The Juliet Spell by Douglas Rees is a romantic comedy staring Miranda who just wants to play Juliet in her school's production of Romeo and Juliet. She performs a spell to help her get the part and ends up bringing Shakespeare's brother to her living room. He is able to blend in and get a part in the show which they have to work to prepare.
This is one of those books which isn't bad but isn't great either. The plot is fairly predictable, the romance tepid and the mythology didn't quire work for me. It was however a fairly enjoyable little romance and I really liked the presentation of the play and the multitude of Shakespeare references. It wasn't a book that I had trouble getting through but there was nothing outstanding or special about the story.
Appropriateness: There isn't any adult content in this book. There is a very nice mother daughter relationship in the book (although a very unrealistic ending to a parental separation). There is quite a bit of Shakespeare in the book, both with quotes and references. The Shakespeare enough to alienate younger middle school or reluctant readers but readers will not feel lost if they have yet to study any Shakespeare yet. I recommend the book to girls 13+
