Savvy

by Ingrid Law

If you read Savvy, you won’t soon forget Mississippi “Mibs” or the Beaumont family. They are one of a kind. Every child in this family gets a special “savvy” when they turn 13, which is a sort of magical ability, but they never know what it will be until their birthday. For example, Mibs’ grandfather can move and create land, the way he created a special place for them to live between Kansas and Nebraska (which they call Kansaska-Nebransas). Her older brother Rocket can cause a ruckus with electricity, and her brother Fish accidentally caused a hurricane when he turned 13.

This novel begins with Mibs’ 13th birthday, which gets muddled and messed up when her father gets in a car accident while driving home to them through Kansas. Mibs feels like she just has to get to Salina to the hospital to see her dad, and through a series of misadventures finds herself on a pink bus along with 4 other stowaways (2 of her brothers and 2 of the preachers’ kids) heading the wrong direction. At the same time, Mibs’ new savvy starts kicking in full force, no matter how hard she tries to resist it. Local readers will appreciate scenes in the book that take place right next to Tuttle Creek Lake! Savvy was a Newbery honor book this year and is certainly worthy of that prestigious medal.

Reviewed by Jennifer

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