Book: Savvy by Ingrid Law

[Erudite]

Book: Savvy
Author: Ingrid Law
Genre: Adolescent Literature, fantasy
Suitable for: anyone over 8, but especially important for girls

This is a FANTASTIC book. In the story, the main character, Mibs (short for Mississippi), and her family have a "savvy", essentially a super power, that comes to them on their 13th birthday. They have no idea what it will be before it arrives. Mibs' brother can create storms and another is connected to electricity somehow. But two days before Mibs' 13th, her non-savvy father is in a car accident. He is in critical condition in a hospital 50 miles away. Mibs' mother, with the savvy for doing things perfectly, and her electric brother rush to the hospital. The well meaning, but busybody, pastor's wife arrives the next day to care for the family, though she's clearly not wanted or needed, since the family is mostly grown up. Miss Rosemary finds out that Mibs' birthday is the next day and plans a party, inviting all the kids of the church to it when she is told that Mibs has no friends.

Mibs wakes up on the morning of her 13th birthday and thinks she's discovered her savvy, so she is shocked into fainting when a completely different savvy takes her by surprise at her birthday party. However, her belief in her original savvy makes it imperative that she get to her father. She believes she can wake him up. She stows away aboard a bus along with 2 of her brothers and the son and daughter of the Pastor.

And thus sets off a chain of events that introduces Mibs to her savvy, helps her stormy brother learn to control his savvy, and eventually brings the family back together in the hospital room. Through her savvy Mibs is able to communicate with her father, though he doesn't appear to be awake and acquaint him with his own savvy, which he didn't think he had.

While the story itself is super fun and a delightful read, the message is one that every kid should understand, though I believe girls need it more than boys. Mibs' savvy is to hear the inner thoughts of others and so as she listens to destructive inner thoughts of the man who keeps them safe on the bus, she vows to herself that she will never let the voices of others control who and what she is. She finds her own inner strength against those voices and is able to learn to block them out and stand strongly on who she knows she is.

I highly recommend this book to all readers. I bought it at the Scholastic Book fair at our school, so I'm sure you'd be able to find it in the Scholastic book orders if you're interested.

[natickgirl]

Sounds like just the kind of book my DS would enjoy, and would benefit from. I think I'd like it, too.

[Erudite]

Yep. That's why I'm posting them. I asked a friend about the book before I bought it because she's usually read them. But she hadn't read this one. I think if we all know where to find good books it helps us all. And I try to read the adolescent ones, because they are quick and good reads and because I want to know what my children are reading. This one especially has some good discussion points and practice points in it...as we all learn to turn off the negative voices in our heads.

Post some that you've read too, so I can add to my collection!