Book Description
for Twelfth Knight by Alexene Farol Follmuth
From Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)
Viola “Vi” Reyes (Filipina American) is smart, forthright, and uncompromising. Jack “Duke” Orsino (biracial Black/white) is talented, charming, and easygoing. The general consensus among their high school classmates is that Vi should be nicer, and Jack is Mr. Nice Guy. Vi and Duke serve on student council, where he shows no interest in leadership and she carries the load. Star athlete Duke, couch-bound after an injury, discovers the world of ConQuest, an MMORPG game where, it turns out, Vi, is a high-achieving player who goes by Cesario. After Duke realizes Cesario goes to his school, Vi lies and says she’s her twin brother, Bash. Online, Vi—as Bash—joins forces with Duke on a quest. In the real world, Duke, longing to understand why his girlfriend Olivia broke up with him, cuts a deal with Vi: He’ll take on a vexing student council task (“You mean you’ll do your job?”) if she’ll try to find out why. Vi becomes friends with Olivia even as she and Duke grow close. This delightful reimagining of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night isn’t all fun and games. Among the social commentary and insights are Vi’s constant battles with sexism; Jack’s realization that he’s crafted his nice guy persona to ease his life as a Black athlete at their predominantly white high school; and the homophobia Olivia reveals in her extended family. Still, there’s plenty of humor, love, and romance along with reckoning as truths are revealed.
CCBC Choices 2025. © Cooperative Children's Book Center, Univ. of Wisconsin – Madison, 2025. Used with permission.