Winter White

Gr 7-10–Calonita continues the drama of sophomores Isabelle Scott and Mirabelle Monroe, who discover that they are not cousins after all but half sisters. Their mutual father is running for political office in North Carolina and his opponents will stop at nothing to exploit the scandal. The Monroe family is bouncing from one interview to the next, trying to rally together, despite the strained relationship between the siblings and their dad. As the girls prepare for cotillion, they face their own struggles. Mira’s former best friend has ostracized her and the one boy she wants to date is clueless about her feelings for him. Meanwhile Izzie’s relationship with Brayden heats up only to be sidelined by his disapproving mother. When Izzie meets Brayden’s rebellious sister, she thinks she’s met the one person in Emerald Cove who gets her–except that his sister has an agenda of her own. To heighten the drama, someone’s been feeding lies about the Monroe family to the press. Winter White is an engaging sequel to Belles (Little, Brown, 2012) but can be read as a stand-alone. Readers invested in the lives of these characters will want to continue with this saga. Somewhat predictable, but fun.–Kimberly Garnick Giarratano, Rockaway Township Public Library, NJ