
Mibs Beaumont belongs to a very special family. Not just because they are loving and take care of each other. The Beaumonts have a special savvy, something that usually makes a sometimes spectacular appearance on their thirteenth birthday. Her grandfather can literally move the earth, causing earthquakes and creating mountain ranges. One of her older brothers has weather savvy, and the hurricane he created on his thirteenth birthday caused the entire family to move to the Midwest, far from any body of water large enough for his savvy to wreak much damage. Her other older brother has electricity savvy and can keep the car running even when the battery has died.
Mibs has been waiting impatiently for her thirteenth birthday - she's dying to know what on earth her savvy will be. Not only that, but when she turns thirteen she won't have to go to school anymore - won't have to put up with the nasty comments from certain very annoying and spiteful girls in her class - because the Beaumont children are always home-schooled for a few years after their thirteenth birthday, in order to give them time to get their savvy under control.
As her birthday draws nearer, Mibs can barely contain her excitement - and then her father - her dear, funny, wonderful, savvy-less father, is in a car accident. Suddenly it's the day before her birthday, but her mother and oldest brother are in the hospital, miles away, and her father is in critical condition. The odious Miss Rosemary, the preacher's wife, is preparing a pity birthday party for her, inviting all the awful kids from her school - and who knows what will happen when her savvy comes in front of all those people?
Before she knows it, she's stowed away on a bus with her two of her brothers and the preacher's two kids, determined to make her way to the hospital. Somehow, she just knows, her savvy - whatever it is - will be able to save her father. But the bus goes in the opposite direction, and she's off on an unforgettable adventure.
I loved this book from the first page, with its creative premise, unforgettable characters and gripping plot. Mibs is an engaging heroine, and I hope we haven't seen the last of her!
Savvy by Ingrid Law (Dial Books for Young Readers, 2008)
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