Prom and Prejudice by Elizabeth Eulberg

A preview of the story: If you like Jane Austin’s classic tale, Pride and Prejudice, or even if you just like a fun love story, you will love Prom and Prejudice. The story is centered on Lizzie Bennet, who lives in a world of designer clothes and turned up noses. She attends Longbourn Academy on a scholarship, making her incredibly unpopular. Her only friends are her kind roommate Jane and another scholarship student, Charlotte. As prom season rolls around, Jane becomes wrapped up in courting Charles Bingley, hoping he will take her to prom. Lizzie is happy for Jane but unhappy to find herself stuck in the company of Charles’s friend, Will Darcy, who she finds snobby and pompous. Yet for some reason, Lizzie finds herself increasingly drawn to him.

What I liked about the book: I love that this novel was able to take a classic story and give it a modern twist without ruining the characters or the plot. It was fun to see how the author, Elizabeth Eulberg, incorporated the original characters in new ways. Yes, the book was predictable, especially if you know the story, but I still found it interesting and even relatable. Lizzie is a pianist, and as a classical musician, I enjoyed reading about her experience. Since I was a member of the prom committee in high school, I can also relate to the Longbourn girls thinking of prom as THE event of the year. I found myself reading the book as if I was Lizzie, and finished it in a sitting.

My one, small critique: Eulberg sometimes couldn’t decide if the book should be modern or not. The dialogue didn’t always fit the time period or the age of the characters, it was a little outdated. However, since the characters were supposed to be high-society prep school students, it was almost believable. Despite this critique, I still found the book enjoyable.

If you like Prom and Prejudice, I recommend reading Avalon High, by Meg Cabot. Here is a link to its summary: http://www.teenreads.com/reviews/avalon-high. Enjoy!