Title: Saving Juliet
Author: Suzanne Selfors
Summary: Mimi Wallingford is sick of Shakespeare theater, and even more sick of being recognized solely by the prestige of her last name. Unlike her ancestors, Mimi has an extreme case of stage fright whenever she’s about to go on. In her current play of Romeo and Juliet, she’s stuck with superstar Troy Summers playing Romeo: He seems to do all he can to put her down. Right before her final performance as Juliet, she is transported by magic to Shakespeare’s Verona. There she meets Juliet Capulet as well as the entire ‘cast’ of the play that she’s rehearsed for.
But the play Mimi thought she knew takes an unexpected twist when Romeo and Juliet don’t meet at the dance and Juliet is engaged to marry the Paris within a week’s time! Though Mimi’s regarded as a ‘relative Capulet,’ Benvolio’s got his eyes on her, Tybalt’s out for her neck, Lady Capulet wants her dead, and is that a superstar actor/Romeo sneaking along the streets? It’s going to take more than just some good acting for Mimi to save Juliet and find her way back home.
Who will like this book?: Anyone into the historical fiction genre, or the story of Romeo and Juliet. It’s aimed more at a female audience with plenty of romance and faults of love, but it’s got plenty of action scenes. It’s an interesting twist on the original tale without the havoc of trying to understand what the words mean.
If you like this, you should try: The Shakespeare Stealerseries by Gary Blackwood. Some other time travel books are Lost in Time by Hans Magnus Enzensberger and The Door to Time by Ulysses Moore. For those who are into the classics, thenA Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court by Mark Twain is definitely along the right path.
Recommended by: ZZ, resident of Fairfield and avid reader.