White House Autumn

The President's Daughter #2

by Ellen Emerson White

After ten months of living in the White House, seventeen-year old Meg Powers knew she should be used to the pressures of life in the spotlight―but she wasn't.

In addition to the usual senior year worries―college applications and Josh, her first serious boyfriend―Meg had to live up to what was expected from the President's daughter. She had to suppress her sense of humor and watch the way she dressed and spoke. And she had to try to have a normal relationship with Josh despite intrusions by reporters and secret service agents who followed her everywhere.

Then, just when everything was already so difficult, a shocking attack on her mother makes life in the White House even more impossible. Meg, her father, and her two younger brothers find they must turn to one another for solace and support―while her mother's life hangs in the balance.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Contemporary, Teen, Realistic Fiction, Politics, High School

240 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1985

About the author

This talented writer attended Tufts University (and published her first book, Friends for Life, while a senior there) and currently lives in New York City. Ms. White grew up in Narragansett, Rhode Island. Many of her novels feature characters who reside in or around Boston and are fans of the Boston Red Sox (as is Ms. White). In addition to novels, Ms. White has published several biographies. She also writes under the pseudonym Zack Emerson (taking the name Zack from the name of her shepherd dog) and under the pseudonym Nicholas Edwards (Santa Paws series).

Reviews

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven’t touched this series since about 2017, and I used to reread it every year. I don’t think the books have changed; I think the world has, and now I feel a mix of nostalgia and loss, looking at these. It’s not a profound loss, though (I’m writing this on 9/11, and “loss” is reading a little too strongly): instead, it’s like an old sweater I loved and wore all the time, and now I’ve outgrown it - and every once in a while I see an old photo and I remember how much I liked it, and what I was doing and thinking at that time.

It’s not the book, is what I’m saying. It’s me. Sometimes books grow and change as I do, and sometimes they become relics.

This is still top notch, though:

“…I mean, part of it - most of it, even - was that I was mad in general, not at him. I mean -” She shook her head. “We’ve been seeing each other for a long time - I should be able to yell at him, you know?”

“What,” Beth said, “because you’re close, you should be able to abuse him?”

“No, I -” Meg stopped to think that one over. “Is that what I was doing?”

Everything about this is excellent: what it says about their characterization, what it says about their communication, what it says. This is timeless.

[steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review June 2023: Probably my least favorite of this series but still good. I am a Meg Powers fan, always.

Review April 2019: The fallout from the President getting shot at was well done. I stand by my previous review in saying the emotions everyone has as a result is among my favorite things of this series. I especially liked Meg's anger at the Secret Service, that felt real and understandable.


Review September 2012:Manged to finish it in between work, errands and making dinner. It was that good. I must admit, I really liked Meg in this one and I love the emotions everyone has (her father, her brothers, her) in the aftermath. Really well done. I want to say Meg is in my top ten favorite literary characters of all time.

[Uma · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book for the first time as an adult. When younger, I was OBSESSED with "The Presidents Daughter" and recalled trying to find a copy of this book at the bookstores (out of print), the public library (lost), and my school library (never had it). I even searched for it again in college. No luck. So when she re-published the series (and wrote a 4th one) I was excited.

Initially, I was really irked by the small ways the book had be updated for the 21st century (and today's youth). Meg didn't need to email or text Beth. Neal didn't need to play games on the internet. And most of all - why couldn't Meg go on drinking Tab?! But, it didn't take long to be quickly absorbed by the plot and emotions of these characters. While I don't relate to Meg in the way I thought I did at age 12, I still thoroughly enjoyed the inner workings of her psyche. I doubt I'll re-read it till the spine breaks, as I did for TPD, but I'm going to start book 3 tonight!

