If assigned school reading of the classics is not your style, try some of these modern teen books based on classic stories. Shakespeare, Jane Austen, and the Bronte sisters have all been updated to the 21st century.
Enter Three Witches by Caroline Cooney (Macbeth)
As a ward of the royal court, Mary has a behind-the-scenes view of the madness taking hold of the warrior and subsequent King Macbeth and his bride. And when Mary's father is executed for treason, Mary must use all of her cunning to escape the chaos unleashed by these power-hungry demagogues.
Flavor of the Week by Tucker Shaw (Cyrano de Bergerac)
Cyril, an overweight boy who is good friends with Rose but wishes he could be more, helps his best friend Nick woo her with culinary masterpieces which Cyril himself secretly creates. Includes recipes from the story.
Jake, Reinvented by Gordon Korman (The Great Gatsby)
Rick becomes friends with the popular new boy, Jake Garrett, football player and host of superlative parties, and in the process discovers the true nature of his schoolmates and uncovers the mystery of Jake's past.
Jane by April Lindner (Jane Eyre)
In this contemporary retelling of "Jane Eyre," an orphaned nanny becomes entranced with her magnetic and brooding employer, a rock star with a torturous secret from his past.
Ophelia by Lisa M. Klein (Hamlet)
In a story based on Shakespeare's Hamlet, Ophelia tells of her life in the court at Elsinore, her love for Prince Hamlet, and her escape from the violence in Denmark.
Prom & Prejudice by Elizabeth Eulberg (Pride and Prejudice)
For Lizzie Bennett, a music scholarship student at Connecticut's exclusive, girls-only Longbourn Academy, the furor over prom is senseless, but even more puzzling is her attraction to the pompous Will Darcy, best friend of her roommate's boyfriend.
Romeo's Ex: Rosaline's Story by Lisa Fielder (Romeo and Juliet)
In a story based on the Shakespeare play, sixteen-year-old Roseline, who is studying to be a healer, becomes romantically entangled with the Montague family even as her beloved young cousin, Juliet Capulet, defies the family feud to secretly marry Romeo.
The Scarlet Letterman: A Bard Academy Novel by Cara Lockwood (The Scarlet Letter)
In her second semester at a boarding school for delinquent students, Miranda is having a good time as the girlfriend of the school's basketball star but finds herself drawn to Heathcliff, a literary character come to life who may also be attacking teachers.
Something Rotten by Alan Gratz (Hamlet)
In a contemporary story based on Shakespeare's play, Hamlet, Horatio Wilkes seeks to solve the murder of his friend Hamilton Prince's father in Denmark, Tennessee.
This Must be Love by Tui Sutherland (A Midsummer Night's Dream)
Two good friends tell of strange occurrences between themselves and the boys they like during a high school production of "Romeo and Juliet," which are reminiscent of the magical world of William Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream."
Wuthering High: A Bard Academy Novel by Cara Lockwood (Wuthering Heights)
Fifteen-year-old Miranda is sent to a boarding school for delinquent teens in Maine, but she can't tell if it is the unhappy ghosts or the other students who will cause her the most trouble when their lives begin mirroring plots in classic literature.
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