Review Detail

A couple years ago a movie came out on Disney Channel called Avalon High. Since I was in sixth grade and obsessed with being cool, I did not watch it, so I wouldn’t be “the girl who still watches Disney.” Last year, I did a report on England’s most famous king, King Arthur Pendragon. While looking for a good book to read to extract some info from, I came across a book called Avalon High, by the well-known author of the Princess Diaries series, Meg Cabot.
After reading the book in its entirety, I decided to finally watch the movie. The next time it played on television, I made sure I was parked on the couch right in front of it with the controller in hand. After seeing the film, I noticed how much of the book was changed. The entire movie was completely different from the book! The only thing that was the same about them, was the fact that they both had the same name! I would suggest to those who watched the movie to read the book, because it is a great, fast and easy to read. However for those who read the novel, don’t ruin it for yourselves by watching the movie. Do yourself a favor.
The book starts off a little slow, and you don’t get a feel of what the story is really about, unfortunately, until the end. But, it does allow the reader to warm up to the main character, Elaine, and her strange ways. There are some difficult-to-understand parts, but if they are read again, the entire book makes more sense. The book flows really nicely, and by the end, you’re very satisfied.
The characters in the book were just so good, and relatable, I cannot choose a favorite one. The main character is Elaine Harrison. She moves to Annapolis from Minnesota with her parents for a year because they are professors and they are on their sabbatical. At her new school, Avalon High, she makes some new friends, and some feel like they have an otherworldly connection to her, as if they had already met long ago, in a forgotten life. The entire character plot was believable, and they reminded me of real teenagers.
One of my favorite scenes is in the first chapter when Elaine talks about moving. Her friend Nancy says “You’re so lucky,” because she could start over in a new school, but Elaine didn’t feel that way, until Nancy told her this. But it proved to be true because she made new friends with the track team, and the school’s popular quarterback, Will Wagner.
When Mr. Morton, her teacher, starts to act funny, Elaine tries to figure out what was going on. She comes to the conclusion that she thinks that they were all reincarnated forms of the King Arthur characters. It creates a major twist.
When I read some books, and websites, for my King Arthur report, I learned a lot about his history, and the history of the people around him. Meg Cabot brings these characters into the present, while keeping their Camelot counterparts alive as well.
I would recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of historical fiction, fantasy, legend, romance, and drama. However, this book is great for everyone. I have read the book at least fifty times, and it keeps getting better each time. Even though the movie was a letdown (don’t watch the movie to write your school report on the book), the novel is a great read.

And if you're an Arthur lover, you'll adore this!!!