Romiette and Julio by Sharon Mills Draper
When Romiette Cappelle and her best friend, Destiny, decide to order The Scientific Soul Mate System from the back of "Heavy Hunks" magazine, they're not sure what they're getting into. But Destiny, a self-proclaimed psychic, assures Romi that for $44.99 plus shipping and handling, it's the only way they're ever going to find out who their soul mates really are. If nothing else, maybe Romi will get some insight into that recurring dream she's been having about fire and water. But they never expect that the scented candle and tube of dream ointment will live up to their promises and merge Romiette's destiny with that of Julio Montague, a boy she's just met in the "cosmos" of an Internet chat room. It turns out they go to the same high school, not to mention having almost the same names as Shakespeare's famous lovers Sweet-scented dreams of Julio have almost overtaken Romi's nightmares... ...when suddenly they return, but this time in real life. It seems the Devildogs, a local gang, violently oppose the relationship of Romiette and Julio. Soon they find themselves haunted by the purple-clad shadows of the gang, and the fire and water of Romiette's dream merge in ways more terrifying -- and ultimately more affirming -- than even Destiny could have foreseen.
Comments
R & J took me two nights to read. I thought it was going to be a romance novel (based on the title), but it actually ended up as an "action" story -- gang violence, racial tension, etc.
My prediction is that the 7th and 8th graders will probably like this book more than the sixth graders will.
I was a little disappointed in some parts I didn't think were that realistic, but overall I liked this book.
I didn't think it was really bad at all. It was a very good book, but I did like Forged By Fire tons better.
-Avery
Some parts were really weird and seemed pretty unrealistic, but it makes me want to read Forged by Fire and see if Sharon Draper has any other books.
Helen
Sarena P.