Romiette and Julio 

Author: Sharon Draper

Page Length: 274

Reading Level: 5

Genre:  Romance fiction

PLOT SUMMARY:  The two main characters, Romiette and Julio are alike in spirit and
feelings, but they are culturally different.   Romiette “Romi” Cappelle is sixteen years old, and is
an African American teenager who lives in Cincinatti, Ohio.   As the book begins Romi has a
nightmare of drowning which remains in her dreams throughout most of the book.   She searches
for an understanding of her fear of water, but comes up with nothing.   Sixteen year old Julio
Montague is a Mexican teenager who has just moved to Cincinnati.  He hates the cold weather in
Ohio and wants to move back home to his grandfather’s ranch.  However, Julio knows it’s
impossible since his parents moved from Texas, because of the heavy gang pressure in its
schools. When Julio meets Romi online in a teen chat room and they discover that they attend the
same high school, they make an instant connection.  Romi can’t believe that Julio is so good
looking, charming and sensitive, and Julio has never known another girl like Romi, who is so
beautiful, smart and caring. Although neither Romi nor Julio sees their different races as a
problem, other people begin to object to their budding romance.   Julio’s father tells him straight
out that he will never approve of his son dating a black girl. And then there are the “Devildogs”,
an African American gang at school who wear all purple and make it glaringly obvious to Romi
and Julio that they don’t like the races mixing.  When Romi and Julio stand up to the gang
members and turn the tables on them, the gang members threaten to get even.  The danger
escalates when the gang begins stalking the couple and making overt threats with guns.

Julio and Romi are terrified by the threats of violence. When Romi, Julio and their best friends
Ben and Destiny forge a plan to break away from the gang’s grip, Romi and Julio find
themselves caught up in a deadly situation.   The parents finally become close enough to mend
their ill feelings of prejudice and work right along with the police to help their children.  
Although the danger is pending throughout the plot’s climax the book’s resolution is
breathtakingly awesome.  

REVIEW: It was a great book, and I would recommend it to anyone, young or old.

Rr.AFNI FRISET YASARI

XII IPS 3