For young readers on the cusp of entering their teenage years, finding a good book can be a bit of a struggle. Many books they read just last year now seem babyish, but not all tweens are ready for the heavier topics introduced by some young adult novels.
Fortunately, the market for middle-grade books has been expanding to include some outstanding new stories, and Savvy, a debut novel by Ingrid Law, stands out as a shining star among them.
Summary of Savvy
In the Beaumont family, thirteenth birthday's are an extra-special occasion. That's when the Beaumonts discover their savvy – the magic-like ability they and they alone possess. For Mibs' brother Rocket, it's the ability to control electricity. For her other brother Fish, it's the ability to make it storm. And now, on her big birthday, Mibs is going to find out just what her savvy is.
But right before her birthday arrives, her poppa is in a terrible car accident. Mibs's momma and Rocket rush off to the hospital in Salina, leaving Mibs and the rest of her siblings with the church pastor and his fussy wife. Positive that her savvy will be just the thing to save her poppa, Mibs, Fish, their moody little brother Samson, and the pastor's two children escape Mibs' birthday party in a bus headed for Salina – or so they think. When the bus heads in the opposite direction from where Poppa is, Mibs and the others find themselves on a whole different kind of adventure.
Exciting Story for Young Readers
One of the biggest requirements for a good middle-grade novel is a main character with a strong voice – and Mibs has it with some to spare. Her charming Southern sayings, shrewd observations, and Law's beautiful prose make this an easy, charming read.
Tweens (and adults) will love how Mibs handles both the anxiety of discovering her very own savvy, and the awkwardness and changes everyone faces at age thirteen. Mibs' emerging savvy is tough enough for her to get a grip on, but things get even more complicated when she realizes that Will Junior, the pastor's son, has a crush on her. The combination of all that combined with her worries about her family makes her a character that readers can instantly relate to.
Praise for Savvy
In addition to being a Newbery Honor Book, Savvy also received the Boston-Globe-Horn Book Honor Award. Savvy was the #1 Children's Book Sense Pick, and can be found on Oprah's Book Club Kids Reading List.
With action, adventure, super-powers, and a little bit of romance, Savvy will surely find a place in the hearts of young and not-so-young readers everywhere. To learn more about the author and the soon-to-be-released companion to Savvy, Scumble, please visit Ingrid Law's website.
Savvy by Ingrid Law (Penguin Young Readers Group, 2008, ISBN 9780803733060)
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