Who doesn’t love a good summer read?
Summer reading is refreshing and exciting. And it’s different than a winter read. A winter read is soft and heartwarming and maybe romantic. But a summer read should be like summer: fun, fast, and maybe a little wild.
That’s what these three YA novels have in common and why we chose them as the three that you need to read this summer. Before we get to the titles, though, a note on classic retellings. Did you know how controversial they are? Yeah, I didn’t either until I mentioned something in a classics reader Facebook group about a retelling I was reading. Did that hit a nerve!
Apparently, there are classic purists who abhor the idea of retellings. They consider the story to be plagiaristic and the authors, lazy. Over and over, readers commented, “Why not skip the sad imposter and read the real thing?” I had to think that one over because, as you know, I’m all about keeping classics. More to the point, I’m all about keeping classics relevant. A full argument for the way retellings do the job of keeping classics relevant will come in another blog, but for now, I’ll rest on this. Years ago, when The Great Gatsby was nearing its entry into the public domain, Fitzgerald’s great granddaughter claimed to be excited about all the retellings quivering on the horizon. If Fitzgerald’s bloodline can endorse reimaginings of his great American novel, that’s good enough for me.
With that in mind, let’s check out three retellings you absolutely need to read this summer.
Of course, with all the moxie of shameless self promotion, Just Daisy: A Gatsby Retelling comes first. I know, I know. This pick seems a bit self-serving. However, I won’t apologize. It’s a good book, and it’s perfect for summer. It’s got summer island romance, classic convertible cars, best friend drama, and social scandal.
Just Daisy is everything you want and nothing you expect from a classic retelling. It doesn’t simply plop down the plot into a modern, young adult novel setting. Instead, it takes the issues and conflicts and replays them with a younger cast in a way that allows the modern setting affect their choices. The story opens with Daisy returning to Chicago for her senior year at her exclusive high school after a summer on the coast where she had met the most romantic boy in the world. The problem is, in Chicago, Daisy and Tom are the “it” couple. Breaking up with him because she met someone over the summer doesn’t seem worth ruining her senior year, and it would ruin it because Tom is…well, Tom. But then, Jamie Gatsby finds a way to move the universe to reunite them. Miraculously, he relocates to Chicago and enrolls in her school. Daisy learns fast that there’s not much difference between Tom’s violence and Jamie’s obsession. The choice becomes not which guy she’ll choose, but what she’ll risk to choose herself.
Just Daisy is a fast read that is sometimes funny, sometimes sad, and ultimately poignant. The water imagery and romantic island scenes make it perfect for summer. The characters are ones you’ll enjoy spending your summer with. You’ll find yourself pulling for Daisy despite all the ways she forgets to pull for herself. Oh, and the ending? Let’s just say, Just Daisy ain’t your daddy’s classic.
My friend Melissa Robbins, author of “The Bones in the Box”, available in the Sisters in Crime anthology, Fish or Cut Bait, also loves a good retelling. I’ve invited her to give you the scoop on one of her faves.
From Melissa: Cinder, by Marissa Meyer, is the first book in the Lunar Chronicles series. As you might guess, it’s a Cinderella retelling, but this isn’t the Disney version of Cinderella. This YA novel takes place in our world, New Beijing, but centuries later with a sci-fi twist. Cinder is a cyborg which makes her a second-class citizen. Androids are bad. She doesn’t remember how she became a cyborg, and that lends to the mystery. A plague ravages the world, and Cinder may be the only one who can stop it.
With my modern feminist heart, I have to admit I am not a fan of the original Cinderella story. Why did Cinderella let her stepmother treat her so badly? Why didn’t she run away? Thankfully, Cinder is a different story.
Meyer does a great job of incorporating elements of the original fairy tale into this sci-fi space adventure. Cinder lives with her evil stepmother and step-sisters, although one step-sister is kind to Cinder. Instead of ashes on her face and clothes, it’s grease, because Cinder is a brilliant mechanic, and that’s how she meets the prince when he asks her for help with his busted android. There is a ball that Cinder’s stepmother doesn’t allow her to attend, but that doesn’t stop Cinder. There may not be a pumpkin carriage or a fairy godmother (or is there?) and Cinder’s outfit isn’t quite like the original, and the glass slipper is not what one would guess, but the changes work for this tale.
Prince Kai has more depth than the prince in the original fairy tale. (Does the original prince even have a name?) Prince Kai is charming but gets thrown into the deep end when it comes to ruling. He must discover a way to stop the plague ravaging his empire. His choice will have consequences, especially with Cinder, who by the way is every bit as heroic as the prince, if not more so. That’s my kind of fairy tale.
As I mentioned, Cinder is the first in the series. The other books are Scarlet (Little Red Riding Hood), Cress (Rapunzel), and Winter (Snow White) which contain the entire story arc. If Cinder hooks you, you won’t be able to resist the next books. Marissa Meyer isn’t called the Queen of Fairytale Retellings for nothing.
Back to Deborah: The final YA novel choice answers the earlier question, “Why not skip the sad imposter and read the real thing?” Damselfly by Chandra Prasad is sometimes touted as a modern YA retelling of The Lord of the Flies but with girls. It’s not exactly that. There are both boys and girls on the deserted island. Ultimately, the females take control, but the male characters are as important to the storyline as the girls.
If the island setting isn’t enough to make you grab up Damselfly, the suspenseful adventure will be. When seven teens survive a plane crash on a deserted island, they must find a way to survive together and wait for help to come–if it comes. Some of the teens discover a new place in their adolescent hierarchy. They feel useful where they used to be invisible. They feel empowered where they used to be ostracized. But there are problems, too. One teen needs meds to stabilize her emotions. Another can’t cope with the pointlessness of mere existence. Another realizes that here there is nothing limiting her quest for control. And still another finds she must choose sides if she wants to survive because it’s not only the unrelenting power of nature threatening to kill them off but the ruthless power of human nature itself.
Okay, true transparency. I have never read The Lord of the Flies. It was not required for my Masters, and I’ve never taught it. I know I will teach it someday, so I was waiting until then to read it. However, now that I have read Prasad’s Damselfly, I’m eager to jump into that creepy, wild child infested island.
However, like Just Daisy and Cinder, Damselfly stands beautifully all by itself. The reader doesn’t need knowledge of the original classic to understand nor to fall in love with this classic retelling. All three novels do the job of keeping the classics relevant. I can’t tell you how many of my readers have confessed to me that after Just Daisy, they are now going to read or reread Gatsby. I’m sure Prasad’s and Meyer’s experiences are the same. Maybe, when you have completed our recommendations, you’ll be moved to revisit the classics, too. And that’s why the classic purist retelling haters are wrong.
In her Literary Hub article, “Why We’ll Never Get Tired of Literary Retellings”, Meagan Donohue says that retellings let us rediscover stories that we read long ago and allow readers to interact with classics in a way that feels playful, provocative, and illuminating. Just Daisy, The Lunar Chronicles, and Damselfly will do the same for your summer. Who doesn’t want and playful and provocative summer?
Let us know on social media or in the comments what you think about our summer classic retelling choices.
Reminder: Don’t forget to leave a Goodreads review for the author. It’s the best compliment you can give.
Be well. Read well.
