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ROMIETTE AND JULIO
Star Crossed Lovers When Romiette Cappelle meets Julio Montague, she feels as though she has met the soul mate who can rescue her from her recurring nightmare about fire and water. But like the Shakespearean characters whose names echo theirs, Romiette and Julio discover that not everyone approves of their budding romance. In their case, it is because Romiette is African-American and Julio is Hispanic, and the Devildogs, a dangerous local gang, violently oppose their interracial relationship.
When the Devildogs threaten to teach them a lesson, Romiette and Julio come up with a risky plan to escape from the gang's fearsome shadow. But things go terribly awry, and the two find themselves caught up in a deadly reality more frightening that Romiette's nightmare -- and in a desperate struggle to avoid the tragic fate of Shakespeare's famous young lovers.
When the Devildogs threaten to teach them a lesson, Romiette and Julio come up with a risky plan to escape from the gang's fearsome shadow. But things go terribly awry, and the two find themselves caught up in a deadly reality more frightening that Romiette's nightmare -- and in a desperate struggle to avoid the tragic fate of Shakespeare's famous young lovers.
320 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 1999
270 people are currently reading
3188 people want to read
About the author
Sharon M. Draper
51 books3,840 followersSharon M. Draper is a professional educator as well as an accomplished writer. She has been honored as the National Teacher of the Year, is a five-time winner of the Coretta Scott King Literary Award, and is a New York Times bestselling author. She lives in Cincinnati, Ohio.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 768 reviews
December 29, 2012
Pure torture; the book is so cliche. I skimmed the last third of the book (something like the first sentence of each paragraph) and still knew what was going on. Young adult lit. should provide more for its readers.
April 3, 2008
Reference information:
Title: Romiette and Julio
Author: Sharon M. Draper
Publisher: Aladdin Paperbacks Year: 1999
# of pages: 320 Genre: Teen Fiction
Reading level: 13 Interest level: 13+
Potential hot lava: gangs, violence, kidnapping
General response/reaction:
This book was wonderful! I thoroughly enjoyed this modern-day Romeo and Juliet novel. The pacing of the story was perfect because I could not put down the book as I read. Draper does a wonderful job building suspense and describing very realistic scenes. At some points, I did not want to continue reading because I did not want to know how the characters ended up. I know how Romeo and Juliet ends, and I did not want to read that the same fate awaited Romiette and Julio. This was a wonderful adaptation of Shakespeare’s play.
Subjects, Themes, and Big Ideas:
• Trust
• Love
• Friendship
• Gangs
• Violence
• Ethnicity
• Fear
Characters:
• 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. Romiette cannot swim.
• 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.
• Destiny – Romiette’s best friend, believes in the stars and horoscopes, always searching for her soul mate.
• Ben – 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.
• Terrell – leader of the Devildogs, threatening and powerful
• 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.
• 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
• Cappelle parents – Cornell is the father who is a newscaster for the local news station. Lady Brianna is the mother who owns an African clothing boutique. The father is worried about his daughter and blames Julio for her disappearance.
• Montague parents – Luis is the father who had a bad experience with gangs in his younger days. Maria is the mother who is very understanding of Julio’s feelings for Romiette.
Plot summary:
Romiette has a recurring dream where she is drowning and she hears a voice calling to her. Destiny tries to interpret the dream but cannot get a grasp on it. Julio has moved from Corpus Cristi to Cincinnati and he is angry about it. On his first day, he gets into a fight with Ben. Just when Julio thinks he is going to get in trouble, Ben makes an excuse to get them both out of trouble and Julio and Ben become friends.
In an online chat room, Romiette and Julio meet and begin their friendship. They learn that they go to the same school and meet face to face (despite what their friends say about the dangers of the internet). Their friendship grows into a budding romance as they continue to talk and have lunch together every day.
However, Julio’s father is not understanding of his friendship with an African-American girl. Luis has had bad experiences with African-Americans and does not want his son to suffer the same loss.
Not only does Julio’s father not approve, but certain people at school do not approve either. The Devildogs target the couple because of their interracial friendship. Malaka “warned” Romiette about what the Devildogs were planning, but the couple had no idea how much trouble they would have on their hands.
With the help of Destiny and Ben, Romiette and Julio think of a plan to expose the Devildogs. Romiette and Julio had been threatened by the group before and wanted it to stop. However, the plan goes wrong and Romiette and Julio are kidnapped by the Devildogs.
When both families find out about the kidnapping, both fathers blame each other. Cappelle blames Montague because he believes that Julio was involved in gang violence. Montague does the same thing because of his past experience with African-American gangs in Texas. Both mothers, however, concentrate on the fact that their children are missing and work together to find them. Both mothers are more understanding of their children’s feelings.
Romiette and Julio’s kidnapping made it on the news and the whole town helped in the search. While searching, Cornell and Luis come to terms with each other and become friends.
In the end, Romiette and Julio are found and the gang is exposed. Finally, they can live a normal life together.
Strengths (including reviews and awards):
The characters are updated but still remain true to the Shakespeare version. It is easy to match, the characters in this version, to the Shakespeare version. The story is relatable to teenagers with computers and gangs and such. It addresses the issues of gang violence, ethnicity, and interracial relationships.
Drawbacks or other cautions:
Towards the end, the coincidence of their names is overemphasized.
Gang violence is described in detail.
Teaching ideas:
Pre-reading:
• Discussion on interracial relationships
o How do you feel about them?
o Are there still problems now? Or is this issue a dead issue?
o Are there still taboos?
• Discussion on gangs
o Have you had any experience with gangs?
o Are there still problems with gangs today?
o How dangerous are they?
• Discussion on family and friends dynamics
o How do you get along with your family?
o Are there any prejudices your family has?
o How do you choose your friends?
o Journals to keep personal details private
During Reading:
• How is this novel similar the Shakespeare play?
• Connect the characters
o Have a chart with the Shakespeare characters and with the Draper characters
o Have the students describe each character (from both versions)
o Connect each character during the reading
• How is the novel different from the Shakespeare play?
o Not in the obvious ways
Post-Reading:
• Show clips of the movies (1968 and 1996)
• Compare and contrast the movies
• Compare and contrast the play and the novel
Title: Romiette and Julio
Author: Sharon M. Draper
Publisher: Aladdin Paperbacks Year: 1999
# of pages: 320 Genre: Teen Fiction
Reading level: 13 Interest level: 13+
Potential hot lava: gangs, violence, kidnapping
General response/reaction:
This book was wonderful! I thoroughly enjoyed this modern-day Romeo and Juliet novel. The pacing of the story was perfect because I could not put down the book as I read. Draper does a wonderful job building suspense and describing very realistic scenes. At some points, I did not want to continue reading because I did not want to know how the characters ended up. I know how Romeo and Juliet ends, and I did not want to read that the same fate awaited Romiette and Julio. This was a wonderful adaptation of Shakespeare’s play.
Subjects, Themes, and Big Ideas:
• Trust
• Love
• Friendship
• Gangs
• Violence
• Ethnicity
• Fear
Characters:
• 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. Romiette cannot swim.
• 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.
• Destiny – Romiette’s best friend, believes in the stars and horoscopes, always searching for her soul mate.
• Ben – 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.
• Terrell – leader of the Devildogs, threatening and powerful
• 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.
