Invitation Only (Private, Book 2)
Grade 9 Up—Reed Brennan is a blue-collar girl looking to upgrade to a new life, starting with her scholarship to Easton, an exclusive boarding school. She is invited to join the "Billings Girls," a clique with money, connections, and power-if she can pass her initiation. She is being blackmailed by a classmate for dirt on the Girls, even while her hazing involves waiting on them hand and foot. Meanwhile, the police are investigating the disappearance of her former boyfriend, Thomas. Finally there is The Legacy, a party that she feels she must attend because he might be there. Competition for an invitation is fierce, because the only way in is as the date of someone whose family has had children at the school for generations. Brian carefully treads the line between suspense and soap opera with characters and situations that are interesting yet familiar. Buy this book for fans of Cecily von Ziegesar's "It Girl" or Zoey Dean's "A-List" series (both Little, Brown), or other soapy reads.—Saleena L. Davidson, South Brunswick Public Library, Monmouth Junction, NJCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.