Two different worlds in one

"It was like we were in a different world, a sun-dappled oasis away from it all" (pg 64, Ch6)
I really liked this quote. I thought that they were in a different world in some way or that world was apart of theirs since these medieval characters were weaved into their lives.

This story is neat

I really dig this book a lot overall. I especially enjoy the fact that they do not just retell the story of King Arthur, they enhance it by putting him in a whole new context and scenario. I think that everything molded together and fit quite nicely. While it was kind of weird that the book decided to withhold certain names that are tied with each character, it did keep me heavily invested. However, I did find it rather infuriating that they decided to reveal that Mr. Morton was connected to Merlin at the end of the book (286). Not that it made the story bad, its just a personal gripe. I feel childish in saying that it was the one thing to keep me invested, but aspects such as this really help to read any kind of fantasy novel in my opinion. It might even be my favorite aspect of the book since I have the attention span of a toddler and I need weird things like this to keep me invested.

Can Will be a nickname for Arthur?

I liked this reading well enough, I'm not a huge fan of the YA style but I thought adding the extra laying of having it all relate back to King Arthur was interesting. One question I have though is why is he named Will, like Jen sound similar to Guinevere, Lance to Lancelot, Marco to Mordred, but Wills name doesn't seem to have any connection to Arthur. Also do you think Morton is Merlin? He did try to abandon them, but he also imparted a lot of valuable information.

Avalon High Discussion Questions

Did this story feel like every other story about high school for you guys? To me, it is always amazing with the stereotypical drama and plots that every fictional novel about high school suggests. However, I did like the twist it out on the plot by relating it all back to King Arthur, and the light theme that it put on the plot made me tie up some loose ends that I had regarding some parts of King Arthur and The Lady of Shalott.

Not bad at all

While some of this novel was difficult to get through considering it was written for young teens (I must admit I was unable to finish it), there were a lot of details I still really enjoyed. Firstly, I enjoyed the title of the book/ high school; Before this class, I never would have known what it meant, but now that I know that Avalon represents the place in which Arthur returns, I can now appreciate it. I also liked Ellie's own opinion of her being named after the Elaine; the fact that she finds her to have been a weak female character really felt relatable to me since I felt the same way. Cabot did a great job of showing the realistic modernization of aspects of the stories we have read. 

High School Arthur

I found it very interesting how this version of an Arthurian tale is unlike any other that we have read in the way that it is not directly retelling a story of King Arthur. Meg Cabot focuses on the future life of King Arthur through the demonstration of reincarnation. While we have learned about the possible beliefs of King Arthur coming back to life, it wasn’t presented through 21^st century high schoolers.

The rise of King Arthur is hard to believe it’s actually real, yet Cabot was able to make a unique connection of Arthurian tales to today’s world, addressing the reincarnation of Arthur and other characters. She even stretched some thoughts, such as how the Lady of the Lake was never said to have made an appearance like she did in this reading. In this reading, the Lady of the Lake became a strong and meaningful position that saved “the darkness” from taking over. “But there’s no getting around the fact that you are, indeed, the reincarnation of the Lady of the Lake. It was she who gave Arthur the weapon that he used to defend himself and the realm. And only she could have kept his friendship with Lancelot and Guinevere from splintering leaving him vulnerable to attack from his mortal enemy” (Cabot, 277).

Side note: this reading made me think of Percy Jackson and how there are so many people within a school with secrets filled with such power and importance.

So This Is How A YA Novel Reads

Avalon High was a cute but strange read for me. I never read any "young adult" novels when I was in middle school or high school, so I had no clue what this was going to be like.
Every chapter of the book has a piece of the original "Lady of Shallot" at the beginning. Do you think that the excerpts were actually helpful in piecing together what was going on in the story, or was it just kind of there?

Discussion Questions: Avalon High

What are some of the parallels between Will's character in Avalon High, and Arthur from what we know from previous readings?

What chivalric qualities does Will display that remind us of Arthur?

