Bringing Classics Into the 21st Century

You’ve read them in school: Romeo and Juliet, The Odyssey, Wuthering Heights. What would happen if these stories got a modern makeover? The following books take some of literature’s best known stories and bring them from your English class to the 21st century.

Jake Reinvented
By Gordan Korman

When Rick comes back from summer camp, he is surprised to find that Jake, a new student, is now the most popular guy in school. Jake wins over the In Crowd with major parties at his family’s mansion, but he’s hiding a secret: he gave his image a complete makeover to get the attention of the girl he loves. 
 

YA Korman, G
Based On: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Troy High
By Shana Norris

When school districts are reset, Elena is sent from the home of the Spartans to Troy High. When she starts to date a Trojan, jealousy erupts and the two high schools find themselves embroiled in a war of pranks and one upsmanship.

YA Norris, S
Based On: The Illiad by Homer

Avalon High
By Meg Cabot

Elaine’s parents are Medieval professors and she soon begins to think that the Arthurian Legend is taking over her life…

YA Cabot, M
Based On: The stories of King Arthur

 

 

Wuthering High, The Scarlet Letterman and Moby Clique
By Cara Lockwood

In her Bard Academy series, Cara Lockwood tells the story of Miranda Tate, a student at a ritzy boarding school. A boarding school where nothing is as it seems, since it’s staffed by ghosts of famous authors like Virginia Woolf, Ernest Hemingway and Charlotte Bronte.

YA Lockwood, C
Based On: Wuthering Heights, by Emily Bronte; The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne and Moby Dick by Herman Mellville.

Romiette and Julio
By Sharon Draper

Julio moves to Cincinatti, Ohio and meets Romiette, an African American girl, in a chat room. When they begin a relationship, they have to deal with the prejudices of their families as well as the threat of a local gang known as The Family. 

YA Draper, S.
Based On: Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare

 

Street Love
By Walter Dean Myers

Damien is an over-achiever; Junice’s mother just went to prison. They fall in love despite being from completely different worlds in this story told through short poems.

YA Myers, W.
Based On: Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare

Clueless
Starring Alicia Silverstone, Paul Rudd, Stacey Dash, Brittany Murphy
Directed by Amy Heckerling

Cher Horowitz is a pampered Beverly Hills teen who has the perfect life. She starts to play matchmaker for teachers and gives transfer student Tai a 90210 makeover. But she starts to realize while she’s doing all this good that she could use a romance of her own. This movie is nonstop funny from start to finish and is an absolute must watch.
DVD 2268
Based On: Emma, by Jane Austen