Review: Avalon High by Meg Cabot

Avalon High by Meg Cabot

Harper Collins

2005

Synopsis from Goodreads: Avalon High, I was starting to think, might not be so bad after all.
Maybe it's not where Ellie wants to be, but if you have to start at a new school, Avalon High is typical enough: There's Lance, the jock. Jennifer, the cheerleader. And Will, senior class president, quarterback, and all-around good guy.
But not everyone at Avalon High is who they appear to be . . . not even, as Ellie is about to discover, herself. As a bizarre drama begins to unfold, Ellie has to wonder, what part does she play in all this? Do the coincidences she's piecing together really mean—as in King Arthur's court—that tragedy is fast approaching for her new friends?
Ellie doesn't know if she can do anything to stop the coming trouble. But somehow, she knows she has to try.

My Thoughts:
My roommates and I are small children stuck in the bodies of college students. We love Disney channel. Roommate Miss Fancypants and I have a small obsession with the movie Starstruck. We watch Phineas and Ferb pretty much any chance we get. When we found out that Disney was making Avalon High into a movie, we made it a point to all sit down and watch it together. Looking back, I'm not sure that was the best idea. Fancypants spent most of the time yelling at the TV and telling Disney how stupid they are for changing the book so much. That is when I decided I needed to read the book.
STUPID DISNEY! WHY DID YOU CHANGE IT? The book was just fine the way Meg Cabot wrote it. I thought it was intriguing and fun and historical all at the same time. I really, really loved the story in itself. I had trouble getting past being in Ellie's head. She annoyed me. I think mostly because for the first couple of chapters, I was stuck inside her head with no other characters to talk to. I had a hard time really liking her the whole time. She just whined a lot and thought about herself. But then the whole thing was redeemed by the absolute wonderfulness of A. William Wagner. I LOVE HIM! I want Meg Cabot to send him to me in a box. He is the perfect highschool boyfriend as well as being a wonderful person and a strong leader. I think that he made the rest of the book readable, for me at least.
Overall, I thought that the book was much better than the Disney version. It made much more sense and told a more cohesive story. All of the pieces that Meg Cabot introduces have their resolution in the book. Parts of the movie felt unanswered. Their Will Wagner (Gregg Sulkin) was adorable thought, so I kept him while I was reading. The one thing that I did like about the Disney movie was the addition of Miles. He was a great character and the actor did a great job. I think I found where his character was in the book, but I'm glad that Disney chose to add him. So, if you can get past being in Ellie's head, I would highly recommend this.
Rating: 3.5/5