CYRANO

Having revisited everyone from Gilgamesh to Hercules to Noah and even Peter Pan, McCaughrean turns her considerable talent to another fascinating figure: Cyrano de Bergerac. Although many teens may recognize the image of the 17th-century Frenchman with the protruding proboscis as Cyrano, they’ve probably never met the hero of one of literature’s greatest love stories, unless they’ve had to read Edmond Rostand’s play in a literature class. More than a translation, yet closely following the original text, this retelling captures all the nuances of Cyrano’s biting wit, bravado and, of course, unrequited love. Here, readers will find Roxane’s beauty and sensitivity; Christian’s boyish charm and naïveté; and the Comte de Guiche’s smarmy lust and vengeance. While Rostand’s play was written in rhyming verse, McCaughrean’s exquisite prose gives readers a more in-depth look at the characters’ thoughts and feelings, making Cyrano’s panache more accessible to today’s teens and even adults. (Fiction. 13+)