The Secret Life of Sparrow Delaney by Suzanne Harper

She has also written four nonfiction books, numerous newspaper and magazine articles, and several plays. Visit Suzanne Collins' website where you'll find all sorts of Shakespeare information links, videos to learn Italian and more information on The Juliet Club.Ĭlick over to author Cynthia Leitich Smith's blog, Cynsations for another interview with Suzanne Harper Here.įrom Harper Collins: 'Suzanne Harper is the author of The Secret Life of Sparrow Delaney. Themes: Romance, Foreign Setting, Freindship

Recommended for those who enjoy Shakespeare, Italian Culture, Romance and for educators wishing for segue into Shakespearean dramas. This might be something an educator could use as a writing assignment.

It’s interesting to note that there is a real Juliet Club where people send letters to Juliet in Verona, the home of Shakespeare's play. While I believe the novel is more attuned to the female mindset, I feel that it could warrant male interest also. The Juliet Club would be a great jumping off point for beginning a unit on Shakespeare or before reading either Romeo and Juliet or A Midsummer Night’s Dream. While it could be argued that the ending is a bit tidy, I found this consistent with the romantic theme of the story. Character development is my only qualm as the action pace is good and the dialogue believable. By mixing the forms, she improves the character development of a typical play, but decreases the character development of a typical novel. This is endearing, but all the comings and goings hurt the development of character that is standard to the novel form. Harper does an excellent job getting the feel of a Shakespearean play with characters entering and exiting in chapters she’s labeled as scenes. However, their story evolves more like A Midsummer Night’s Dream than Romeo and Juliet.

Each brings a unique desire, motivation or pain to the summer. The Juliet Club is no exception to this rule: Six teens (3 Americans - 3 Italians) embark on a summer seminar concerning The Bard. The nature of the beast lends itself well to a hormonally raging mindset. This is why educators begin units on Shakespeare with that very play. But to a teen, one of the first thoughts will be Romeo and Juliet. Mention the name William Shakespeare and you will conjure many things to many people.

The Secret Life of Sparrow Delaney by Suzanne Harper