Overview
Sixteen-year-old Meghan Powers likes her life just the way it is. She likes living in Massachusetts. She likes her school. And she has plenty of friends. But all that is about to change. Because Meg’s mother, one of the most prestigious senators in the country, is running for President. And she’s going to win.
Originally published in 1985, this 100,000-copy bestseller is more timely now than ever. A teenage girl is forced to cope with the constant pressures of being in the national spotlight when her mother is elected President of the United States.
Synopsis
Sixteen-year-old Meghan Powers likes her life just the way it is. She likes living in Massachusetts. She likes her school. And she has plenty of friends. But all that is about to change. Because Meg’s mother, one of the most prestigious senators in the country, is running for President. And she’s going to win.
Publishers Weekly
Katharine Vaughn Powers, a Democratic senator from Massachusetts with a sterling New England pedigree, is so morally strong that during her (successful) presidential campaign, her 15-year-old daughter, Meg, quietly wonders if she isn't too good to be true. "Your mother is absolutely, totally, almost sickeningly honest," her father reassures her. She's also beautiful, chic, witty, brilliant and, on top of it, a believable character. White pulls off this not inconsiderable feat by viewing her through Meg's critical eyes, letting Meg weigh her mother's ambition against her unspoken wishes for a more attentive mother. The author leaves it to readers to observe how closely Meg resembles the woman she ironically thinks of as the Leader of the Free World; Meg herself is too busy making cynical jokes at her own expense, learning White House protocol and keeping her equally intelligent younger brothers in line. Ages 12-up. (Aug.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Editorials
From the Publisher
“Rarely have I read such a nuanced, realistic, understanding and forgiving mother/daughter relationship.”—A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy“Her characters are sometimes sarcastic; they are also honest and vulnerable. Over and over, I believe her characters to be real; fully formed; I would recognize them on the street. They are flawed, they are funny, they are a mix of good and bad. They are complex.”—A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy on Ellen Emerson White
Publishers Weekly
Katharine Vaughn Powers, a Democratic senator from Massachusetts with a sterling New England pedigree, is so morally strong that during her (successful) presidential campaign, her 15-year-old daughter, Meg, quietly wonders if she isn't too good to be true. "Your mother is absolutely, totally, almost sickeningly honest," her father reassures her. She's also beautiful, chic, witty, brilliant and, on top of it, a believable character. White pulls off this not inconsiderable feat by viewing her through Meg's critical eyes, letting Meg weigh her mother's ambition against her unspoken wishes for a more attentive mother. The author leaves it to readers to observe how closely Meg resembles the woman she ironically thinks of as the Leader of the Free World; Meg herself is too busy making cynical jokes at her own expense, learning White House protocol and keeping her equally intelligent younger brothers in line. Ages 12-up. (Aug.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.