Destiny tries to interpret the dream but cannot get a grasp on it. Romiette has a recurring dream where she is drowning and she hears a voice calling to her. Maria is the mother who is very understanding of Julio’s feelings for Romiette.

Montague parents – Luis is the father who had a bad experience with gangs in his younger days.

The father is worried about his daughter and blames Julio for her disappearance. Lady Brianna is the mother who owns an African clothing boutique.

Ĝappelle parents – Cornell is the father who is a newscaster for the local news station.

Malaka – former friend of Romiette, runs with the Devildogs because they said that they would make her a member of the gang, helps the police find Romiette and Julio.

The Devildogs – the main gang at Romiette’s and Julio’s high school, their colors are purple and the leaders are the only ones who wear purple hoodies, every member is African-American.

Terrell – leader of the Devildogs, threatening and powerful.

ěen – Julio’s friend, was punched on Julio’s first day, dyes his hair different colors, very smart, but does not show his intelligence to his teachers, unique.

ĝestiny – Romiette’s best friend, believes in the stars and horoscopes, always searching for her soul mate.

Julio Montague – sixteen-year-old, Hispanic boy who moves from Corpus Cristi to Cincinnati, quickly makes friends with Ben, meets Romiette in an online chat room, and falls in love with her.

Romiette Cappelle – sixteen-year-old, African-American girl who has lived in Cincinnati her whole life, her best friend is Destiny, her father works for the local news station, and she falls in love with Julio.

This was a wonderful adaptation of Shakespeare’s play. I know how Romeo and Juliet ends, and I did not want to read that the same fate awaited Romiette and Julio. At some points, I did not want to continue reading because I did not want to know how the characters ended up. Draper does a wonderful job building suspense and describing very realistic scenes. The pacing of the story was perfect because I could not put down the book as I read. This book was wonderful! I thoroughly enjoyed this modern-day Romeo and Juliet novel.

Potential hot lava: gangs, violence, kidnapping

Romiette and julio by sharon m draper