Savvy

Written by Ingrid Law

Most enjoyed by 5th through 8th Graders

Mibs Beaumont is looking forward to turning 13. In the Beaumont family, your 13th birthday is when you get your savvy, that special talent or skill that is unique to each family member. Mibs' brothers can already whip up hurricanes and create electrical storms so Mibs is eager to find out what she'll be able to do. Her excitement is put on hold, though, when her father is injured in a car accident the day before her birthday, leaving him in a coma at a nearby hospital. Now, Mibs wants nothing more than to have a savvy that will help bring her father home.

When the preacher's wife offers to host a birthday party for her, Mibs is less than excited. She downright dreads the affair. But when a pink school bus bearing the words Heartland Bible Supply Company appears in the church parking lot, Mibs is sure this is her chance to catch a ride to visit her father. Stowing away on the bus, Mibs finds herself in a bigger adventure than she had anticipated when the bus heads in the opposite direction of the hospital. Mibs is in for the bus ride of her life, one she'll never forget.

Savvy is one of the best books I've read this year. It won a 2008 Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor award and is sure to win many more. The story of a young girl searching for what makes her special and unique, it's a perfect read-aloud. It's also a wonderful choice for a parent and child to read together. There's lots to talk about and lots to laugh about. Savvy opens the door for a discussion of what makes each of us unique. Don't miss it!