The Princess Bride: S. Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure

Title: The Princess Bride: S. Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure
Author: William Goldman
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
ISBN: 0151015449

Recommended for Grades 9-12
Genre: Fiction-Fantasy

Reader’s Annotation:
Fencing. Fighting. Torture. Poison. True love. Hate. Revenge. Giants. Hunters. Bad men. Good men. Beautifulest ladies. Snakes. Spiders. Beasts of all natures and descriptions. Pain. Death. Brave men. Coward men. Strongest men. Chases. Escapes. Lies. Truths. Passion. Miracles. The Princess Bride has it all.

Plot Summary:
Buttercup and Westley love each other. Their love for each other is true love. When they are separated by tragedy, Buttercup is chosen by Prince Humperdinck to be his bride. Buttercup's life is endangered when assassins kidnap her to frame the neighboring kingdom for her murder and start a war, and it is the mysterious Dread Pirate Roberts who saves her. The Dread Pirate Roberts turns out to be none other than her lost love Westley. Westley and Buttercup's would-be assassins Inigo and Fezzik must team up to rescue Buttercup and save the kingdom from a war.

Evaluation:
William Goldman uses the interesting and unique literary technique of making an abridged version of another story written by the fictitious S. Morgenstern. The story is filled with witty humor and wonderfully flawed characters.

Notes:
In 1987 20th Century Fox released a film adaptation of The Princess Bride.

Stardust

Title: Star Dust
Author: Neil Gaiman
Publisher: William Morrow
ISBN: 0380977281

Recommended for Grades 9-12
Genre: Fiction-Fantasy

Reader’s Annotation:
Tristran Thorn needs to find the perfect gift to win the heart of the woman he loves. Wouldn't a fallen star make a great gift?

Plot Summary:
Tristran Thorn is half man, half fairy and lives in the English town of Wall. When the beautiful Victoria Forester promises to marry Tristran if he brings her a fallen star, he sets off over Wall's wall and into the fairy realm to find it. He soon discovers that the star is not at all what he expected. Rather than being a rock, it is a beautiful young woman named Yvaine. Tristran takes her prisoner and they begin the trek back to Wall.

But Tristran is not the only one looking for the star. Three witches want to steal her heart in order to become young again. The sons of a nearby king are also looking for her, since whichever one finds her wins the throne. Tristran finds himself needing to defend Yvaine, and slowly begins to fall in love with her.

Evaluation:
Neil Gaiman bases his story on classic English fairytales. Teens can get a taste of a more sophisticated fairytale than the average Cinderella or Sleeping Beauty with characters that contain far more depth.

Notes:
In 2007 Paramount Pictures released a theatrical adaptation of Stardust.

Twilight

Title: Twilight
Author: Stephenie Meyer
Publisher: Little, Brown Young Readers
ISBN: 0316160172

Recommended for Grades 9-12
Genre: Fiction-Fantasy

Reader’s Annotation:
Bella knows there is something strange about Edward. He is pale, his eyes change color, and oh yeah, he can stop a speeding car with one hand.

Plot Summary:
When Bella Swan moves from Phoenix to Forks, Washington, she does not hold out much hope for an exciting year. That is until she meets devastatingly handsome Edward Cullens. But he has been avoiding Bella like she is the most repulsive thing he has ever seen. That all changes the day Edward stops a van that is about to hit Bella with one hand.

Bella now unravels the truth about Edward and the rest of the Cullens family. They are vampires, though they choose to drink animal rather than human blood. Edward is extremely attracted to the smell of Bella's blood. Despite the danger to Bella's life, the two fall in love. But Edward finds himself battling his own kind as a coven of vampires move into Fork and set their sights on Bella as their next victim.

Evaluation:
Meyer takes the classic Romeo and Juliet-esque tale of star-crossed lovers and adds the fantastic vampire element. The fantasy element of vampires and the continuing question of Bella's future help keep young readers hooked.

Notes:
There are 3 other books in the Twilight series: New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn.

A 2008 film adaptation was released by Summit Entertainment.

Wuthering Heights

Title: Wuthering Heights
Author: Emily Bronte
Publisher: Everyman's Library
ISBN: 0679405437

Recommended for Grades 9 and up
Genre: Fiction-Classic

Reader’s Annotation:
Catherine and Heathcliff have a love that transcends even death. As forces work to keep them apart, they must fight to keep their love alive.

Plot Summary:
When Mr. Lockwood rents a house from the mysterious Heathcliff, he finds himself sucked into the sordid histories of the Earnshaw and Linton families. The two families are now living together in Heathcliff's home, Wuthering Heights, in a tense and violent relationship. When Lockwood is stranded for the evening he see the ghost of Catherine Earnshaw-Linton. This causes Lockwood to question the relationship between the two families.

The maid Nelly Dean provides Mr. Lockwood with the stories of these two families beginning when Catherine Earnshaw meets Heathcliff as he is adopted by the Earnshaw family. As the Earnshaw and Linton lines cross, only heartache and and suffering follows. All of the suffering surrounds the star-crossed love of Catherine and Heathcliff. Even after her death, Heathcliff continues to believe that he will one day be with Catherine, even if it costs his family their happiness.

Evaluation:
Emily Bronte's classic tale of star-crossed lovers and troubled relationships provides teenagers with a taste of classic literature with a complex and interesting plot that rivals any soap opera or reality TV show.

Notes:
A film adaptation of Wuthering Heights was released in 1992 by Paramount Pictures and in 1939 by United Artists.