[Alex Black · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like this book even better than book one in the series. The main issue I had with book one was the lack of exploration of much of the world (the press, the campaign, Meg's life in general). Despite the fact that this book is more than 60 pages shorter, I don't have that issue here. The scope is much smaller. Instead of covering over a year, it only spans a few weeks around the assassination attempt of the president (Meg's mother). Everything that I wanted explored in The President's Daughter is in this book. Meg deals with the secret service on a personal level, she deals with the media- both in giving interviews and consuming the media herself, she deals with relationships changing in her family. I didn't finish this book wish it was more the way I did The President's Daughter.

Most of my thoughts of positives are the same from the first book. The focus on family, both parents and siblings, is wonderful. I love the way they bicker with each other and it's how they show love. I love the way Meg is there for her siblings, even when they have fights. I love that she struggles in relationships with her parents because her mother's job impacts them all in a very direct way.

New things in this book include her romantic relationship with Josh and it's one of the healthiest relationships I've seen in YA. Josh is her boyfriend, but for most of the book she talks of her friendship with him. Not because she's denying the romance, but because the friendship is a part of the romance and more important to her overall. She talks to her father and he says he feels the same way toward her mother (in regards to the friendship). It's so lovely and wholesome.

Another thing is Meg's flaws. She has a tendency to be standoffish, very in her head, and assume the worst from people, especially in stressful situations. She struggles with taking any kind of criticism. Her best friend actually calls her out on this and Meg works to change. Instead of continuing to treat Josh poorly, the next time she notices she's being a jerk to him, she literally stops herself and asks him to explain. It's not a huge change in her character, it's just a little self awareness and it's wonderful.

I think the only negative for me in this book is that the storytelling is the tiniest bit generic at points. For example, she's sitting in class taking a test she wasn't prepared for and wishing for something anything to get her out of it, and that's when she gets pulled out of class to receive bad news. There's nothing wrong with that, but when I read it, it was just kind of 'of course that's how it happened.' It didn't happen much, but there were a couple of times when the storytelling just felt a little too obvious.

I also prefer this book because at this point in the series, we're getting into more serious topics. Meg's mother gets shot. This isn't just Meg adjusting to life as the daughter of the president, the consequences are so much higher. There were a few points I got a heart jolt from the foreshadowing, just knowing where this series is going. I didn't cry, but I did tear up at a few points (especially when she was talking to her English teacher and kind of imagining how her life could be different and normal).

One thing I particularly love about this series is that there's almost no arc in any of these books. Plenty of important events happen and it's always interesting, but it's written more as 'day in the life.' It just happens to be a day in the life of a person who happens to live an exciting life. I love it so much because I think that makes the series feel so much more real.

I also think White does an amazing job of capturing life in the political world. It feels so complete. Meg is only politically adjacent and she could easily have avoided most things political, but instead White embraces it and makes it part of the story. I love these books for that. It wouldn't make sense for Meg, a smart young woman surrounded by politics, to ignore it. And it also would have been so easy for the book to feel like cheap propaganda, but it doesn't. It's not about political views so much as it is the way everything they do carries some kind of political weight. (The way Meg dresses, how her mother leaves the hospital, Meg's friends, Meg's school, etc) The politics is just a natural part of Meg's world and a natural part of the story, and it's so wonderfully done. I don't know of any other YA books (or honestly any adult fiction) that capture politics or the political world so well.

Once again, highly highly recommend. Please go read these books because they're so wonderful and worthwhile.

[Shelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm in the midst of rereading these series in preparation for updates and the fourth book this fall, and needed to revise my review.

I had called it the least necessary of the series, as it was more of Meg settling into the White House. Which, I suppose, is true. But that's too limiting a look, as it contained a lot of wonderful scenes in the aftermath of Meg's mother, the President, getting shot. Meg is very conflicted about her relationship with her parents, and there are no easy answers. Their relationships, not to mention the difficulty of living in the White House, impact every part of Meg's life and it's a lot to work through. Very well written and characterized and Meg is totally flawed and completely awesome, as always.

[Ay · Rating 5 out of 5]

....This series. Oy.