• 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
• Cappelle parents – Cornell is the father who is a newscaster for the local news station. Lady Brianna is the mother who owns an African clothing boutique. The father is worried about his daughter and blames Julio for her disappearance.
• Montague parents – Luis is the father who had a bad experience with gangs in his younger days. Maria is the mother who is very understanding of Julio’s feelings for Romiette.
Plot summary:
Romiette has a recurring dream where she is drowning and she hears a voice calling to her. Destiny tries to interpret the dream but cannot get a grasp on it. Julio has moved from Corpus Cristi to Cincinnati and he is angry about it. On his first day, he gets into a fight with Ben. Just when Julio thinks he is going to get in trouble, Ben makes an excuse to get them both out of trouble and Julio and Ben become friends.
In an online chat room, Romiette and Julio meet and begin their friendship. They learn that they go to the same school and meet face to face (despite what their friends say about the dangers of the internet). Their friendship grows into a budding romance as they continue to talk and have lunch together every day.
However, Julio’s father is not understanding of his friendship with an African-American girl. Luis has had bad experiences with African-Americans and does not want his son to suffer the same loss.
Not only does Julio’s father not approve, but certain people at school do not approve either. The Devildogs target the couple because of their interracial friendship. Malaka “warned” Romiette about what the Devildogs were planning, but the couple had no idea how much trouble they would have on their hands.
With the help of Destiny and Ben, Romiette and Julio think of a plan to expose the Devildogs. Romiette and Julio had been threatened by the group before and wanted it to stop. However, the plan goes wrong and Romiette and Julio are kidnapped by the Devildogs.
When both families find out about the kidnapping, both fathers blame each other. Cappelle blames Montague because he believes that Julio was involved in gang violence. Montague does the same thing because of his past experience with African-American gangs in Texas. Both mothers, however, concentrate on the fact that their children are missing and work together to find them. Both mothers are more understanding of their children’s feelings.
Romiette and Julio’s kidnapping made it on the news and the whole town helped in the search. While searching, Cornell and Luis come to terms with each other and become friends.
In the end, Romiette and Julio are found and the gang is exposed. Finally, they can live a normal life together.
Strengths (including reviews and awards):
The characters are updated but still remain true to the Shakespeare version. It is easy to match, the characters in this version, to the Shakespeare version. The story is relatable to teenagers with computers and gangs and such. It addresses the issues of gang violence, ethnicity, and interracial relationships.
Drawbacks or other cautions:
Towards the end, the coincidence of their names is overemphasized.
Gang violence is described in detail.
Teaching ideas:
Pre-reading:
• Discussion on interracial relationships
o How do you feel about them?
o Are there still problems now? Or is this issue a dead issue?
o Are there still taboos?
• Discussion on gangs
o Have you had any experience with gangs?
o Are there still problems with gangs today?
o How dangerous are they?
• Discussion on family and friends dynamics
o How do you get along with your family?
o Are there any prejudices your family has?
o How do you choose your friends?
o Journals to keep personal details private
During Reading:
• How is this novel similar the Shakespeare play?
• Connect the characters
o Have a chart with the Shakespeare characters and with the Draper characters
o Have the students describe each character (from both versions)
o Connect each character during the reading
• How is the novel different from the Shakespeare play?
o Not in the obvious ways
Post-Reading:
• Show clips of the movies (1968 and 1996)
• Compare and contrast the movies
• Compare and contrast the play and the novel
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 12, 2008
School was as boring as always, that’s what 16 year old Romiette thought before she met Julio. Julio, an angry 16 year old that recently moved from Corpus Cristi, Texas is forced to attend a local high school (which he hates a lot) were Romiette goes to school. Romiette and Julio meet and its love at first sight. There's only one problem, Romiette is African American, and Julio is Hispanic (which doesn’t go good with their parents). People start to talk about how Romiette and Julio are dating and not everybody has a positive opinion about it, especially when word gets out to the school gang. Then their fate is twisted and they wonder if they will make it or if they will end up like William Shakespeare's star crossed lovers. I loved this book because I also read Romeo and Juliet and this book was totally different.Another reason I liked this book was because it's a modernized version of Romeo and Juliet that has stuff we can relate to.
August 12, 2012
I had to read this story for middle school summer reading and I hated it when I'm actually an avid reader. I mostly read YA fiction so this book felt not only short but empty.
Dialogue is off. I am Hispanic and I never talk like Julio, who seems to be teaching a spanish class using a basic Spanish word every other sentence he says. I know that Destiny and Romiette are African American but the corny way they keep saying 'girl' or 'girlfriend' to refer to each other feels forced. Also, there's too much dialogue and no description in this book. The author keeps telling you things but doesn't elaborate or show.
In my opinion, Draper took the easy way out for everything. She had big Bard shoes to fill and fell short. For instance, she cared about her characters in the wrong way. Instead of making them different and distinctive, she made Julio and Romiette the same person and in Ben and Destiny's weirdness, they were sorta the same eccentric character too. Everyone talked the same, there was not a way to differentiate. So Draper cared about them enough to not kill them off and give them a TOO GOOD HAPPY ENDING but not enough to give them personalities that are unique. Also, Romi is said to be independent but at the end, she is saved by Julio anyway. And no one getsto slowly meet who Romiette is. Right at the beginning, Draper takes the easy way out again and basicsly spells out who she wants Romiette to be in a thinly veiled diary entry that feels like a character profile.
I didn't like this book and I LOVE books. Just imagine a kid who hates reading having to swallow this book down. They might never read again.
Romiette and Julio is far from the story that has survived ages. It's the type of story that if I even remember it by next year, I'll only remember how much OK was written in it.
OK?
OK.
Dialogue is off. I am Hispanic and I never talk like Julio, who seems to be teaching a spanish class using a basic Spanish word every other sentence he says. I know that Destiny and Romiette are African American but the corny way they keep saying 'girl' or 'girlfriend' to refer to each other feels forced. Also, there's too much dialogue and no description in this book. The author keeps telling you things but doesn't elaborate or show.
In my opinion, Draper took the easy way out for everything. She had big Bard shoes to fill and fell short. For instance, she cared about her characters in the wrong way. Instead of making them different and distinctive, she made Julio and Romiette the same person and in Ben and Destiny's weirdness, they were sorta the same eccentric character too. Everyone talked the same, there was not a way to differentiate. So Draper cared about them enough to not kill them off and give them a TOO GOOD HAPPY ENDING but not enough to give them personalities that are unique. Also, Romi is said to be independent but at the end, she is saved by Julio anyway. And no one getsto slowly meet who Romiette is. Right at the beginning, Draper takes the easy way out again and basicsly spells out who she wants Romiette to be in a thinly veiled diary entry that feels like a character profile.
I didn't like this book and I LOVE books. Just imagine a kid who hates reading having to swallow this book down. They might never read again.
Romiette and Julio is far from the story that has survived ages. It's the type of story that if I even remember it by next year, I'll only remember how much OK was written in it.
OK?
OK.
