Blonde Trilogy Series

The unpredictable and hilarious final book in the acclaimed Blondes series: In Beyond Blonde sixteen-year-old Sophie Kandinsky’s world erupts: Papa leaves home to get sober; Mama retreats within herself; her first love, Luke, is forced to get married; and even her refuge in basketball is threatened. To make matters worse, her own body betrays her at every single turn! Luckily, Sophie’s adored Blondes and audacious Aunties are there to help her navigate the cascading catastrophes and shocking secrets with humour and heart. Set in the 1970s and featuring addictive, vibrant characters, Beyond Blonde is the powerful, page-turning conclusion of a highly original series.

The enthralling sequel to Me and the Blondes, shortlisted for the Governor General’s Award Life is almost … well … potentially perfect for Sophie Kandinsky. As it turns out, the Blondes were as dazzled by her as she was by them, and Sophie enters grade ten at Northern Heights smack in the centre of the power grid. There will be no more cascading lies and secrets from her, but the Blondes—now that’s another story. And her eccentric Aunties are still peppering Sophie with their eccentric advice on life, love, and how to land the elusive Luke Pearson. But in the end, the best and biggest news is also the worst. After seven years, Sophie’s beloved Papa is finally out of prison. Papa is home. Trouble is … he’s supposed to be dead. No more lies? No more secrets? “[Teresa Toten] writes with insight and compassion about the complex moral universe of adolescence.”
— Quill & Quire “Toten captures perfectly the easy camaraderie of girls who trust each other enough to play Truth or Dare and challenge each other to develop into good people.”
—CM Magazine

“How did your poor husband pass away?”
Make it simple, Mama, I tried to bore into her, simple, simple…
“His brains exploded.”
 I heard a gasp. It was me.
“An aneurysm?”
“Okay,” said Mama.
 “I’m sorry, hon,” said Mrs. Haver. “At least it was fast.”
 “It vas?” Mama looked puzzled. I nodded furiously at her. “Ya. It vas. Yours?”
“Heart attack.”
“Oooo, dat’s good too.”
I could’ve killed her.

Sophie Kandinsky has spent the last six years trying to keep her crazy family life secret. The devil is in the details. The first detail is her larger-than-life, eccentric, Bulgarian mother. The slightly larger detail is the fact that her gentle, poet-father has been charged with murder. All Sophie wants is to be adored and invincible, which is really hard once people find out her father’s in prison.

But this time, after yet another move to another new school, and another opportunity to wipe the slate clean, Sophie has devised a plan. On her first day of school, she will locate The Blondes—that clique of perfect, confident girls who are beyond gossip and reproach—and she will make them her friends. This time, no one will find out the truth. This time, everything will be brilliant.