If Only You Knew

January 1, 2009
Gr 8-10-The privileged, African-American Duke twins of Atlanta are back. Thanksgiving is right around the corner and Sydney and Lauren should be focusing on planning their holiday bash, but instead they are preoccupied with attempting to clear their father's name in the murder case of Lauren's boyfriend's brother. All of their detective work has to be on the sly because by proving their father's innocence they just may be exposing their stepfather's activities. Is Altimus's used car business lucrative enough to keep the girls swathed in Gucci and Prada or is he involved in illegal activities? Uncovering the truth is not going to be easy, nor without consequences, for the sisters. The mystery element sets this story apart from other novels in the overdone subgenre of books about wealthy youth, and, even though it's a sequel, it stands on its own."Robyn Zaneski, New York Public Library"

Copyright 2009 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2008
With their mother and wealthy stepdad, twins Lauren and Sydney have moved from public housing to a wealthy Atlanta subdivision and have transferred to an exclusive, private, predominantly African American high school. Though the children are twins, they are very different, and their alternating narratives reveal their scrappy relationship, their choice of friends and boyfriends, and their dreams. They both agree that Mom is embarrassing with her over-the-top materialism. There are also some dark secrets. Lauren loves Jermaine, who lives in the hood. She shuns their biological dad, recently released from prison, but Sydney sees him. Then theres a murder; is Dad a killer? The whodunit is never resolved, and though the fashion detail, with all the brand names, is fun, it will date quickly. What stays current are the dramas of family, class, friendship, dating, and, especially, the sisters relationship.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)