Just did a cold read starting with book 1. It’s fantastic. But start with book 1.

Before you do, check the blurb for book 3, and maybe a review.


There is a wry sense of humour in the POV character. She also writes incredibly endearing young guys.

[Chachic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally posted here.

I forgot to mention in my review of the first book that I was actually fascinated with the revisions that they had to make to modernize this series. It was first written in the 80s when the internet wasn't such a big thing and there weren't any cellphones either. The new editions now have all that in them. It must have been such hard work to update all the details and I appreciate that the publishers and the author went through all of that. Also, I'm glad they decided to have the series reprinted because it's pretty hard to look for out of print books. I'm happy to announce that I had a better reaction to White House Autumn than The President's Daughter. There's a lot less politics in this one than the first book. I feel bad that I didn't really understand US politics in the first one. Maybe I should follow the US elections more closely when it rolls around again. My dad worked in politics for most of his life (although he preferred to be in the background) so I know how crazy life can get when you're involved in that field.

I think what makes this series stand out from other contemporary YA books out there is that it focuses on the dynamics of the first family. In most YA novels, the love story takes precedence over everything else. Not so with the President's Daughter series! In my review of the first book, I mentioned that I was hoping for more action in the book. I got what I wanted in White House Autumn. Only a couple of chapters in, something big happens that shapes the rest of the novel. In this one, Meg is scared for her family and she tries to mask her fear by being angry. She lashes out at her boyfriend and her friends. I love how her best friend, Beth Shulman, doesn't let Meg get away with it. Beth is a true friend in the sense that she's there when Meg needs her the most but she's totally honest when it comes to pointing out Meg's flaws.

I can understand why Meg chooses to stay angry instead of breaking down and crying. All of us rely on our parents and it feels devastating when you find out that they're vulnerable as well. You go through life, secure in the knowledge that your parents will always be there for you and then *Wham, Bam!* something happens that makes you rethink that situation. It is beyond difficult when you realize that and I believe we all have different ways of dealing with it. It is doubly hard for Meg and her family because they're not a touchy-feely, solemn kind of family. They mostly show their affection through relentless teasing and that's where most of the humor in the series comes from. So even if the book is pretty serious as a whole, it still has its light moments. White House Autumn is an emotional, family oriented novel about a teenage girl, trying her best to cope with the dangers of having the US president as a mother. Now I understand why Angie and Michelle have been encouraging me to read this series.

[kris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm worried about how I'm going to make it through Long Live the Queen and Long May She Reign because White knows how to amp up the tension and the feelings and it's almost a physical experience, reading this series.

[danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really didn't want to like this book because in my version she's wearing a baseball cap from the devil team, but it's actually decent.

[Nan · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my all time favorites.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

After her mother became the first female President, Meg wonders if her life will ever resemble anything remotely normal. Feeling somewhat like she has a handle on her new school and enjoying a somewhat-normal relationship with cutieboy Josh (even if they can never truly be alone, what with the requisite security agents following her every move), Meg is hoping to simply enjoy her junior year. But it's hard to just be a teenager when the media wants to know every detail of your private life and pictures of her keep cropping up of her doing the most mundane things. Meg is trying to keep everything together when a shocking and horrible attack is made on her mother and Meg and her family are forced to turn to each other in their private, yet very public, grief.

If I had simply read the synopsis of this novel, I would have been more than a little skeptical. I mean: female president is attacked - ensuing emotional crisis and shock - trite and overdone right? Just like her other novels, Ellen Emerson White handles this potentially disastrous subject with such careful handling, I couldn't help but be drawn into Meg's family's story. Trust me, this is one of those authors who never does anything half-way: Meg goes through such feelings of anger, shock and pain - all so quintessentially teenage responses but at the same time extremely unique and believable. Each member of her family expresses their grief in different ways and with her dad constantly away from home, it falls to Meg to help keep her younger brothers, Steven and Neal, from falling apart. Leaving Meg unable to fall apart of course. But Meg is more than competent and though it takes everything she's got, she begins to draw closer to her family in ways they never expected.