November 6, 2008
Its even better than the old version! If you liked the Shakespere version you will loveeee this one! Its a story about a smart African-american girl who falls in love with a dumb mexican boy. They met over internet not knowing that they went to the same school.! But the problem is.....there parents dont want them to be together because of their different customs and race. This story has about the same settings and causes as shakesperes. They each think that the other had dies and he kills himself not knowing that she is alive. The only difference in this story is that its modern first of all and in this story they are both thrown into the lake because there friends and family discriminated each other and are stuck in a dangerous storm and he saves her from drowing.!
February 26, 2013
This book was probably the most terrible book I have ever read. The theme in it is how race should not matter between people. The author mocks Shakespeare's classic play "Romeo and Juliet" very poorly. She exaggerates what she thinks teenagers think and do. The characters in the story are almost as fake as Ken and Barbie. The writer's style tries to be hip, cool and young. I did not like this book and I suggest for other people to read the actual play rather than this terrible piece others would call a book.
May 11, 2025
I read this with my Freshmen, and we all enjoyed it. ◡̈
February 21, 2009
"Romiette and Julio" by Sharon M. Draper, is about a teenager named Julio who moves to Cincinatti, and a girl Romiette who is scared of drowning in water, and of fire. Julio doesn't like, and gets into a fight with a boy named Ben, but ends up being friends with him. Then he meets Romiette in a chat room in the internet, and he finds out that she and him go to the same school and they decide to meet in lunch and Julio gives Romiette a flower. Then Julio starts liking Romiette and she starts liking him too. Then they both start hanging out and the gang in their school named the Devildogs, don't like that 2 races are being mixed, and they tell Julio and Romiette to stop it or they'll teach them a lesson. Then their parents meet and don't realy get along with each other. Both of them are worried about what the Devildogs told them, and try to escape. Suddenly, the Devildogs stopped Julio and Romiette and took them inside a car, and drove them where there was a boathouse near a lake and left them there, to teach both of them a lesson.
Since both of them were left there, tied up, they couldn't get out and there was a storm. They tried to get out of the boat, but they couldn't, because they were in the middle of a lake, and Romiette couldn't swim, because she was afraid of drowning. Then they were able to untie themselves, when suddenly a lightning hit their boat and it caught on fire. Julio and Romiette had to get out of the boat or else they would die, so they jumped off the boat and into the cold water. Romiette couldn't swim, so she drowned but Julio pulled her and got her out of the water. While carrying her, he fell on some trees that had fallen down, but he stood up and carried her to where it was safe and they both of them slept together. The next day, Julio and Romiette's parents found them together, and both of their parents were glad that they had found them.
My critique of this book is that, I realy enjoyed reading this book because it's about 2 teenagers who can't be together because of their different races. I would reccommend this book to people who enjoy reading books on things that happen in real life. I also enjoyed reading this book because it talks about how they have problems with gangs in their school. I would give this book four stars because it is a very interesting book about 2 teenagers.
Since both of them were left there, tied up, they couldn't get out and there was a storm. They tried to get out of the boat, but they couldn't, because they were in the middle of a lake, and Romiette couldn't swim, because she was afraid of drowning. Then they were able to untie themselves, when suddenly a lightning hit their boat and it caught on fire. Julio and Romiette had to get out of the boat or else they would die, so they jumped off the boat and into the cold water. Romiette couldn't swim, so she drowned but Julio pulled her and got her out of the water. While carrying her, he fell on some trees that had fallen down, but he stood up and carried her to where it was safe and they both of them slept together. The next day, Julio and Romiette's parents found them together, and both of their parents were glad that they had found them.
My critique of this book is that, I realy enjoyed reading this book because it's about 2 teenagers who can't be together because of their different races. I would reccommend this book to people who enjoy reading books on things that happen in real life. I also enjoyed reading this book because it talks about how they have problems with gangs in their school. I would give this book four stars because it is a very interesting book about 2 teenagers.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 8, 2010
This book is a pretty cute adaptation of the classic Shakespearean play Romeo and Juliet. Even though it has MANY cheesy lines (some of which don't make any sense at all...), it was an enjoyable read.
Pros: Romiette and Julio are SUPER adorable together. Even though they are people from different backgrounds, it's nice to read a story where they can put aside their differences so quickly and fall madly in love with one another. If only love were that easy! Their best friends are also a nice addition, giving a little extra spice to the story. Even though the ending isn't like the original play, I'm glad it ended they way it did.
Cons: Ugh... it definitely could do without the cheesy lines. A lot of the one-liners that Draper put in there don't really make much sense. I know they were meant to be "cute" and "nonsensical", but they just ended up bothering me. If Draper would to write how kids were to really talk, rather than putting a bunch of flowery language that NO normal person would use, then it would have been all right.... Maybe even deserving another star.
Judgement: Yes, this is a cute book. Yes, it's based off one of my favorite stories of all time. Yes, I would recommend it to someone who likes cheesy books. No, I would not recommend it to the serious reader. If you are looking for a serious romance novel, then don't read this book. If you want some light reading to pass the time between then and your next book-buying binge, then I totally recommend it. I would suggest buying it at Half Price Books, though. 3/5 stars!
Pros: Romiette and Julio are SUPER adorable together. Even though they are people from different backgrounds, it's nice to read a story where they can put aside their differences so quickly and fall madly in love with one another. If only love were that easy! Their best friends are also a nice addition, giving a little extra spice to the story. Even though the ending isn't like the original play, I'm glad it ended they way it did.
Cons: Ugh... it definitely could do without the cheesy lines. A lot of the one-liners that Draper put in there don't really make much sense. I know they were meant to be "cute" and "nonsensical", but they just ended up bothering me. If Draper would to write how kids were to really talk, rather than putting a bunch of flowery language that NO normal person would use, then it would have been all right.... Maybe even deserving another star.
Judgement: Yes, this is a cute book. Yes, it's based off one of my favorite stories of all time. Yes, I would recommend it to someone who likes cheesy books. No, I would not recommend it to the serious reader. If you are looking for a serious romance novel, then don't read this book. If you want some light reading to pass the time between then and your next book-buying binge, then I totally recommend it. I would suggest buying it at Half Price Books, though. 3/5 stars!
January 12, 2016
Romiette is a 16 year old black girl, whose mother owns a very popular African culture shop in Cincinnati. Julio is a 16 year old Hispanic boy who just moved to Cincinnati from Corpus Christi, Texas. Despite going to the same school, Romiette and Julio meet in an online chat room, where Julio shares the woes of his new life in Ohio, and where Romiette makes him feel more alive than he ever felt in Texas. After meeting in the lunch room at school for the first time, Romiette and Julio begin talking online every night and eating lunch every day. Their relationship sparks the interest of the local gang, The Devildogs. The Devildogs are angry with Romiette that she would even think of socializing with someone of a different race, let alone actually dating one. Romiette and Julio make terrible decisions throughout the entire book to make The Devildogs look stupid, like playing music and dancing like idiots on the table in the lunch room when The Devildogs were trying to intimidate them. A teen would NEVER do that. These stupid scenarios also, lead to horribly thought out revenge taken by The Devildogs. The dialogue used throughout the book between the teenage characters is so completely unrealistic and laughable that it was hard to even finish the book. The slang used is completely outdated and even then, its doubtful that teens even used to talk that way. The gang violence is also laughable. If this was a real gang, Romiette and Julio would have been in a lot more trouble than they were. Its highly unlikely that a real gang would consist only of high school students and that not a single cuss word was used during any of the confrontational scenes in the book. Overall, the book was a horrible depiction of what life is like in an inner city high school and the relationships between teens, and teens and their parents.
