Saving Juliet (Suzanne Selfors)

Title: Saving Juliet

Author: Suzanne Selfors

Publisher: Walker Books for Young Readers

Length: 256 pages

Rating: 2.5/5

Mimi Wallingford, of the famous Broadway Wallingfords, lives and breathes theatre, and is the star of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Scratch that. Mimi hates the theatre, but has no other choice than to act, forced by her mother as she tries to keep the Wallingford theatre afloat. And teen-heartthrob Troy Summers is the real star of the show, or at least the real money-maker. Cue from stage-left some magical ashes, and Mimi and Troy are transported into Verona, Italy, where they meet Romeo and Juliet, characters who are even more unhappy than their actors. Can Mimi write a happy ending to the greatest tragedy?

This was a cute PG romance and typical YA coming of age story. Maybe a little predictable or cliché, but great for younger readers and Shakespeare aficionados. I’m a bit of a Shakespeare buff myself, and loved all the quotes and characters coming to life.

I also liked that Mimi, as narrator, talked directly to the reader. “You won’t believe this story, but this is what happened to me…” was a good way to handle Mimi’s transportation into another world. This also provides perspective on the situation, and less time is spent with the main character trying to cope with the premise of the book (you all know this is a pet-peeve of mine).

Overall, a cute story for younger readers.