Avalon High

''Avalon High'' is a young adult novel by Meg Cabot, published in 2005.

Plot

Ellie Harrison has just moved to Annapolis, Maryland. Her new school, Avalon High, seems like a typical high school with the stereotypical students: Lance the jock, Jennifer the cheerleader, Marco, the bad boy/desperado, and Will, the senior class president, quarterback, the student every girl wants and all around good guy. But not everyone at Avalon High is who they appear to be, not even Ellie herself.

Characters

*Elaine "Ellie" Harrison: the new student at Avalon High—she moved to Annapolis, Maryland from Minnesota and is presumed to represent Elaine of Astolat for most of the novel, though it is revealed later that she plays a different role in the legend, the Lady of the Lake, Arthur's magical protector.
*Arthur William "Will" Wagner Jr.: has a slightly disruptive family relationship at home and is a star quarterback for the Avalon High School Fighting Knights, he represents King Arthur, as most people thought.
*Jennifer Gold: a cheerleader and Will's girlfriend who corresponds to Queen Guinevere in the legend of Arthur.
*Lance Reynolds: the Avalon High School football team's cornerback, who is Will's best friend. He goes behind Will's back to cheat with Jennifer. Lance corresponds to Lancelot.
*Marco Campbell: Marco is Will's step-brother/half brother. He represents Mordred.
*Mr. Morton: Avalon High School English teacher. He is a member of "The Order of the Bear" and represents Merlin.
*Admiral Arthur William Wagner Sr.: He is Will's father and he corresponds to Uther Pendragon in the legend. He seemingly murders his best friend (by sending him into combat where he was killed) and then marries his wife.
*Jean Wagner: Jean is Admiral Wagner's wife, who married him 6 months after her husband died in combat. Although originally it was believed that she was merely Will's stepmother, it was later revealed (by Mr. Morton) that she was in actuality Will's birth mother. She corresponds to Igraine in the legend.
*Ellie's parents: professors of medieval history on sabbatical. Her mother is writing a book on Elaine, the so-called "lily maid" of Astolat, and her father is writing his on the sword that Ellie takes to the park and hands to Will during his face-off with Marco, thus revealing herself as the Lady of the Lake. Ellie's parents care about her despite being an embarrassment at times.

Reception

''Avalon High'' reached number 3 on ''The New York Times'' children's best sellers list in January 2006.

Film adaptation

Disney Channel adapted the book as a Disney Channel Original Movie of the same title in 2010, starring Britt Robertson, Gregg Sulkin, Joey Pollari, Devon Graye and Steve Valentine. The movie premiered November 12, 2010. Some parts of the movie are filmed in New Zealand.

The characters in the film are both renamed and have their mythic alter egos swapped, with respect to the book. In the film Allie (Ellie in the book), rather than Will, is King Arthur (but several characters initially believe otherwise); Mr. Moore (Mr. Morton in the book) is in the film Mordred, replacing Marco; and Miles (instead of Moore/Morton) is Merlin. In the film, Marco reveals himself to be a member of the Order of the Bear, and determined to protect Will (believing him to be Arthur), although Allie initially believes Marco to be Mordred. In the film, Mr. Moore reveals that he suspected Allie to be the Lady of the Lake and is shocked that she is Arthur. The climactic battle scene, which in the book takes place in the ravine, in the film occurs in the school theater (which magically becomes a beach). The students are explained as the reincarnations of their alter egos, as opposed to merely corresponding to them. Allie is an only child; she no longer has a brother. Since Will is not Arthur, some connections are eliminated: Will's father is not trying to make Will join the navy; Will does not sail, nor does he have a dog (in the book there are connections to the names of Arthur's dog and boat). Avalon High's team name is the Knights, not Excalibur. Many potentially violent and threatening scenes were removed and scene settings changed to make the movie more appropriate for younger children.

''Avalon High: Coronation''

Three pseudo-manga volumes have been also released: ''Coronation Volume 1: The Merlin Prophecy'', ''Coronation Volume 2: Homecoming'', and ''Coronation Volume 3: Hunter's Moon''.

References

* Meg Cabot, ''Avalon High'', HarperCollins, December 27, 2005.

External links

Avalon High
at the Disney Channel

{{Meg Cabot

2005 American novels
Modern Arthurian fiction
Novels by Meg Cabot
American young adult novels
Novels set in high schools and secondary schools
American novels adapted into films
American novels adapted into television shows