July 1, 2021
**Last book of age 30! Birthday tomorrow**
After reading Copper Sun, I think I forgot that Draper's books usually remind me of soap operas. This book was a complete telenova with a very loose connection with Romeo and Juliet, which the book pokes a little fun at multiple times. Star crossed lovers, danger and tension, and even a comedic relief newscaster!
I sat in on an author visit with Draper and she mentions she only writes for teens, and that she does well. I can see this book in the hands of most of the students I teach! Easy to read, engaging and dramatic, I'd suggest this to any student that asks for romance and suspense.
After reading Copper Sun, I think I forgot that Draper's books usually remind me of soap operas. This book was a complete telenova with a very loose connection with Romeo and Juliet, which the book pokes a little fun at multiple times. Star crossed lovers, danger and tension, and even a comedic relief newscaster!
I sat in on an author visit with Draper and she mentions she only writes for teens, and that she does well. I can see this book in the hands of most of the students I teach! Easy to read, engaging and dramatic, I'd suggest this to any student that asks for romance and suspense.
March 30, 2020
I had to read this over the summer for school and good lord did I just want to rip the book in half! The entire story consists of romiette and Julio flattering each other or their friends being inhumanly annoying. I know that Romeo and Juliet fell in love very fast, but that was in the 1500s. It isn't realistic to contemporary time! The words draper apparently thinks kids use are completely off and they annoyed the hell out of me. If you want to read an incredible annoying, cliché, stupid story, then by all means, read this book. If you don't want to, THEN PLEASE DON'T!
March 9, 2013
i thought this book was very good. i could understand this book more than i could the original romeo and juliet. i could also relate to this book more because it is in modern-day whereas romeo and juliet was not. and the characters in romiette and julio had to go through what many kids go through.
March 4, 2008
This is really goodi think it is a good book because it has a twist to it. it is about two teens that fall in love. its really good. girls u would like this especially
October 19, 2021
This is the one adaptation of Romeo and Juliette where I wish they had died at the end
February 9, 2022
terrible sappy boring piece of filth that should never be read by any sane human. Don't waste your time on this
February 10, 2025
I first read this book after meeting Ms. Sharon Draper in 2008. I was in the 8th grade and this story had me in a chokehold.
I just did the calculations and wow. It’s been 17 years since I’ve read it. Rereading it as an adult, I was still very much so captivated by this story. It’s cute. Nicely paced. And I enjoyed the different writings styles and pov’s in this book. As a writer, I see how I was influenced by Ms. Draper’s book when I was writing as a pre-teen/teen. Even now, I can see how my writing has been influenced by her.
17 years later after having read it and knowing that this book came out in 1999, I want to know where Romi & Julio are now. Did they go to college together? How did they cope with their shared traumatic experience? Did they get married and have children? And did they stay in Cincinnati or did they move back to Julio’s hometown of Corpus Christi?
Overall, a great teen book. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys teen books.
I just did the calculations and wow. It’s been 17 years since I’ve read it. Rereading it as an adult, I was still very much so captivated by this story. It’s cute. Nicely paced. And I enjoyed the different writings styles and pov’s in this book. As a writer, I see how I was influenced by Ms. Draper’s book when I was writing as a pre-teen/teen. Even now, I can see how my writing has been influenced by her.
17 years later after having read it and knowing that this book came out in 1999, I want to know where Romi & Julio are now. Did they go to college together? How did they cope with their shared traumatic experience? Did they get married and have children? And did they stay in Cincinnati or did they move back to Julio’s hometown of Corpus Christi?
Overall, a great teen book. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys teen books.
Read
April 3, 2008Title: Romiette and Julio
Author: Sharon M. Draper
Publisher: Simon Pulse Year:1999
# of pages:320 Genre: Fiction
Reading level Interest level: 9th-10th grade
Potential hot lava: Gang Violence
General response/reaction: I thought this book was a very simple read and it kept my attention. Reading this book as a college student, I thought the romance was a little cheesy, however it stayed very true to what most high school relationships consists of. Sharon Draper did a good job bringing in aspects of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet that maybe students reading the original wouldn’t really understand. For example, the astrology aspect and dreams played a huge role in this novel. In the original play, Shakespeare acknowledges that the stars write someone’s future, but how many 9th or 10th graders are going to pick up on that the first time they read it. I really enjoyed the characters, I thought that all of them developed and grew throughout the novel. I feel that Romiette is a strong female character that students can relate to. I also feel that Julio is a positive male character that boys could relate to. With that being said, I felt like this book would be good for readers at all different levels because it is written in a way that everyone could follow. The chapters are short which makes for an easy read for stronger readers, but for lower level readers it allows them to not be overwhelmed with drawn out chapters.
Subjects, Themes, and Big Ideas:
Relationships (girl/guy, child/parent, spouse/spouse)
Friendship
Gang Violence
Dreams
Consequences of one’s Actions
Interracial relationships
Characters:
Romiette Cappelle- a modern day Juliet. She is African American and a bright and successful student. She is very outspoken and independent, and most respect her for that. She is the daughter of a news broadcaster and a local merchant. She quickly becomes the love interest of Julio.
Julio Montague- a modern day Romeo. He is Mexican American and the new kid in school. He is very handsome and a smooth talker. He is seen as an outcast because he is new and has a hard time making friends. He hates everything about the city and wants to go back to his home in Texas. He is Romiette’s love interest.
Destiny- a modern day Nurse and is Romiette’s best friend. She is very concerned with finding her true love/ soul mate and believes that horoscopes and the Scientific Soul Mate System will help her achieve this. She is Romiette’s confidant and would do anything to help her.
Ben- is Julio’s best friend and first friend he makes at his new school even though the first day they met, Julio gives him a blue nose after punching him. He is the comic relief in the novel and expresses himself but the close that he wears and coloring his hair.
Devildogs- the African American gang who will do anything to intimidate and make sure that Romiette and Julio know they do not approve of their relationship. They wear purple and are the first gang in their high school.
Plot summary: Moving to Cincinnati was the last thing that Julio Montague wanted to do. He hated the cold and the lack of scenery the city had to offer and was dreading having to go to a new school with people he didn’t know. His parents forced him to move because of the increase gang activity in Texas. Romiette Cappelle is 16 years old and has school on her brain. She keeps having a dream that she is drowning and hearing a voice that she’s never heard before. Her best friend, Destiny, is determined find her soul mate and while she’s at it find Romiette’s as well. Romiette and Julio start talking online and getting to know each other. They finally decide to tell the other where they are from and notice they go to the same school. They decide to meet during lunch and as if it was love at first sight they began to form a deeper relationship. Romiette and Julio’s relationship catches the unwanted attention of the school gang the Develdogs who try their best to intimidate the two to break up. When this does happen, they go to greater lengths and threaten them with a gun in the woods one day. Romiette, Julio, Destiny, and Ben come up with a plan to catch the Devildogs threatening them. This plans goes awfully wrong (Ben’s car breaks down and unable to trail them) Julio and Romiette end up tied on a boat floating in a lake during a horrible thunder and lightning storm. Julio and Romiette are able to get untied, and Julio convinces Romiette to get out of the boat. Unable to swim, Romiette is terrified and when lightning causes their hands to separate she finds herself living her dream and is sure she is going to drown. Julio is able to find her and drag her to land where he finds shelter under a fallen tree and holds her so their bodies stay warm. They are found and alive and the Devildogs are punished for what they did. Unlike the original Romeo and Juliet, these star crossed lovers live at the end.
