Book Review: Avalon High (Meg Cabot)

by Abby R.

As I perused the library shelves I spotted Avalon High by Meg Cabot sitting there temptingly. It was practically begging me to scoop it up. Okay, okay, I will admit that this was a shiny, new book and was rather pretty looking. (In case you’ve never met me, or simply never noticed, I seem to have an affinity for shiny new books…I’m rather like a crow in that I can spot a new book from afar.) I figured that this would be an entertaining book. You see, Meg Cabot is the author of the immensely popular Princess Diaries series. Having read that series myself and finding them rather enjoyable, I assumed that this book would follow suit. No such luck. While it turns out this book wasn’t entirely terrible, it certainly wasn’t fabulous by my standards. Allow me to explain….

The story is centered around a girl named Ellie who is transferred to a new school as a result of her parent’s decision to take a sabbatical. The story line unfolds fairly quickly with Ellie soon encountering a plethora of new people, many of whom are not who they seem. The plot takes an unrealistic turn however, implying that among Ellie’s newfound friends (and enemies) are the reincarnations of King Arthur, Guinevere, and Lancelot. Not only that, but there is also Arthur’s jealous brother, distant father, and a ridiculous murder plot thrown in as well. Now don’t get me wrong, I rather enjoy fantasy, sci-fi, and fiction, even historical fiction, but sadly to say this book didn’t fall into any of the above categories. Instead it wound up some odd mixture of the three, which in my opinion didn’t work at all.

Not only did the book lack believability, it also relied heavily on stereotypes. We have Jennifer, the blond, perky, impossibly beautiful cheerleader, Lance, the quiet loyal jock, and Will, the tall dark and handsome football star/class president. Even Ellie’s parents, who both happen to be professors, are rather overeager about their work and research. Now, I’m not very fond of stereotypes, which is all this book seemed to contain, so needless to say I was more than a little dissatisfied. I prefer characters with a bit more personality and originality. (Ditto for the plot/story as well.)

Admittedly, I did find this book to be a fun, quick read, despite all I’ve just said about it. In the end though, this book leaves a lot to be desired. Avalon High certainly doesn’t measure up to Cabot’s other works. In closing, I would advise for people to read this at their own discretion.