Arthur's Unknown

After spending this whole course learning about Arthur and his people what is surprised you the most about this book?

Character Connections

Okay, so I thought this book was a fun read that took the characters of Arthurian legend out of their normal setting, but I thought that the different connections to the characters was somewhat interesting. Starting with the main man Will, it took a while until it was revealed that his first name was Arthur. I thought that this was a peculiar choice since we always see Lancelot's name being held from the audience, not Arthur's. Lance on the other hand was the easiest to identify. He was a character that did not really have the charismatic energy we are used to seeing Lancelot have. Lance was just a watered down Lancelot that was only present in helping Will on the football field and canoodling with Jennifer. Another character that stood out was Mr. Morton. By the end of the book the characters pieced together that "Morton and Merlin" were connected (287). I thought this comparison was kind of a stretch. Yes, Mr. Morton was in that position to help and guide Will, but that did not really occur until the end of the book. I thought that this was strange, considering how much of an impact Merlin had on Arthur's life. Overall, I think that these characters molded to the story quite nicely and made the reading enjoyable.

Arthur is Still Arthur

Overall, I thought that Avalon High was a decent book. At first I was a little thrown by how young adult it was, but I was able to move past it. I did enjoy the twist at the end with Ellie ending up not being Elaine / Lily Maid of Astolat, or The Lady of Shalott. Though I kind of saw the twist coming, though I did not know who Ellie would be, because I remembered the Disney movie of the same name that came out years ago about the main girl not being who you would expect (anyone else watch that?). Honestly Will really did embody the characteristics and personality I would suspect that Arthur would have. Will was very popular with everyone in school. In the beginning when Ted was getting bullied Will stood up for him and “Because there’d been a steely note in Will’s voice that made it clear no one – not even a two-hundred-pound halfback – had better try to mess with him. Or dare to disobey one of his commands” (Cabot 55). Having Will be the class president and football star helped him feel more Arthur-like. Even though Will was super popular he never let it get to his head, like how King Arthur was still humble.

A Very Cute Read

I absolutely adored this reading. I literally read it all in one day because I was so invested in the lives of these teenagers. It reminded me so much of the things I used to read when I was 14-15 and I was honestly super happy to be back in that world again. Much simpler times. Though often it was a bit cringe, I really enjoyed this take on Arthurian legend. I also had no idea it was based in Anne Arundel County (where I grew up and currently live). It was a pleasant surprise for me to be able to feel like I could physically see the story unfolding before my eyes, because I’ve been to the places it has talked about so many times. I will add I think this was extremely well written for a younger audience. It was full of clever little tid-bits that made me “ohhhhhhh” at some parts (Elaine floating in the pool that was the “lake”… I mean wow)! The stories we read in class tend to be a bit heavier and dark, but this was a nice, light, airy feel to King Arthur that I think many people might prefer. This reading really focused on how Modred (Marco) was involved in all of this and I appreciated that, because I feel like he is often in the background of our minds but never explored in depth. All in all, a nice read and a clever take on Arthurian legend.

(I ship them so hard, btw.)

Who really is Elle?

Obviously, we went into the book knowing that it was another story of King Arthur. While you were reading it was there any points in the book that you did not believe that Elaine was Lady of Shallot and was a different character from the mythic tales? Who did you think they were and what gave you that inclination? 

Character Switch

"I love my parents and all, but why did they have to name me after someone so pathetic? The only thing my namesake and I had remotely in common was a mutual love of floating... although I preferred to do mine on a raft in a pool, whereas Elaine of Astolat favored floating to her death in a boat..." (133)

With the "floating" comparison starting from the very first chapter, I thought for sure some tragedy would befall Ellie by the end of the book. However, she persisted in not being like Elaine of Astolat. She became a hero of sorts and flipped which character she represented in the Arthur parallel. Even though Ellie doubted that any of it was true, she stayed loyal to her friend. Which is more than can be said for other Arthurian characters.

The story was cute, if teenagery, and the author brought some hope to an otherwise tragic story.