"Cohen has made an essential classic cool."—Beth Kephart "Juliet Capulet would find a worthy BFF in Beatrice Bunson."—Cordelia Frances Biddle High school begins, and to Beatrice Bunson nothing is the same, not even her best friend, Nan. The "new" Nan doesn't hang out with Bea after school; instead she's running for Student Council and going to parties and avoiding Bea at lunchtime. The boys who were gross in middle school have become surprisingly polite, while the "cool" kids are still a mystery. Bea's older sister, meanwhile, acts like she's living in a soap opera. On the bright side, there's English class with Mr. Martin, where Beatrice discovers that Shakespeare has something to say about almost everything—and that nothing in life is as dramatic as Romeo and Juliet. But when Nan gets in over her head in her new social life, it's up to Beatrice to restore her reputation—and she may need to make a few new friends to pull it off. One of them, the slightly brainy guy that Beatrice meets at her grandmother's retirement home, is definitely kind of cute, and probably dateable. (Fortunately, nothing is the same in high school.) As Beatrice and her classmates tackle Romeo and Juliet, they unveil the subtleties of the play as well as broader lessons of love, family, honor, and misunderstandings. Guided by Mr. Martin, these ninth-graders help us to understand Shakespeare, as Shakespeare helps them begin to understand themselves. "Beatrice Bunson's Guide to Romeo and Juliet whisked me straight back to my own high school days, when I read Juliet beside a Romeo I'd long blushingly admired. Shakespeare was talking to me, I was sure, but I wasn't always precisely sure what he was saying—a confusion I would have never experienced had I had this smart, tender story within a story at hand. Explicating the secret codes of heady teen romance with as much sagacity as she deciphers Shakespearean sonnets and wit, Cohen has made an essential classic cool."—Beth Kephart, author of Going Over, One Thing Stolen, and This Is the Story of You "Paula Marantz Cohen hits all the right notes in her charming, wise and heart-stirring tale of teen angst, young love, betrayal and loyalty. Beatrice 'Bea' Bunson makes a spunky heroine, a member of the 'smart set' who's too self-deprecating to recognize her worth as she navigates high-school cliques, family dramas, and not-so-secret crushes. Reading Romeo and Juliet for an English class, Bea ponders the weighty issues of honor and courage, and then finds those forces impacting her life. I couldn't help but picture Juliet time-traveling to a 21st century teen environment—and then went one step further and imagined Shakespeare's young heroine coping with tense school lunches and clandestine beer parties. Juliet Capulet would find a worthy BFF in Beatrice Bunson."—Cordelia Frances Biddle, author of the Martha Beale mystery series "This is a charming book. The story of Romeo and Juliet intertwines with the more comic vicissitudes (SAT word) of Beatrice Bunson's first year in high school. Paula Marantz Cohen clearly knows both Shakespeare and ninth graders. Warning to teachers of high school Shakespeare classes: be prepared to revise your lesson plan."—Gillian Murray Kendall, professor of English Language and Literature (and Shakespeare scholar), Smith College "What's the best way to deal with high school drama? Apply the problem-solving strategies of Shakespeare…Cohen offers up lessons of theory and language while engaging her readers with enjoyable characters who find themselves entangled in Shakespearean plots that must be unwound with compassion and insight…Her discussions of plot, language, and thematic elements will serve young scholars better than SparkNotes. Ideal for those who are charmed by the romance of Shakespeare. And who isn't?"—Kirkus Reviews Paula Marantz Cohen's novels include Suzanne Davis Gets a Life (Paul Dry Books 2014), Jane Austen in Scarsdale or Love, Death and the SATs, and What Alice Knew. She teaches English at Drexel University.

Don't want to read the actual book? Tired of reading super long reviews? This new study guide is perfect for you!! This study guide provides a short and concise review guide of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. The guide includes: · A short summary of the entire novel · The major themes and their relationship to the storyline · A character guide with brief details on each role · Bullet-point chapter reviews that go into more detail than the book summary · A few potential essay topics with possible answers. All of this in-depth study guide is designed to make studying more efficient and fun. Stay tuned for our upcoming updates that will include additional quiz questions, audio guides and more tools that will help you easily learn and prepare for school. Need help or have suggestions for us? Email us at [email protected] and we will get back to you as soon as possible. @TheTotalGroup

Aimed at the student, these Reading Guides offer a 'way in' to study of Romeo and Juliet at Key Stage 3. Activities cover a number of aspects of the play such as character, themes, performance and language in an engaging and accessible way, enhancing students' enjoyment of the text. TheReading Guides are illustrated and have a magazine-style feel to appeal to students. They can be used during the early stages of a Scheme of Work based on the play, or can be built in to lessons as starter or homework materials as reading progresses.

Each book includes the complete text of the play, margin notes, and a collection of related readings to make Shakespeare relevant for today's students.

This series features classic Shakespeare retold with graphic color illustrations. Educators using the Dale-Chall vocabulary system adapted each title. Each 64-page, book retains key phrases and quotations from the original play. Research shows that the more students read, the better their vocabulary, their ability to read, and their knowledge of the world. Containing 11 reproducible exercise to maximize vocabulary development and comprehension skills, these guides include pre-and post-reading activities, story synopses, key vocabulary, and answer key. The guides are digital, you simply print the activities you need for each lesson.