Let's talk cover art for a moment here, shall we? This book is reminiscent of Johannes Vermeer's 'Girl with a Pearl Earring' - an extremely iconic work of the Dutch Renaissance. What I think I like best about this cover is that the cover artist chose to retain the same bright blue and yellow color scheme; a very smart choice since the dark background makes such colors essentially pop off the canvas, forcing the viewer to study her in exceedingly up-close-and-personal detail. I get the sense with the juxtaposition of Meg wearing her Red Sox cap and the iconic earring that Meg herself has become a study in contrasts - her tomboy nature clashing with her idea that she must be elegant and as put together as her mother.

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally posted here.

Meg’s been in the White House for 10 months, and she’s finally feeling more settled in. She has a real friend in Alison, and a caring, fun boyfriend in Josh. She plays number one singles and is team captain of the tennis team. Biting her tongue has become a constant these days to prevent her natural smart-aleck remarks from being blurted out. However having an agent follow you and your boyfriend around 24/7 is infuriating at times, and Meg still makes small slip-ups when speaking to the press. And then just like that a shocking attack on her mother rips every good and bad facet of her life apart. Forced by default to care for her brothers, she can only numbly watch over them for so long. Who will rescue her when she collapses and how will she learn to talk herself through it?

Honestly it was a little difficult reading the second book in Ellen Emerson White’s President’s Daughter series. What happens to Meg’s mom and her family is serious stuff, and nothing comes easy for them. The reactions of her family to violence grief are varied and Meg’s almost complete shutdown felt dangerously close to reality. The dire circumstances the Power’s find themselves in did make for some very poignant scenes between Meg and her mother. Naturally, Meg’s strongest initial reaction is anger, which she takes out on the Secret Service, Josh, and Alison. White definitely has guts to put her characters through so much.

White House Autumn is not without the humor of its predecessor or Meg’s wit or smart quips. Out of the White House staff, Preston, the chic First Gentlemen’s secretary and Beth, Meg’s feisty, one-of-a-kind friend from back home are rocks for Meg and provide much needed comic and emotional relief. Josh eventually becomes a comfort for Meg which results in plenty of sweet, teenage make-out sessions. Meg’s brothers continue to be well-fleshed out. The constant bickering between Meg and Steven especially at breakfast is quite humorous. The dynamic in this First Family is palpable and sets a high standard for portrayals of families in YA. I’m just guessing as I still have the final two books that the Powers will be hard to top. Like an old friend I’m anxious to read more about Meg and her unique life as only the best characters do.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, as I've said before, I LOVED these books! Probably my favorites this year. They're about . . . um, well, the president's daughter . . . the only daughter of the first female president. Meg is 15 when the books start and 18 in Long May She Reign (and there better be more!), and has two younger brothers.

The first two started off a bit slowly. The author started them when she was in college and they're a bit rough, but still very readable. And I (maybe unfairly) struggled with the knowledge that White updated the first 3 books to make them modern. See, the first three came out in the 80's and the fourth one just in the last couple of years, and White added references to the internet and cell phones and even Bush and Clinton to the first three books. So since I knew things like that weren't in the original version, they stood out to me. (But I don't think they would've if I didn't know these were updated editions.)

Anyway, what I think is done amazingly well in these books is the characters. Meg and her family and friends feel so very real. Take Meg's mom. Because of her career, she hasn't always been there for Meg, and that's something both Meg and her mom struggle with. And I love that Meg and her brothers fight and goof around, but you also see how deeply they care about each other. (And now I have to mention Meg's dad, who is also awesome.)

Also, I'm very in love with Preston, who works on Meg's mom's campaign and becomes a great friend of the family.

