The President's Daughter
The first incarnation of this book about a teen whose mother becomes president came out in 1984. Now White has updated it without doing a total rewrite, ensuring that some of the best parts, particularly the family interactions, remain. Sixteen-year-old Meg Powers is used to having a mother in office, but running for president is a horse (or donkey, in this case) of another color. Her candidacy seems like such a long shot that Meg and her younger brothers don’t worry much at first. Then she wins, and life as Meg knew it is over. With such a long time span to cover (primary season through post-inauguration), White sometimes tells rather than shows, especially during the first half of the book. But once the family moves to Washington, she vividly captures what it’s like to live under a microscope, especially for subjects who didn’t want the attention in the first place. Besides offering a solid look at the political system, this has very strong characterizations, especially of Meg, trying desperately to be her own person, and of her mother, who is both a cool, ambitious politician and a guilty parent who knows she is rarely giving her family what they want and need. Grades 7-10. --Ilene Cooper