The Summer of the Wolves

Title: The Summer of the Wolves

Publisher: Zondervan

Pub Date:  May 1 st, 2012

Author: Lisa Williams Kline

Received From: Net Galley

Stepsisters, yes. Friends? Maybe ...

"I smelled the wolf now-sharp and musky. I scanned the pen and saw a shadow behind one of the bushes that might be another wolf. Probably two of the most miserable looking creatures I'd ever seen." -from Summer of the Wolves

Stephanie and Diana are having a hard time adjusting to life as new stepsisters.  The girls "pretend" to like each other, but it's pretty hard considering they are complete opposites.  When their new family takes their first-ever vacation to a horse ranch in North Carolina, not even long horse-back rides in the forest can tame their tempers. Diana's anger issues and Stephanie's fear ofeverything prove disastrous, until Diana discovers the caged wolves in the deep woods. She vows to free them, and surprisingly, Stephanie agrees to help. But their actions have unforeseen consequences, and if there's any chance to make things right, Stephanie and Diana must put their differences aside

My first impression of this book was a bit of amazement this book is recommended as for ages 9-12 but I loved it! Two girls, close in age are brought together by marriage, into a new family they are not familiar with. The book is written back and forth from their points of view. Diana is impulsive and a bit out of control, while Stephanie follows all the rules and is timid and fearful of the thing Diana loves the most, horses. 
The girls bond together with a night out in the woods with the wolves, but they aren't really thinking when the set out to free the wolves about what the consequences might be. They learn quickly that they have disappointed many people and created a dangerous situation. Together the family must come together to right what they can of the wrongs. The girls gain in this process some real education and an understanding of one another. This is a seriously cute book about blending families!