Review - Savvy by Ingrid Law - Tour Day 2

Welcome to Day 2 of the Kidz Book Buzz tour for Savvy by Ingrid Law. Today, I am going to share my thoughts and review on the book and hope to pique your interest enough to pick up your own copy to enjoy! Here we go:

Savvy

by: Ingrid Law

Reading level: Ages 9-12

Hardcover: 352 pages
Publisher: Dial; Reprint edition (May 1, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0803733062
ISBN-13: 978-0803733060
Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 5.7 x 1.3 inches

I want to start off by saying a huge thank you to author Ingrid Law for creating such a marvelous book and one that took me out of both an emotional and a reading slump. You have my deepest gratitude.

Savvy is a magical, creative and magnificent book that will appeal to a huge audience of young, old, male and female. Though told from the viewpoint of Mibs, a young 13 year old girl, I think that the story itself and what it stands for will appeal to the male variety also. As a 35 year old, I simply adored this story and can't wait to share it with my soon to be 7 year old daughter (and my son when he gets a bit older). Geared toward middle school age (9 - 12), I have nothing but the utmost confidence that Savvy will greatly surpass that range.

There is a family that lives in Kansaska-Nebransas, a family like no other. Their name is the Beaumonts and consist of a typical father, Poppa, a perfect Momma, 3 boys: Rocket, Fish and Samson and 2 girls: Gypsy and Mibs. Now, the thing that makes this family like no other is that on their thirteenth birthday, each child's special savvy is revealed. For Rocket, it was an electrical savvy that can send bulbs popping and wires haywire, for Fish, is was the ability to turn a quiet calm day into rain, storm and if near any body of water a possible hurricane. Now, it is Mibs's turn to discover her special talent and savvy. As her thirteenth birthday approaches, she is both excited and a bit timid at the thought what may be awaiting her. Then tragedy occurs, sending their beloved Poppa into the hospital with Momma and Rocket following close behind to keep watch. This leaves Mibs, Fish, Samson and Gypsy at home with the preacher's wife.

It does not take long for Mibs to decide to take matters into her own hands and with the belief that she has the savvy to awaken the dead, she hops on board a big pink bible selling bus - quickly followed by her two brothers and the preacher's children Will and Bobby. What ensues is an adventure like no other, as the children learn lessons about one another that not only change them forever, but bring them closer together.

Savvy is a story of true self belief, friendship, trust and strong hope. I absolutely loved every aspect of it - from the whimsical wording to the delightful fun and fantasy of the characters and their lives. I can honestly say that I fell in love with every character and hated to see them go as the story came to an end. I desperately hope for a sequel, as there is a perfect ending for such. However, I am not sure if that is in store or not - I'm keeping my figures crossed!!

Not only is Savvy a wonderful story to fall into, but it is also leaves a tremendous opening to bring a child's imagination to life and spinning a tale all their own. If they could have any power in the world, what would it be? What can they find within themselves that makes them truly wonderful and unique? This book just leads to so much fun and opportunities.

I simply cannot say enough good things about Savvy. There was not a single aspect of the entire book that I disliked. I believe this to be a true treasure for any child or any adult who wants to escape from the everyday stresses that often bind our lives. What a wonderful thing for adult and child to bond with together. I highly recommend that you get your hands on a copy of Savvy - you will be quickly swept away!

*overall rating 5/5

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About Savvy:

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.

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Excerpt:

When my brother Fish turned Thirteen, we moved to the deepest part of inland because of the hurricane and, of course, the fact that he'd caused it. I had liked living down south on the edge of land, next to the pushing-pulling waves. I had liked it with a mighty kind of liking, so moving had been hard-hard like the pavement the first time I fell off my pink two-wheeler and my palms burned like fire from all of the hurt just under the skin. But it was plain that Fish could live nowhere near or nearby or next to or close to or on or around any largish bodies of water. Water had a way of triggering my brother and making ordinary, everyday weather take a frightening turn for the worse.

Unlike any normal hurricane, Fish's birthday storm had started without warning. One minute, my brother was tearing paper from presents in our backyard near the beach; the next minute, both Fish and the afternoon sky went a funny and fearsome shade of gray. My brother gripped the edge of the picnic table as the wind kicked up around him, gaining momentum and ripping the wrapping paper out of his hands, sailing it high up into the sky with all of the balloons and streamers roiling together and disintegrating like a birthday party in a blender. Groaning and cracking, trees shuddered and bent over double, uprooting and falling as easily as sticks in wet sand. Rain pelted us like gravel thrown by a playground bully as windows shattered and shingles ripped off the roof. As the storm surged and the ocean waves tossed and churned, spilling raging water and debris farther and farther up the beach, Momma and Poppa grabbed hold of Fish and held on tight, while the rest of us ran for cover. Momma and Poppa knew what was happening. They had been expecting something like this and knew that they had to keep my brother calm and help him ride out his storm.

That hurricane had been the shortest on record, but to keep the coastal towns safe from our Fish, our family had packed up and moved deep inland, plunging into the very heart of the land and stopping as close to the center of the country as we could get. There, without big water to fuel big storms, Fish could make it blow and rain without so much heartache and ruin.

Settling directly between Nebraska and Kansas in a little place all our own, just off Highway 81, we were well beyond hollering distance from the nearest neighbor, which was the best place to be for a family like ours. The closest town was merely a far-off blur across the highway, and was not even big enough to have its own school or store, or gas station or mayor.

To continue reading or listening, click here

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About Ingrid Law:

Ingrid Law has sold shoes, worked in a bookstore, helped other people get jobs, and assembled boxes for frozen eggplant burgers. She and her twelve-year-old daughter live in Boulder, Colorado, in a lovely old mobile home that they like to believe is a cross between a spaceship and a shoe box. They enjoy writing on its walls and painting on its ceiling, and have two harps, a flute, and a ukulele, as well as a fondness for muffins.

Be sure to visit both Ingrid Law's website:

http://web.mac.com/ingridlaw/Site/Home.html

and Savvy's very own website:
http://us.penguingroup.com/static/packages/us/yreaders/savvy/index.html

*The cover artwork and pencil sketches are truly breathtaking. Pencil sketching throughout this review, courtesy of http://us.penguingroup.com/static/packages/us/yreaders/savvy/resources.html