Avalon High: Coronation Vol. 1

This manga adaptation of Cabot’s 2005 novel tells the story of a perfectly ordinary high school girl—who happens to be dating the reincarnation of King Arthur. Ellie Harrison moves to a new town and a new school, and soon finds herself drawn to Will Wagner, the football star. Her history professor Mr. Morton—or is that Merlin?—believes that Will is the reincarnation of England’s legendary king and Ellie is the newborn Lady of the Lake. He enlists her help to persuade Will to accept his duty and conquer evil. The rest of the Arthurian cast is here as well—Lance, Will’s best friend; Jennifer, Will’s ex-girlfriend; Morgan, the high school’s queen bee and Marco, Will’s half-brother—and they play out the classic story with a high school twist. The vivid manga style brings the novel to life, with all the characters svelte and beautifully drawn. Unfortunately, a third of the volume is spent recapping the story so far, making this feel like a later book in a series, rather than the first. The story turns are predictable to anyone familiar with Arthurian myth, and the characters one-dimensional, but this adaptation should appeal to fans of the original work. (July)