Summer of the Wolves

September 1, 2012
Grades 5-8 Daredevil Diana loves all animals, especially horses, and has to take medication to help her manage her emotions, while Stephanie is quiet and a homebody. Now stepsisters, the girls aren't thrilled by their parents' expectations that they become good friends, but a family trip to a ranch in North Carolina might make it happen. When Diana discovers two penned-up wolves in the forest, she vows to set them free, and surprisingly Stephanie sneaks out to help. The girls soon realize they've done more harm than good, and they must work together to try to rectify the situation. Kline showcases the difficulties of making blended families work without offering pat answers, and the result is a nicely crafted novel told from the two girls' perspectives in alternating chapters. With a little romance and some truly breathtaking scenery, this novelthe first in a four-part seriesneatly covers all its bases.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2012
Stepsisters Diana and Stephanie couldn't be more different. Flung together on vacations with their newlywed parents, the new siblings must figure out their relationship while dealing with drama about animals in the area. Although the dialogue is often too stiff and the plots overly moralistic, the character development of the two girls as individuals facing a difficult transition is well done.

(Copyright 2012 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)