One Silver Summer

February 15, 2016
A grieving American teen falls for the heir to the British throne. Fifteen-year-old Saskia has lived in Cornwall with her artist uncle since her mother died a few months ago. When she sees an old gray horse in a pasture, she goes toward it and bumps into a boy her age named Alex. Clearly privileged, Alex has done a bunk from boarding school upon learning of his parents' plans for divorce; though the establishment is unhappy with him, Alex is allowed to stay with his grandmother in Cornwall until the furor dies down. Neither readers nor Sass understand at first that Alex is the only child of the current Prince of Wales, second in line to the throne. He teaches Sass to ride, enjoying a relationship stripped of royal complications, until another girl sets up a press hunt that airs the details of Sass' mother's death. Hickman's debut bounces between narrative characters--not only Sass and Alex, but also Plum, the vengeful friend; Cressida, a journalist; the Countess of Trist; and a stable hand (whose lower-class voice presents the only hint of diversity in the book). The writing's smooth, but the surplus narrators end up splintering the focus of the story. Sometimes it's about noblesse oblige, other times horses, other times young love or teenage jealousy. It ends with a moment of high adventure that fails to provide resolution. Sweet, horsey, and inconsistent. (Fiction. 12-16)

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April 1, 2016

Gr 8 Up-Sass's life has been turned upside down with the recent death of her mother. Relocating from Brooklyn to Cornwall, England, Sass now lives with her Uncle David, a virtual stranger. Saddled with grief, the teen is looking for any kind of connection. She finds it as she learns to ride horses with the help of a local, Alex. Unbeknownst to Sass, Alex is not just a local boy who works in the stables. He is the son of the prince and princess of Wales, who are currently undergoing a paparazzi-plagued divorce. He is skeptical that Sass does not recognize him, but a tentative friendship develops between them despite his worries. Complications arise from a scorned classmate of Alex's and a gossip writer desperate for the latest scandal about the royal couple. Hickman excels at bringing Cornwall to life with her descriptions of the beaches and wild landscape. The growing bond between Sass and her uncle is realistically portrayed, with pitfalls and genuine emotional moments. Unfortunately, the evolving relationship between Sass and her princely love interest is less impressive, going from friendship to true love too quickly. The heroine, though originally from Brooklyn, seems completely British in her language and mannerisms. Characterization is thin and falls into stereotypes, particularly the meddling classmate. VERDICT Even the most devoted fans of commoner and royalty love stories will find this one unsatisfying. Skip and hand them Meg Cabot's "Princess Diaries" series or, for mature teens, The Royal We by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan.-Sarah Wethern, Douglas County Library, Alexandria, MN

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