I feel like this review is really short on substance, but I just don't want to spoil anything! A lot of serious things happen in these books.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the sequel to The President's Daughter, but it can easily be read out of order - but why would you want to miss any of the books in this series? Here are a few of the things I find so compelling about White's books in general: the characters are always down to earth, regardless of the extraordinary circumstances of their lives. The families act like real families with believable problems. When the characters do stupid things, you understand why, because the tension is very real. This, in turn, makes the books hard to put down, because you believe in the characters and their problems and you want to make sure they're okay. But you also don't want the books to end, because they're also snarky and fun and intelligent. The teenagers feel like teenagers, the adults feel like adults.

The President's Daughter is probably the lightest one in the series, in terms of content. In White House Autumn, the family is dealing with an assassination attempt, which heightens all the issues that the first book brought up, about how to be a family in the public eye, and how Meg feels about her mother being president. The next one, Long Live the Queen, is the most action and suspense filled installment, and then Long May She Reign goes back to the inner turmoil - and college life. They're all gripping, and I will definitely go back to this series again for good, involving rereads.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is book #2 in the series. It was originally published in the 1980s and updated and republished in 2008. My book has a different cover and publisher than the one shown, being the updated copy. In this book, Meg Powers, daughter of the first female President of the United States, is 16 years old. She's intelligent and opinionated. She's also a great tennis player and on a school team that is going to the championship games. However, being a high profile person is not good, especially when her mother has been receiving death threats. Meg reluctantly agrees to the decree that she drop off the team. Her younger brother Steven is becoming quite sullen at the restriction placed upon the White House children. This book deals mostly with the emotions and day to day living of Meg and her brothers. Meg has a boyfriend, Josh, and a good friend, Alison, plus her old friend Beth back in Massachusetts. School is okay- Meg tries hard not to be an over-achiever. Then the unthinkable happens: Meg's mother, the President of the United States, is shot in an assassination attempt. The book provides a close-up look at a high profile family trying not to fall apart in a grave situation. The book is well-written and I'd recommend this series to anybody interested in White House doings as seen through the eyes of a teenaged girl. I'm currently reading book #3.

[Stephanie Mooney · Rating 4 out of 5]

I originally read the 3rd in this series and then realized it was a series, doh! I eventually found the first one and about 20 years later I've found the 2nd one, score! I knew most of what would happen since I had read the 3rd one and it referenced this one a bit, but it was still enjoyable. There is a running theme through all of these books, and after awhile it does get kind of old, but over all I still liked it. The 3rd is still my favorite, but I am glad I read this one to finally see what happened. The only really annoying thing is the version I found was the 2008 reprint and they changed a bunch of random crap to make it more appealing to teens today. The tv shows are different and she constantly mentions email and people are on cell phones all over, and none of those were in the original book. OK maybe a random cell phone in the background somewhere, but EVERYONE didn't have one and in this new version they do. It just felt weird since I read the original version of the 1st and 3rd books, and now in the 2nd they use more technology and watch "reality tv shows".
Now it's time to reread the 3rd then start the 4th, hopefully I enjoy the 4th more than other people's reviews!

Overall I liked it, but if you start the series fresh, I'd find the same versions of all of them so they don't flip back and forth between types of technology and decades of tv!

[Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just a family trying to figure it out. I find the relationships in White's books to be very thoughtful and for that I am grateful, because without her I don't know if I could have understood the tiffs between parents and children can be fixed and the quarrels between siblings can be remedied and the silent treatment of friends can be forgiven. A lot of times English teachers will tell you to look for the theme of books and "what the author is trying to teach the reader," but I don't think that's exactly what's happening here. And I hope you'll let me get a bit opinionated because I think what's happening here that there is a writer who can see real people who are stubborn and broken and cowardly and naive. White doesn't lecture on how people can be fixed or who is good and who is bad. Here is a writer who sees people who mutually exist and disregards all the connotations. She ignores who's famous and who's a criminal and who's smart and who's violent. Here is a writer who sees real people with interlocking lives and here is a writer who understands how people live together without falling apart. This is a writer who understands acceptance, and I read her books because I want to figure that out.

