Bridget O'Dwyer

A modern retelling of A Midsummer Night's Dream, this story of a 15-year-old American girl's experience studying abroad in the Irish countryside borrows elements from Irish folklore and escapist-fantasy fiction. Adjustment to life with an Irish family is hard at first, but she forges a bond with her new school friends when, late one night, they slip out into the surrounding woods and revel with fairy-like creatures at a magical wedding party. Real settings in Ireland provide the backdrop for the story, and the Shakespearean storyline serves well to depict an adolescent's breakthrough from outsider status to membership in an enchanted society.