The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
by Ann Brashares

Amazon Link

Published in 2003. 294 pages.


Genre: Fiction-Youth Lit

What its about (taken from amazon.com): They were just a soft, ordinary pair of thrift-shop jeans until the four girls took turns trying them on--four girls, that is, who are close friends, about to be parted for the summer, with very different sizes and builds, not to mention backgrounds and personalities. Yet the pants settle on each girl's hips perfectly, making her look sexy and long-legged and feel confident as a teenager can feel. They make a pact to share them equally, to mail them back and forth over the summer from wherever they are. Beautiful, distant Lena is going to Greece to be with her grandparents; strong, athletic Bridget is off to soccer camp in Baja, California; hot-tempered Carmen plans to have her divorced father all to herself in South Carolina; and Tibby the rebel will be left at home to slave for minimum wage at Wallman's. Over the summer the Pants come to represent the support of the sisterhood, but they also lead each girl into bruising and ultimately healing confrontations with love and courage, dying and forgiveness. Like the Pants, the reader bounces back and forth among the four unfolding adventures, and the melange is spiced with letters and witty quotes. (Ages 12 and older)

My thoughts: I really enjoyed reading this book. Although in the very beginning I thought I would get confused on who is who, but each girl is so different that you can easily tell them apart. Of course, the concept is a bit silly that these 'magical' pants fit all four friends of various shapes and sizes. However, if you can get past this, which if you are reading this series, should not be difficult, then sit back and enjoy the ride. I love that this book takes place over the summer (my favorite season of the year) and that these girls lives seem to be marked by their summers. Of the four girls, I believe each reader will be able to identify more easily with one over the others. But also, I think growing up (or even currently), we all have someone in our lives that represent each of these characters. The character I liked the least in the beginning turned out to be my favorite character by the end. So... keep an open mind. One other comment I would like to make is that I do feel there are a bit more 'details' in this book than I would like my 12-year old reading (this series is considered for ages 12 and up). Initially I thought it could be a cute story for Kaitlyn and I to read together, but thankfully a friend of mine (thanks Jen!) told me what happens, so I read it myself). I do feel that the author handled 'that' situation very well and showed the emotions that go along with it. I dont want to give anything away, but just beware if you have younger daughters who may not have reached that stage in their life yet. The book includes letters written from one girl to another and each section is from a different girls' perspective. There are also some great quotes throughout the book (which I typed up on MY laptop - which is still crashed...) otherwise I would include a few here. But they were really cute.

Overall score: 4.75/5

When I finished it: May 19, 2008

What I'm reading now: The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch