D’Arcangelo, Lyndsey.  The Trouble with Emily Dickinson. Alpha World Press,
Oct. 2008.   978-0-9821044-0-8.  Grades 8 to 12.

I almost didn’t include a photo of the cover for this book because it’s so, um, ugly.  It’s a shame, because the book itself is charming.  The publishers compare the story to Romeo and Juliet,  but I think I would compare this title to that other “classic”  we all know, Annie On My Mind.  Yes, that classic 20th century love story is retold in a sweet, somewhat  utopian story about students at a boarding school who are just trying to figure out who they are, and who they love.  Nothing bad happens to any of the characters, and even when bad things happen, the problems get ironed-out in healthy, positive ways.  Utopia, right?  Both the youngsters and the adults behave appropriately for the most part, and that’s ok.  Sometimes it’s nice to read a “problem” novel where good things happen to good people, including the popular ones–enjoy!

–Arla Jones