Strengths (including reviews and awards):
“Draper has given readers a pair of intriguing, unusual protagonists with the sort of real thoughts and feelings that will make this interracial story satisfying.”—Booklist
Young Hoosier Book Award (IN)
Drawbacks or other cautions: Violence, Racial issues
Teaching ideas:
∑ Have the students pair into groups to interview different characters from the story and write a newspaper article
∑ Have students write letters to the character of their choice, offering advice or opinions of decisions the characters made throughout the novel
∑ Have students watch West Side Story and have a discussion to the similarities between the novel and the movie
∑ Do an anticipation guide
∑ If you were the author, how would have had ended the novel. Offer an alternative ending.
∑ Have a discussion about Gangs in the student’s school. Do they exist? Are they a problem?
Author: Sharon M. Draper
Publisher: Simon Pulse Year:1999
# of pages:320 Genre: Fiction
Reading level Interest level: 9th-10th grade
Potential hot lava: Gang Violence
General response/reaction: I thought this book was a very simple read and it kept my attention. Reading this book as a college student, I thought the romance was a little cheesy, however it stayed very true to what most high school relationships consists of. Sharon Draper did a good job bringing in aspects of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet that maybe students reading the original wouldn’t really understand. For example, the astrology aspect and dreams played a huge role in this novel. In the original play, Shakespeare acknowledges that the stars write someone’s future, but how many 9th or 10th graders are going to pick up on that the first time they read it. I really enjoyed the characters, I thought that all of them developed and grew throughout the novel. I feel that Romiette is a strong female character that students can relate to. I also feel that Julio is a positive male character that boys could relate to. With that being said, I felt like this book would be good for readers at all different levels because it is written in a way that everyone could follow. The chapters are short which makes for an easy read for stronger readers, but for lower level readers it allows them to not be overwhelmed with drawn out chapters.
Subjects, Themes, and Big Ideas:
Relationships (girl/guy, child/parent, spouse/spouse)
Friendship
Gang Violence
Dreams
Consequences of one’s Actions
Interracial relationships
Characters:
Romiette Cappelle- a modern day Juliet. She is African American and a bright and successful student. She is very outspoken and independent, and most respect her for that. She is the daughter of a news broadcaster and a local merchant. She quickly becomes the love interest of Julio.
Julio Montague- a modern day Romeo. He is Mexican American and the new kid in school. He is very handsome and a smooth talker. He is seen as an outcast because he is new and has a hard time making friends. He hates everything about the city and wants to go back to his home in Texas. He is Romiette’s love interest.
Destiny- a modern day Nurse and is Romiette’s best friend. She is very concerned with finding her true love/ soul mate and believes that horoscopes and the Scientific Soul Mate System will help her achieve this. She is Romiette’s confidant and would do anything to help her.
Ben- is Julio’s best friend and first friend he makes at his new school even though the first day they met, Julio gives him a blue nose after punching him. He is the comic relief in the novel and expresses himself but the close that he wears and coloring his hair.
Devildogs- the African American gang who will do anything to intimidate and make sure that Romiette and Julio know they do not approve of their relationship. They wear purple and are the first gang in their high school.
Plot summary: Moving to Cincinnati was the last thing that Julio Montague wanted to do. He hated the cold and the lack of scenery the city had to offer and was dreading having to go to a new school with people he didn’t know. His parents forced him to move because of the increase gang activity in Texas. Romiette Cappelle is 16 years old and has school on her brain. She keeps having a dream that she is drowning and hearing a voice that she’s never heard before. Her best friend, Destiny, is determined find her soul mate and while she’s at it find Romiette’s as well. Romiette and Julio start talking online and getting to know each other. They finally decide to tell the other where they are from and notice they go to the same school. They decide to meet during lunch and as if it was love at first sight they began to form a deeper relationship. Romiette and Julio’s relationship catches the unwanted attention of the school gang the Develdogs who try their best to intimidate the two to break up. When this does happen, they go to greater lengths and threaten them with a gun in the woods one day. Romiette, Julio, Destiny, and Ben come up with a plan to catch the Devildogs threatening them. This plans goes awfully wrong (Ben’s car breaks down and unable to trail them) Julio and Romiette end up tied on a boat floating in a lake during a horrible thunder and lightning storm. Julio and Romiette are able to get untied, and Julio convinces Romiette to get out of the boat. Unable to swim, Romiette is terrified and when lightning causes their hands to separate she finds herself living her dream and is sure she is going to drown. Julio is able to find her and drag her to land where he finds shelter under a fallen tree and holds her so their bodies stay warm. They are found and alive and the Devildogs are punished for what they did. Unlike the original Romeo and Juliet, these star crossed lovers live at the end.
Strengths (including reviews and awards):
“Draper has given readers a pair of intriguing, unusual protagonists with the sort of real thoughts and feelings that will make this interracial story satisfying.”—Booklist
Young Hoosier Book Award (IN)
Drawbacks or other cautions: Violence, Racial issues
Teaching ideas:
∑ Have the students pair into groups to interview different characters from the story and write a newspaper article
∑ Have students write letters to the character of their choice, offering advice or opinions of decisions the characters made throughout the novel
∑ Have students watch West Side Story and have a discussion to the similarities between the novel and the movie
∑ Do an anticipation guide
∑ If you were the author, how would have had ended the novel. Offer an alternative ending.
∑ Have a discussion about Gangs in the student’s school. Do they exist? Are they a problem?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 4, 2018
What it's about: An interracial love story set in Cincinnati about two high school kids from different worlds falling in love. But a developing gang doesn't like the mixing of races, and threatens to end the romance, one way or another.
What I thought & Why I rated it like I did: I am a HUGE fan of the original Romeo and Juliet, and I know there have been some neat adaptations over time, so when I happened across this title recently, I figured I'd check it out. But it was harder than I figured to track down a copy, which should have been a clue about the quality of this version.
This book is set in the lat 1990s, which in my mind is like yesterday; but as I read the story, it became clear that time has moved on without me, 'cause the details in this story were so dated. The portable CD players made me smile, and the discussion of cassette tapes made me grin, then wince as I thought about just how old this story was. And the "meet cute" of the story happens in an online chat room. Again, it was a fun moment that brought me back to my own (late) teen years, but man, it really dates this book.
Putting aside the carbon dating of the details within this story, the overall plot is, sadly, not as quaint and dated as I would have liked. The central problem, that there are gangs in schools, is not the relic of the past that I would have hoped twenty years on from this story's origins. Nor is the racism that drives the central conflict. Those elements continue to be much too present.
That being said, there were a lot more problems than just the datedness of the details within this story. First, there's the weirdness of the characters existing in a world in which everyone is familiar with Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, and yet, no one seems to notice the insane number of coincidences between the character's names and the general plot of the story until the book is well underway; and then, they only comment on the main characters' relationship and the semi-similarity of the conflict; and yet, despite most of the characters acknowledging that they've read Shakespeare's version of the story, and one very smart character claiming to have read it multiple times, none of them seem to notice the similarity of other characters' names and positions within the story. While I get that Draper is trying to re-create Shakespeare's work in a modern setting, it end up just feeling weird to have so many character names aligning with the original, but no one seeming to be aware of it, despite being aware of the original story.
