{Review/Giveaway} TWELFTH GRADE NIGHT by Molly Horton Booth and Stephanie Kate Strohm, with illustrations by Jamie Green
O P E N I N G H O O K:
(Pages 1-5, UShardcover edition
©Copyright Molly Horton Booth, Stephanie Kate Strohm, Jamie Green for Disney Hyperion)
©Copyright Molly Horton Booth, Stephanie Kate Strohm, Jamie Green for Disney Hyperion)
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Arden High is a school where, quite literally, the Bard's stage has come to life and his beloved characters have been reincarnated as students and teachers. You'll see familiar names from various plays, but this particular tale centers around one of my favorite Shakespeare comedies, Twelfth Night. If you don't know the play at all, it doesn't matter. You don't need to in order to read this graphic novel! If you have read it, you'll smile at the way the authors chose to re-invent the tale for modern times.
In this version, twins Viola (Call her Vi) and Sebastian are separated, not by a shipwreck (Though there are some GLORIOUS shipwreck photos in Vi's imagination that are full page highlights of the book! So beautifully illustrated!!), but by school. They grew up going to private boarding school together, but for high school, the private schools separate the boys and the girls. On top of that, Vi has never felt comfortable wearing skirts or acting lady-like. The twins make a path to go to Arden High together, but at the last minute, Sebastian decides to stay, leaving Vi alone someplace completely foreign -- but also someplace where she can finally be herself?
Vi begins to settle in and make friends, but the dance is swiftly approaching. All Vi's male friends can talk about is asking out the gorgeous Olivia -- even Orsino, the poet Vi has had a crush on since the first day. Orsino even asks Vi to find out if Olivia would be interested, since the two of them are friends. The only problem? Olivia has a crush on Vi and wants her to be her date! Oh what a tangled web we weave...
TWELFTH GRADE NIGHT is light and fun and exactly what readers would expect from a modern-day rendering of one of the Bard's most famous comedies. While I wish it was a little longer and deeper, it's a solid start to the series and begins introducing the school and the characters that will reoccur as it continues. It was so much fun to see the way characters were re-style and brought into today's world. Many of the characters aren't straight, and everyone else is an ally -- there is no hate here which is a breath of fresh air. There is a sub-plot that explores assumptions, where everyone assumes that because she dresses like a guy, she must only like girls, which creates a lot of confusion to sort out later, but is addressed with everyone later. There's also a close look at the power of social media, how it shapes the lives of today's teens, and how it can also add a lot of confusion and misdirection to the mix. On a more serious note, Vi is also dealing with the fallout that comes from getting older and becoming your own person. She is no longer attached at the hip to her twin. They are learning to have their own identities and be their own people, and that always comes with growing pains. On top of that, her father died a couple of years before the book begins, which has changed her entire family.
TWELFTH GRADE NIGHT blends a lot of modern teen issues into a classic tale, bringing old elements into a new environment and creating a tale that is both familiar and new. If you're looking for something fun and joyful with bold, colorful artwork, look no further than TWELFTH GRADE NIGHT!
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C O N T E N T R A T I N G S
Content Ratings: highlight between ( ) for details
Romance: G ( Kissing )
Language: --
Violence: --G ( Someone cuts themselves on glass and is bleeding. The aftermath of someone being killed by a snake bite that happened before the character arrived. Bandits trying to be dastardly when the MC sees too much and saying they'd take her home, but she escapes. )
Violence: --G ( Someone cuts themselves on glass and is bleeding. The aftermath of someone being killed by a snake bite that happened before the character arrived. Bandits trying to be dastardly when the MC sees too much and saying they'd take her home, but she escapes. )
Other: G ( Two different characters -- one of which is the main character -- bond over the fact that both had fathers die in the last couple of years [One to cancer and one to an accident]. One character persists in calling Viola and not her preferred hame, Vi, but no other character does this. )
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C O V E R D E S I G N:
What is a better cover for a retelling of Twelfth Night then throwing the infamous love triangle up on the cover? It's a modern day reinterpretation of what Viola, Orsino, and Olivia would look like if their story took place today! It instantly shows you the characters and hints at the fun lying within!
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O F F I C I A L I N F O:
Title: TWELFTH GRADE NIGHT
Author: Molly Horton Booth and Stephanie Kate Strohm
Illustrator: Jamie Green
Illustrator: Jamie Green
SUMMARY:
"Magical and full of queer joy―this book is such a dream!"―Alice Oseman, New York Times best-selling author of Heartstopper
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The course of true love never did run smooth . . . and neither does high school in this new graphic novel series for fans of HEARTSTOPPER and THE PRINCE AND THE DRESSMAKER.
Vi came to Arden High for a fresh start and a chance to wear beanies and button-ups instead of uniform skirts. And though doing it without her twin feels like being split in half, Vi finds her stride when she stumbles (literally!) into broody and beautiful poet-slash-influencer, Orsino. Soon Vi gets roped into helping plan the school’s Twelfth Grade Night dance, and she can’t stop dreaming about slow dancing with Orsino under the fairy lights in the gym.
The problem? All Vi’s new friends assume she’s not even into guys. And before Vi can ask Orsino to the dance, he recruits Vi to help woo his crush, Olivia. Who has a crush of her own . . . on Vi.
Star-crossed love abounds in this hilarious and romantic story of self-discovery, mistaken identities, and the magic that happens when we open our hearts to something new.
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ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Molly grew up homeschooled, earned their BA in English from Marlboro College, and earned their MA in English from UMass Boston. She lives in Baltimore, MD where she spends a lot of time with her partner, family, and friends, and the rest doting on her pets.
Literary agent: Alexander Slater at Sanford J. Greenburger Associates.
She currently lives in Los Angeles with her husband, her son, and a dog named Lorelei Lee.
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****Giveaway*****
You could win...
- Win (1) physical copies of TWELFTH GRADE NIGHT by Molly Horton Booth, Stephanie Kate Strohm, and Jamie Green!
US Only
You must be at least 13 years old to enter or have a parent's permission!
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