Avalon High

MEG CABOT, ROMANCE

Meg Cabot's Avalon High is a fun take on Arthurian legend, where Arthur, Lancelot, Guinevere and company are reborn in contemporary Washington, D.C. to battle the forces of darkness once more. So where does the new kid, Ellie Harrison, fit in? Dragged to D.C. from Minnesota–thanks to her medievalist professor parents' sabbatical–Ellie (named for Lancelot's wife, Elaine of Shallot, her mother's research obsession) hopes at the very least to find a small niche for herself at school. Imagine her surprise when Will (aka Arthur), the school's star quarterback, notices and befriends her on day one! Things start to go downhill, however, when Will's half-brother Marco (Mordred) decides that he's had enough of his brother. Will Ellie be the passive Elaine of Shallot, or can she choose to be something more to save her love? I'm not much for romance, and Cabot certainly has corny teen romance scenes down to an art. I mean, what girl wouldn't want to date King Arthur reincarnated as the hottest, most popular guy in school? At the same time, I love the Arthurian tradition and thought Ellie was a great “exceptionally acceptable” character with insecurities and guts.