A story of confessions

As a recent high school librarian, I'm staying home with my little girl now, I read a lot of book reviews for collection development purposes.  I read the review and the storyline for Confessions of the Sullivan Sisters by Natalie Standiford and I found myself somewhat interested, but I wasn't sold on buying it for the school library.  You only have so much money to spend, and you want to spend the money very wisely.  A few weeks later I read a few more reviews and I decided I would get the book.  I was intrigued and interested enough, and it sounded like a book that many of my high school readers would be interested in.  As a result of being intrigued and interested this book went on my personal "Summer Reading List."  I was finally able to get it from the public library, and I read it fairly quickly.  The book actually surprised me with the mystery in it.  I found myself trying to determine which confession was the one that offended the grandmother.  Here is the basic storyline:


"The Sullivan sisters have a big problem. On Christmas Day their rich and imperious grandmother gathers the family and announces that she will soon die ... and has cut the entire family out of her will. Since she is the source of almost all their income, this means they will soon be penniless.

Someone in the family has offended her deeply. If that person comes forward with a confession of her (or his) crime, submitted in writing to her lawyer by New Year's Day, she will reinstate the family in her will. Or at least consider it.

And so the confessions begin...."


The story goes through the recent life of three rich Baltimore sisters aged 17, 16, and 15.  I'm sure it is fun to have your sisters so close to you in age, and these sisters were close and had a lot of fun.  Each of the three sisters confesses to their grandmother of the thing that they are sure offended her.  To be honest I was surprised by not only the outcome of the book, but of the events, and of the 3 different confessions.  I did appreciate the character development of the three sisters, and I feel the author did a pretty good job in the writing.  I feel most teenage girls will enjoy this book.  They can relate with the characters, and in some ways wish they had the character's life.  


All in all, I would recommend this book.  It won't be an everlasting classic, but it was definitely a good read.  For those of you that like to know details on the content including language, etc.  This book does have some language, but it is used in context.  It is set in the modern day with high school kids.  As a result, the book is written in the language they would use.  I didn't think the language was excessive by any means, but there was some language.  A girl also smokes, and there is reference, though no details are given, to sex occurring once.  However, some naive readers wouldn't even pick up on it. 


Standiford did a good job with this book, and I am glad it was on my reading list this summer.  Let me know what you think?