[Jennifer Wardrip · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reviewed by Steph for TeensReadToo.com

Meg Powers is just a normal teenage girl living in Washington, D.C. -- except for the tiny little fact that her mother is the President of the United States.

Meg is actually getting used to living in the big, white house with her parents and two brothers, Steven and Neal. But when a gunman tries to take the life of the President, Meg faces the scary facts about being the First Family.

It's up to Meg to comfort her two brothers in between visiting their mother in the hospital and missing their father, who spends all of his time at the hospital, as well. And if that wasn't enough, Meg has to deal with the fact that her boyfriend, Josh, seems to be doing everything wrong. And can her friends really be real if they start acting weird around her because of her mother's accident?

Ellen Emerson White writes a compelling sequel about a teenage girl trying to understand the ropes of being the First Daughter. With WHITE HOUSE AUTUMN, the readers see a different side to the first family -- how stressful and scary it is to control security in an uncontrollable world.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Meg Powers’ story continues as she becomes more comfortable living in the White House. She finds friends at her high school, including a boyfriend named Josh. In her family’s first fall in the White House, Meg’s mother, the president, is attacked in an assassination attempt.

As Meg’s mother fights for her life, and then fights to conduct presidential business even in the hospital, Meg struggles with fear for her mother, with anger towards her mother for being a public figure, and with her own tendency to push people away, especially at times of crisis.

Like its predecessor, this book is fast-paced. Meg grows a great deal in the course of the book and Ellen Emerson White captures that growth beautifully.

White also makes it possible for the reader to step into Meg’s life and imagine that he or she is the daughter of the President of the United States. It’s quite a fantasy for anyone interested in politics on the presidential level.

[Philip Cosand · Rating 3 out of 5]

The second in this young adult series is of the same quality of the first.

Gone is the drama of "will she/ won't she get elected" (which admittedly is a rather thin "what if"), replaced by a "what happens if this person is targeted?

Again, White ignores much of the "hunt for a crazy person" storyline and opts to treat the story as a peek into how the family is affected. I prefer it this way. There is still suspense and strife, it simply weighs more on the emotional side than the "catch a killer" trope.

The boys are a little less trite than the first go-round and the father gains much needed depth to his character. Through it all, the daughter and mother seem to carry the burden of being "normal" when everyone is watching them.

I like this series quite a bit, having tackled two of the books in as many months. I'm ready for the third, but the faster I read, the sooner I'll be done. That's what happens with term limits I suppose.

[Alexa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having re-read book 1 of this series, I couldn't stop until I'd read the rest. This is another very good read, and builds on the relationships that are introduced in book 1 while adding more in the way of action/unexpected twists. More plot, I guess you could say.

In some ways, this one is even better than the first, though it's darker. In fact, the entire series is pretty dark--Meg is not a light-hearted character, and her story is not a romp through the luxuries and superficial annoyances of being in the public eye, but a real study in what happens to a family when a mother makes choices that put herself and her family second to her job.

Surprisingly mature, in the genuine sense, without the trappings of sophistication (no sex or drugs here). Highly recommended, either this edition or the easier-to-find revised edition.

[Gwen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I completely missed out on reading this book as a kid: my library had the other two (at the time) books in the series, but White House Autumn was out of print, and I was only able to track down a copy when the books were rereleased with the addition of Long May She Reign. After finally reading this one, the events of Long Live the Queen become even more painful. Even though that book touches on the assassination attempt, understanding the family's reactions to it underpin the events of the next book, and finally reading this one puts the next one in a different perspective. This is probably the weakest book in the series, but not by much.

One minor quibble: I hate how Emerson White always adds a comma after "but," even when it's not necessary. That, and her throwaway line mocking Crystal City. It's not *that* bad!

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

Since The President's Daughter, Meg has settled into a normal life, at least as normal as it can be in the White House. Then a shot shakes the family, jeopardizing a life and what normalcy the Power's managed to retain.

