Monday, September 22, 2008

What's Your Savvy?

Mississippi (Mibs, for short) Beaumont is anxiously awaiting her 13th birthday. In her family, 13 isn't just the start of the parentally dreaded teen years, it's also the beginning of one's savvy or special power. Like her brother...when he turned 13 he caused a hurricane, which is why they now live in the middle of nowhere with absolutely no water around. Her older brother, well, he's got what you might call a static electricity problem. Not all savvies are as unpredictable or violent. Her mother has a perfect savvy. Everything she does is perfect. She even makes perfect messes.

While Mibs waits for her special day, something awful does happen. Her papa is in the hospital. Now Mibs just wants a savvy that will help him wake up. A pink bus, a preacher's boy, and a diner stop later, the wonderful tale of Savvy unfolds with wit, humor, and genuine feelings. From new author Ingrid Law, Savvy is a wonderful debut.

The web page for the book is lots of fun, with computer wall paper, an audio teaser, and a mini interview with the author. The book did land a movie deal a year before published, so here's your chance (and your young readers) to read it before the film!

Savvy, while a completely new story, did bring to mind some other favorite spunky girl characters (Ida B. -- and Her Plans to Maximize Fun, Avoid Disasters, and (Possibly) Save the World by Katherine Hannigan, A Crooked Kind of Perfect by Linda Urban, and Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale).

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