disappointed when her scholar parents go on sabbatical forcing her to relocate from Minnesota to Annapolis her junior year of high school. Her parents are both experts in medieval history, even going so far as to name Ellie Elaine after the Tennyson poem "The Lady of Shalott."
When she gets into town Ellie finds herself strangely drawn to the most popular guy in school, Will. Will is the quarterback, senior class president, tall, dreamy, and a champion of nerds and outcasts--how could Ellie not fall for him. It's a shame for her that he has a girlfriend.
Cabot's characters each form a part of Arthurian legend to bring medieval times to present day with humor and suspense in equal measure. Will is King Arthur, his best friend Lance is Sir Lancelot, and his girlfriend Jennifer is Guinevere. Poor Ellie, however, does not want to be the Lady of Shalott. This poem and her parents' obsession with its legend have caused her too much grief for her to just sit down and take it like the real Lady of Shalott would.
This is my favorite of Meg Cabot's books that I've read so far because of the humor and history interspersed throughout the book. Cabot's books are generally mindless fun books that I can read without thinking, which isn't always a bad thing--escapist chick lit is one of my weaknesses, but this book had a bit more substance than I've come to expect from her. Ellie was likeable and her relationship with Will progressed at a normal pace and not the lightning-fast courtship that some YA authors jump into these days. I really liked this book and would definitely recommend it to a friend.
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