Well done sequel that's heavier than the first. Meg's wit remains, the dialog (especially fun with Stephen) is once again excellent, and favorite characters (Preston!) return. A quick read. Does a great job of bringing up the issue of what it means to be in politics personally and for the family but never drowns readers in issues.

This being said, if you're only going to read one Ellen Emerson White book, go with The President's Daughter. It's better and more fun.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's hard not to like Meg Powers, the eldest daughter of the first female President of the United States. Her irrepressible personality, her independence, and her determination to have a life of her own despite her mother's fame and public presence all combine to make Meg an interesting teen. After almost a year of living in the White House, Meg is settling into life as a famous person when her mother is shot. Each family member copes in different ways, and Meg lashes out at her friends, her boyfriend, and the secret agents assigned to protect her. There's something about these books--this is the second in the series--that makes them compulsive reading, and I'm willing to bet that it's Meg herself, with all her imperfections and honesty.

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I first read this book twenty years ago. The second in The President's Daughter series, in White House Autumn, Meg has been First Daughter for ten months when there's an assassination attempt on her mother.

This second book deals very much with the same issues the first one did. Meg's relationship with her mother, her feeling that her mother is not there for her. Just more so now. Her guilt over being angry with her mother.

I like Meg's relationship with her friend Beth, and with her boyfriend Josh. I love that she reads political literature and sometimes imagines she's wearing ski boots.

Ellen Emerson White wrote these first two books when she was an undergrad. And that's quite something.

[Willa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book two in The President's Daughter series. Meg Powers has finally gotten used to being the daughter of the first female U.S. President and living in the White House - sort of - and is even trying to have a normal dating life. But now her life gets turned upside down all over again by an assassination attempt on her mother. This was a favorite book when I was younger and is still one of my 'comfort reads'. Meg is such a great character and any mother and daughter can relate to her relationship with her mother, even if her mother is the President. Actually, all the family dynamics are very realistic and the dialogue - along with Meg's unspoken thoughts - is witty and smart.

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ellen Emerson White is a YA author who's been around for years. One of her books, Life Without Friends, was one of my favorites when I was growing up. Her series about the daughter of the first female president has been out of print for a while, but she's updated parts of it and the books are being re-released. I say parts of it because the characters do email and text, but whenever they watch tv, it's dvds of old shows like The Brady Bunch and Hill Street Blues.

White House Autumn is the 2nd book in the series. A lot of it is more of Meg settling into the spotlight, until an assasination attempt is made on her mom's life, which puts everything in a new light.

[Dana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had read the first and third book in this series way back when they first came out in the 1980s. When I ordered this book online, I did not realize that it had been updated, which, had I known that, I might not have ordered it. I was upset that instead of watching VHS tapes and reading snail mail, the characters that I grew up with were now watching DVDs and reading their email.
That being said, I did enjoy the book. It clearly shows that being the daughter of the President isn't easy, and privacy is something that is almost non-existant. It also showed how a family comes together in light of a tragedy and how they have to lean on each other in order to survive.

[Melody · Rating 3 out of 5]

I heard about Stein through a link someone posted to Facebook about modern poets to watch. My library didn't have any of her poetry, but did have this slight, engaging novel. While I adored the homage to many favorite children's books, I failed to identify with the 20-something, living at home angst. Stein is clearly in love with words and images, and it seems to me that her poetry somehow peeks through her prose. The plot is sort of plotless and meandering, like the 20-something protagonist. I suspect that I'm going to like her poetry better than I liked this book.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's difficult to review this book without spoiling one of the major plot elements. It may, however, be sufficient to share that the central relationship, that between Meg and her mother, the President of the United States, continues to develop through some rather difficult struggles, and Meg comes to learn and accept more about herself. I'm not sure if I liked this book so much because I was so excited to find out that there were more books about my old friends from The President's Daughter, or if it was indeed that good, but I tore through it.