This Is W.A.R.

Gr 9 Up—Willa Ames-Rowan seems to lead a charmed life. She's beautiful and the center of teen social life at the Hawthorne Lake Country Club, the summer hangout for Hawthorne's rich and powerful. But when Willa drowns on the night of a yachting party organized by the Gregory brothers, heirs to the Club, everybody knows it can't be an accident. Willa was a champion swimmer. Who could want her dead? Her close friends and stepsister are convinced that James Gregory, Willa's crush and the last person seen with her, is responsible. With the help of the daughter of the Club's social-climbing event planner, they form the W.A.R. club. But as their plans for revenge unfold, the girls' many secrets threaten to be revealed, and the truth surrounding Willa's death becomes more and more complicated. This fast-paced action thriller is told from the perspective of each of the girls in turn, peeling back the layers of events and motivations that occurred that fateful night. The glittering, sun-soaked atmosphere of country club decadence will appeal to fans of Cecily von Ziegesar's "Gossip Girl" (Little, Brown) and Sara Shepard's "Pretty Little Liars" (HarperCollins) series. The rather fleeting exploration of characters and a few implausible plot machinations detract only slightly from the rapid buildup of suspense, making this one a great summer beach read.—Evelyn Khoo Schwartz, Georgetown Day School, Washington, DC