Draper's: Romiette and Julio

The developing romance and lives of two teens of differing socio-economic backgrounds are threatened by a local gang. There is not much in the way of Shakesperean style or element here except for perhaps the main character's names: Romiette Capelle, an African American teen from Cincinnati and Julio Montague, an hispanic teen from Corpus Cristi. This book may be enjoyed by the teen reader glossing over references to car phones, cellular phones, and chatrooms. The two main characters and their supporting sidekicks are written charmingly enough and seem to have more sense than their respective sets of parents. The parents, though their dialogue at times is somewhat telling and awkward, actually experience more change than their children. The ditzy co-anchor subplot dialogue tends to be insulting rather than providing the comic relief as it was probably intended. Note: this title is not in CLC's library.