If that was the only problem, I would probably have given this three stars, and I would recommend it to my students as an interesting tale for comparison and contrast with the original. But the dialogue. Oh, the dialogue! Some of it is fine, but there are places where it's just painful. I found myself wondering a few times whether there were spots where some cutting-and-pasting had been done, and no one had checked to see if the revisions still made sense. More than once, a character would start a paragraph of dialogue mentioning a specific idea, then express a bunch more thoughts that veered away from that first point; then, when the next character responded, they'd start by responding to that very first point from several minutes before. That's not how people talk! Conversations flow because we pick up the last threads of a conversation; we don't jump back to what was said several minutes ago and carry on from there as though the other person stopped talking after they said the thing we want to react to. If this had happened once, I would have moved on from it; but it happened several times, making it clear that this was a stylistic choice.
And that was just one of the problems with the dialogue. There were so many instances of the conversations just sounding wooden and unnatural. I actually found myself groaning at the final lines of the book because the dialogue was that painful.
Now, I do have to admit that I found myself reading rather anxiously toward the end of the book as the resolution approached; it was unclear how closely Draper was going to stick to the original storyline, and she very effectively created some tension with the plotting and pacing (even if it was undercut by the stiffness of the interactions between the characters). This book would provide a good study in how to keep the tension high as the climax approaches.
Unfortunately, this moment of well-constructed execution does not make up for the other problems that plague this story. And I only got to that part of the story because I forced myself to keep going so I could say I finished the book. I have a stack of other books I'm looking forward to, and it was a struggle to not just toss this one aside. Still, I'm glad I didn't give up on it; at the very least, I have now expanded my Romeo and Juliet "cover-band" knowledge a bit more. And, truth be told, this book reminds me a bit of the monster movies I loved as a kid: the bad parts are sort of entertaining in their badness, and the good parts are just frequent enough to make it worth sitting through - once.
What I thought & Why I rated it like I did: I am a HUGE fan of the original Romeo and Juliet, and I know there have been some neat adaptations over time, so when I happened across this title recently, I figured I'd check it out. But it was harder than I figured to track down a copy, which should have been a clue about the quality of this version.
This book is set in the lat 1990s, which in my mind is like yesterday; but as I read the story, it became clear that time has moved on without me, 'cause the details in this story were so dated. The portable CD players made me smile, and the discussion of cassette tapes made me grin, then wince as I thought about just how old this story was. And the "meet cute" of the story happens in an online chat room. Again, it was a fun moment that brought me back to my own (late) teen years, but man, it really dates this book.
Putting aside the carbon dating of the details within this story, the overall plot is, sadly, not as quaint and dated as I would have liked. The central problem, that there are gangs in schools, is not the relic of the past that I would have hoped twenty years on from this story's origins. Nor is the racism that drives the central conflict. Those elements continue to be much too present.
That being said, there were a lot more problems than just the datedness of the details within this story. First, there's the weirdness of the characters existing in a world in which everyone is familiar with Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, and yet, no one seems to notice the insane number of coincidences between the character's names and the general plot of the story until the book is well underway; and then, they only comment on the main characters' relationship and the semi-similarity of the conflict; and yet, despite most of the characters acknowledging that they've read Shakespeare's version of the story, and one very smart character claiming to have read it multiple times, none of them seem to notice the similarity of other characters' names and positions within the story. While I get that Draper is trying to re-create Shakespeare's work in a modern setting, it end up just feeling weird to have so many character names aligning with the original, but no one seeming to be aware of it, despite being aware of the original story.
If that was the only problem, I would probably have given this three stars, and I would recommend it to my students as an interesting tale for comparison and contrast with the original. But the dialogue. Oh, the dialogue! Some of it is fine, but there are places where it's just painful. I found myself wondering a few times whether there were spots where some cutting-and-pasting had been done, and no one had checked to see if the revisions still made sense. More than once, a character would start a paragraph of dialogue mentioning a specific idea, then express a bunch more thoughts that veered away from that first point; then, when the next character responded, they'd start by responding to that very first point from several minutes before. That's not how people talk! Conversations flow because we pick up the last threads of a conversation; we don't jump back to what was said several minutes ago and carry on from there as though the other person stopped talking after they said the thing we want to react to. If this had happened once, I would have moved on from it; but it happened several times, making it clear that this was a stylistic choice.
And that was just one of the problems with the dialogue. There were so many instances of the conversations just sounding wooden and unnatural. I actually found myself groaning at the final lines of the book because the dialogue was that painful.
Now, I do have to admit that I found myself reading rather anxiously toward the end of the book as the resolution approached; it was unclear how closely Draper was going to stick to the original storyline, and she very effectively created some tension with the plotting and pacing (even if it was undercut by the stiffness of the interactions between the characters). This book would provide a good study in how to keep the tension high as the climax approaches.
Unfortunately, this moment of well-constructed execution does not make up for the other problems that plague this story. And I only got to that part of the story because I forced myself to keep going so I could say I finished the book. I have a stack of other books I'm looking forward to, and it was a struggle to not just toss this one aside. Still, I'm glad I didn't give up on it; at the very least, I have now expanded my Romeo and Juliet "cover-band" knowledge a bit more. And, truth be told, this book reminds me a bit of the monster movies I loved as a kid: the bad parts are sort of entertaining in their badness, and the good parts are just frequent enough to make it worth sitting through - once.
December 17, 2018
It was a really good book .I really liked it
March 30, 2025
Apparently only rereads of books I read in middle school can break me out of my slump.
Read
August 30, 2021This book's adventurous plot had me turning pages to the end.
Read
August 30, 2021I liked how this book switched between the POVs of different characters.
August 30, 2021
If you like romance, tragedy, and overcoming obstacles you would like this book.
November 13, 2013
Romiette and Julio is one of the best books for teens everywhere to read! The book is based on Shakespeare's classic play, Romeo and Juliet with a more urban twist. The story is about two teens Romiette Cappelle, a 16 year old African-American girl who loves her city of Cincinnati and has a strong fear of water and Julio Montague, a 16 year old Hispanic boy who would rather die then to continue to live in the likes of Cincinnati and return to his home in Texas. However they meet in an online chat room just like any other teen does now a days, but Romiette's best friend Destiny is not sold! She warns Romi that she might get catfished or Julio might be some old guy like on Dateline waiting for his time to prowl. Not only does Destiny have her doubts about the situation but so does Julio's father. After having bad experiences with black people, Julio's father is completely against any form of communication between Romiette and Julio. Family drama with teen love on the line, now I am interested in reading Romeo and Juliet seriously this time around.
As the spark between Romi and Julio continues to grow, a black gang called the Devildogs are not as excited about their budding love as I am. They continue to hassle Romiette and Julio and try to threaten them into not seeing each other because Julio is not black. As an attempt to solve their gang related dispute, Romiette, Julio, Destiny, and Julio's friend Ben, a kid with a bright personality and colorful bight hair to match, decides to catch the Devildogs harassing them all on camera to share with the news. However, everything about their plan goes wrong and Julio and Romiette end up getting kidnapped by the Devildogs.
