The President's Daughter

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.)