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Savvy
By: Ingrid Law
Law, I. (2008). Savvy. New York: Dial Books for Young Readers.
Summary:
This is a unique book about a girl and her family who are very different from most families. They have what is called savvy and it is a special gift, whether it be making wind, creating electricity, having special sight or hearing voices. Mibs is her name and one day her father is in a terrible accident. All Mibs wants to do is go and save her father, but there are other powers at work. She and her siblings go on this bus and experience many things.
Impressions:
I did have a hard time getting into this book. I read it for awhile and put it down and then I picked back up to finish it. I enjoyed the ending much better than the beginning. I am so glad the ending worked out the way it did. I do not want to give it away as a reader of this blog may not have read it yet. This book will suck you in and make you want to finish it. Mibs is an extraordinary character with a strength that is awesome.
Ways to use it in the Library:
I used it this past year to pump up the children about the Texas Bluebonnet Award. This book was checked out every time it was checked in. A hot book to read! I would also recommend this book to my Harry Potter followers.
Reviews:
-from: http://www.amazon.com
Amazon.com Review
Product Description
A vibrant new voice . . . a modern classic.
For generations, the Beaumont family has harbored a magical secret. They each possess a "savvy" -a special supernatural power that strikes when they turn thirteen. Grandpa Bomba moves mountains, her older brothers create hurricanes and spark electricity . . . and now it's the eve of Mibs's big day.
As if waiting weren't hard enough, the family gets scary news two days before Mibs's birthday: Poppa has been in a terrible accident. Mibs develops the singular mission to get to the hospital and prove that her new power can save her dad. So she sneaks onto a salesman's bus . . . only to find the bus heading in the opposite direction. Suddenly Mibs finds herself on an unforgettable odyssey that will force her to make sense of growing up -and of other people, who might also have a few secrets hidden just beneath the skin.
From School Library Journal
Grade 4–7—Mississippi Beaumont ("Mibs" for short) simply cannot wait for her 13th birthday. There's the allure of finally becoming a teenager, of course, but in the Beaumont family, 13 is when family members get their "savvy," or unworldly power. For Mibs's older brother Fish, it's control over the elements, and for her mother it's the ability to do everything perfectly. Unfortunately, Mibs's excitement is cut short when her father is injured in a car accident. Convinced that her new powers will be able to save her Poppa, she and some new friends climb aboard a bus toting pink bibles on her birthday, in the hopes of getting to the hospital. Instead they find themselves headed in the wrong direction with the cops looking for them, Mibs's powerful brother seriously angry, and the son of a preacher man she has a crush on coming dangerously close to figuring out the Beaumonts' secret. Mibs's real savvy isn't what she expected, and neither are her traveling companions. Though the story never lives up to the brilliance of its opening chapter, Law has a feel for characters and language that is matched by few. With its delightful premise and lively adventure, this book will please a wide variety of audiences, not just fantasy fans. Definitely an author to watch.—Elizabeth Bird, New York Public Library
From Booklist
*Starred Review* Upon turning 13, each member of the Beaumont family develops a supernatural ability, or “savvy, ” which must then be tamed. Well aware of the problems savvys can bring (the family had to relocate when one child had difficulty controlling his storm-producing savvy), 12-year-old Mississippi (Mibs) awaits her birthday eagerly but with a bit of trepidation. Then Poppa is seriously injured in an accident far away, and Momma goes to his side, leaving Mibs and the rest of the family to cope with Mibs’ 13th birthday on their own. Initially believing that her savvy is the ability to restore life, Mibs sets her course for Poppa. Joined by her brothers and the local preacher’s kids, she sweet talks her way onto a traveling Bible salesman’s bus. On the journey, however, Mibs realizes her savvy isn’t what she thought, which opens the way for a number of lively adventures both geographic and emotional. Law’s storytelling is rollicking, her language imaginative, and her entire cast of whacky, yet believable characters delightful. Readers will want more from Law; her first book is both wholly engaging and lots of fun. Grades 5-7. --Francisca Goldsmith
Review
Law displays both a fertile imagination...and a dab hand for likable, colorful characters...[a] marvel-laden debut. -- Kirkus, starred review
Law's savvy? She's a natural storyteller who's created a vibrant and cinematic novel that readers are going to love. -- Publishers Weekly, starred review
Law's storytelling is rollicking, her language imaginative, and her entire cast of whacky, yet believable characters delightful...wholly engaging and lots of fun. -- Booklist, starred review
With its delightful premise and lively adventure, this book will please a wide variety of audiences, not just fantasy fans...Definitely an author to watch. -- School Library Journal
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