When their parents find out that their children are missing, immediately Mr. Montague and Mr. Cappelle blame the others child for the mess that they are in. However, it was up to the mothers to mediate the situation and prove that no one is to blame. While searching for Romiette and Julio, the cops refereed to Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet to see if they in fact killed themselves because of their forbidden love just like in the story but was soon denied when they found the Devildogs and evidence that Romiette and Julio were thrown in the trunk of their car.
After searching for a long day, they found out that Julio and Romiette were sent down the Cincinnati river and fearful they might have drowned because of Romiette's apparent fear of water. Have been searching for two long gruesome days, while looking in the forest where Julio and Romi might be, Mr. Montague and Mr. Cappelle where sitting on a log talking about the situation and apologizing for everything said until they saw a shirt sticking out from under the log. Out of great belief that they found their kids, they throw the log up and saw their children laying next to each other unconscious and cold. When taken to the doctors, it was found out that if they were not together huddled for warmth, they most likely would have died due to hypothermia.
All goes to show that no matter where you find love, who it is with, and how many people do not support you, love will always prevail.
As the spark between Romi and Julio continues to grow, a black gang called the Devildogs are not as excited about their budding love as I am. They continue to hassle Romiette and Julio and try to threaten them into not seeing each other because Julio is not black. As an attempt to solve their gang related dispute, Romiette, Julio, Destiny, and Julio's friend Ben, a kid with a bright personality and colorful bight hair to match, decides to catch the Devildogs harassing them all on camera to share with the news. However, everything about their plan goes wrong and Julio and Romiette end up getting kidnapped by the Devildogs.
When their parents find out that their children are missing, immediately Mr. Montague and Mr. Cappelle blame the others child for the mess that they are in. However, it was up to the mothers to mediate the situation and prove that no one is to blame. While searching for Romiette and Julio, the cops refereed to Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet to see if they in fact killed themselves because of their forbidden love just like in the story but was soon denied when they found the Devildogs and evidence that Romiette and Julio were thrown in the trunk of their car.
After searching for a long day, they found out that Julio and Romiette were sent down the Cincinnati river and fearful they might have drowned because of Romiette's apparent fear of water. Have been searching for two long gruesome days, while looking in the forest where Julio and Romi might be, Mr. Montague and Mr. Cappelle where sitting on a log talking about the situation and apologizing for everything said until they saw a shirt sticking out from under the log. Out of great belief that they found their kids, they throw the log up and saw their children laying next to each other unconscious and cold. When taken to the doctors, it was found out that if they were not together huddled for warmth, they most likely would have died due to hypothermia.
All goes to show that no matter where you find love, who it is with, and how many people do not support you, love will always prevail.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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January 8, 2009 The book I recently read is Romiette and Julio by Sharon Draper. This is a take-off of William Shakespears’ book Romeo and Juliet it has a very powerful message which is where ever you go in life there are going to be obsticals in your way.
This book is based on an African-American and a Texan-American. And the trials and tribulations that they have to go through to show there true love for one another. The way they met is similar to the way my boyfriend and I met in real life, over the internet. He was on a teen chat room trash talking Cincinnati after his parents forced him to move there do to his problem with gangs in his other school. What he did not know was that “Afroqueen” the person we later find out to be Romiette and “Spanishlover” the person we soon find to be Julio would be soon going to the same school, and share a common interest in many things.
This book had me captivated from the moment I picked it up to the moment I put it down in all reality I have read this book at least 5 times but the last time I read it was early 2008 and missed reading it. This is my all time favorite book ever and I would definitely recommended it to anyone actually if you like reading realistic fiction books then your going to love reading this book.
This book can teach people a lot and the one thing that I learned which is extremely sad is that bullys and gangs there going to be around for a long time and frankly I do not think there is anything that anyone can do about it. A lot of brave people put there life at risk each and every day and try to stop all of this violence from happening in the streets that way hopefully you might not have to pick up your life and move millions of miles out of state because you are scared for the well being of you and your family.
Out of all the books, I have read this month this has to be the best one. I have also this month read the book First French Kiss: And Other Traumas by Adam Bagdasarian. This book was too inspirational but it didn’t give me the same message as Romiette and Julio which was to never let anything or anyone stand in the way of you and your love.
This book is based on an African-American and a Texan-American. And the trials and tribulations that they have to go through to show there true love for one another. The way they met is similar to the way my boyfriend and I met in real life, over the internet. He was on a teen chat room trash talking Cincinnati after his parents forced him to move there do to his problem with gangs in his other school. What he did not know was that “Afroqueen” the person we later find out to be Romiette and “Spanishlover” the person we soon find to be Julio would be soon going to the same school, and share a common interest in many things.
This book had me captivated from the moment I picked it up to the moment I put it down in all reality I have read this book at least 5 times but the last time I read it was early 2008 and missed reading it. This is my all time favorite book ever and I would definitely recommended it to anyone actually if you like reading realistic fiction books then your going to love reading this book.
This book can teach people a lot and the one thing that I learned which is extremely sad is that bullys and gangs there going to be around for a long time and frankly I do not think there is anything that anyone can do about it. A lot of brave people put there life at risk each and every day and try to stop all of this violence from happening in the streets that way hopefully you might not have to pick up your life and move millions of miles out of state because you are scared for the well being of you and your family.
Out of all the books, I have read this month this has to be the best one. I have also this month read the book First French Kiss: And Other Traumas by Adam Bagdasarian. This book was too inspirational but it didn’t give me the same message as Romiette and Julio which was to never let anything or anyone stand in the way of you and your love.
March 2, 2011
i really loved this because its like romeo and juliet. but in this book it talks about these two love birds that meet by a chat room. they dont know if they go to school together. they find out by seeing each othert in the lunchroom in high school. romiette always had theis dream that she would drown and die but this guy calls out her name but she dont know who it is because its drak and scary. but later she founds out that dream comes tru ans knows the voice who calles her name. romi is a african-american and julio is latin. they think their going to be great friends. they like each other but julio's dad doesnt think is ok because he had some trouble in the past. but he thinks that he is wrong bout her. they both get involed in a little gang promble. but romi and julio and thier bestfriends ben and destiny help them out because the purple gang were the baddest gang in the city.
they decide to do a plan and make them pay for what they are doing and tell the city that they really do have gangs. but they never knew what really would happen. so they went out with there plan. but something went wronq the gang had something for them. the purple gang kiddnapped them and took them to a lake near to the woods. but ben and destiny did never think it would get this far. so they went to the cops and to the mom and dad to let them know. but it was to late because the gang already did a bad thing. they put romi and julio into a boat and send them out into the lake.
romi ans julio didnt know what to do because romi dont know how to swim but julio would never let nonthing happen to her. but she was so afarid that she would die and drown. but they didnt they found their way out of there and found a place to rest for a min. but the mom and dad for both sides were realy worried bout them. that didnt stop them there. they look for them until they found them.
they both fall in love with each other and lived happen and never let no one but them down. they always thought that they would end up like the story of romeo and juliet. but things happen different.
i really liked this book. and hope that you guys read it and enjoy it like i did=)
they decide to do a plan and make them pay for what they are doing and tell the city that they really do have gangs. but they never knew what really would happen. so they went out with there plan. but something went wronq the gang had something for them. the purple gang kiddnapped them and took them to a lake near to the woods. but ben and destiny did never think it would get this far. so they went to the cops and to the mom and dad to let them know. but it was to late because the gang already did a bad thing. they put romi and julio into a boat and send them out into the lake.
romi ans julio didnt know what to do because romi dont know how to swim but julio would never let nonthing happen to her. but she was so afarid that she would die and drown. but they didnt they found their way out of there and found a place to rest for a min. but the mom and dad for both sides were realy worried bout them. that didnt stop them there. they look for them until they found them.
they both fall in love with each other and lived happen and never let no one but them down. they always thought that they would end up like the story of romeo and juliet. but things happen different.
i really liked this book. and hope that you guys read it and enjoy it like i did=)
March 25, 2011
Have you ever felt like you have met your soul-mate and also felt like he/she will save you from everything? Well, in this book called Romiette and Julio, by Shron M.Draper,the main character, Romiette had the same feeling toward julio, a new transfer student from texas, when she first met him. Romiette has a nightmare about fire and water and hears this strange voice of a person right before meeting julio for the first time.
I recommend this book, because it has a big great twist at the end, so you have to read till the end. Its very intersting and fun to read. For example, as Rommiete and Julio starting talking a lot at lunch, but they soon find out that not everyone likes them begin together. At first I thought it was because she is an African-American while he is a Hispanic, but as I read I was wrong. It was totally not beacause of that. It was cause the "Devildogs" thinks that Julio is in a gang from Texas that were their opponent. Also not only that, their are bigger twists but i don't wanna spoil the whole book for the people who are intersted.
I also recommend this book because I think most people will like reading this if they liked the Shakespeare's play "Romeo & Juliet." This book is almost and kind of the same as Shakespeare's play. In both the book and the play,the characters fall in love but people around them doesn't want them to be. So, they come up with a crazy plan and have a big twist at the end.
Some people might not like this book because the story line is kind of a same as Shakespeare's play but in the modern times. For most people I think they don't like reading the same kind of books that they have already read. One thing for sure is that the ending of this book and the Shakesphere's play is totally different.
I totally recommend this book if you are really really into Shakespeare's play, and because it's very fun and interesting to read, like i have mention earlier. If you haven't read this, you should definitely check this book out.
I recommend this book, because it has a big great twist at the end, so you have to read till the end. Its very intersting and fun to read. For example, as Rommiete and Julio starting talking a lot at lunch, but they soon find out that not everyone likes them begin together. At first I thought it was because she is an African-American while he is a Hispanic, but as I read I was wrong. It was totally not beacause of that. It was cause the "Devildogs" thinks that Julio is in a gang from Texas that were their opponent. Also not only that, their are bigger twists but i don't wanna spoil the whole book for the people who are intersted.
I also recommend this book because I think most people will like reading this if they liked the Shakespeare's play "Romeo & Juliet." This book is almost and kind of the same as Shakespeare's play. In both the book and the play,the characters fall in love but people around them doesn't want them to be. So, they come up with a crazy plan and have a big twist at the end.
Some people might not like this book because the story line is kind of a same as Shakespeare's play but in the modern times. For most people I think they don't like reading the same kind of books that they have already read. One thing for sure is that the ending of this book and the Shakesphere's play is totally different.
I totally recommend this book if you are really really into Shakespeare's play, and because it's very fun and interesting to read, like i have mention earlier. If you haven't read this, you should definitely check this book out.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 14, 2008
Romiette and Julio $5.99/$8.99CAN
Sharon M.Draper ISBN 0-689-84209-0
Sixteen year old Romiette Capplell is an African American teenager living in Cincinatti, Ohio. Unlike other teenagers Romeitte is very satisfy with her own life except there is one thing that trouble her the most. A terrifying dream where there is a unknow voice that keeps on calling her," Romiette! Romiette!" The voice seems very distanced, but somehow it's very familiar that it reach the depth of her heart. It is this voice that jerk her mind back to conscious from drowning.
Meanwhile Julio Mantague is also a sixteen year old Hispanic teenager who just move to Cincinatti with his parents due to the presence of heavy gangs at his previous school. Julio was force to attend a local high school which he thinks that his life couldn't getting any worse than that when he was already targeted by the gangs on the first day of school. By the coincidence of online chatting, two young teenager's life are intercepted. As love sprung between these two youth, what is waiting ahead for them to face?
If you like romance literature or novels that are written by Shakespear, this is the book you can not miss. Romiette and Julio by Sharon M.Draper, the author uses the problem of racism to underdevelope the conflicts and romance between two helpless teenagers. This book also enlarged the hideous facts within the teenagers society that was hidden from the adults world and made us see things from different prospective.
As you read along the book you definitly will be attract to it by the curiousity of whether or not the new version of Romeo and Juliet would follow the path of Shakespear's literature at the end? Well, read for yourself to find out.
Sharon M.Draper ISBN 0-689-84209-0
Sixteen year old Romiette Capplell is an African American teenager living in Cincinatti, Ohio. Unlike other teenagers Romeitte is very satisfy with her own life except there is one thing that trouble her the most. A terrifying dream where there is a unknow voice that keeps on calling her," Romiette! Romiette!" The voice seems very distanced, but somehow it's very familiar that it reach the depth of her heart. It is this voice that jerk her mind back to conscious from drowning.
Meanwhile Julio Mantague is also a sixteen year old Hispanic teenager who just move to Cincinatti with his parents due to the presence of heavy gangs at his previous school. Julio was force to attend a local high school which he thinks that his life couldn't getting any worse than that when he was already targeted by the gangs on the first day of school. By the coincidence of online chatting, two young teenager's life are intercepted. As love sprung between these two youth, what is waiting ahead for them to face?
If you like romance literature or novels that are written by Shakespear, this is the book you can not miss. Romiette and Julio by Sharon M.Draper, the author uses the problem of racism to underdevelope the conflicts and romance between two helpless teenagers. This book also enlarged the hideous facts within the teenagers society that was hidden from the adults world and made us see things from different prospective.
As you read along the book you definitly will be attract to it by the curiousity of whether or not the new version of Romeo and Juliet would follow the path of Shakespear's literature at the end? Well, read for yourself to find out.
April 7, 2013
This book reflects on the Romeo And Juliet story. Its just like the movie and the book. Julio and Romiette have fallen in love and can't be together because of the rivalry between violent gang members. Like in the actual book when Romeo and Juliet try to escape in this book they try and do the same thing. They both attended the same high school in the book and they were from different backgrounds. It wasn't the family who wanted them to be together it was a violent gang called the Devildogs and and this was all due to them being from different places. Julio was Mexican and Romiette was an African American girl. They ended up escaping because they didn't want to deal with what was occurring to them and the violence that was going on with the gang. They thought that by escaping everything was going to be fine but it didn't turn out like that. There were people looking for them when they had escaped and they had found them. They were broadcast on the news and everything. Even though they went through a lot of things they still stayed together alive. I compared it to the romeo and Juliet book and this one was a little better because there was a happy ending because they both survived instead of dying. I don't like books that end with sad endings so this was a better story then the original version.
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