  | Full Text Reviews: Bulletin for the Center... - 09/01/2008 The folks in Mibs’ family are special: upon reaching thirteen, each comes into a supernatural gift they call a savvy. One of Mibs’ brothers, for instance, can cause violent storms, whipping large bodies of water into devastating hurricanes; another brother is a conduit for electricity. (After their thirteenth birthdays, the children are home-schooled so that they can learn to control their often unruly gifts.) When Mibs’ father is involved in a serious car accident a few days before her big birthday, her life goes seriously off-kilter, and she finds herself escaping the kindly meant but dangerously invasive interventions of her preacher’s family. Along with two of her brothers and the preacher’s kids, she sneaks onto the bus of a Bible salesman, determined to get to her father in the hospital and use her gift, whatever it turns out to be, to awaken him from his coma. The resulting road trip is a revelation for all of the participants and an exciting, warm-hearted ride for readers as well. The storytelling is superb, with Law attending as much to the sound of her prose as the sense and developing characters that are memorable, quirky, and sweet without ever crossing the line into cutesy. Attaching the gifts to the volatile emotions of puberty, sibling protectiveness, and developing insight adds just the right level of emotional realism for the coming-of-age subplot, and the author manages the emotional growth of each of her ensemble cast with sensitivity, humor, and a few startling revelations. Though readers will likely find and enjoy this on their own, it deserves a communal reading, and as such it will quickly become a classroom or family favorite. KC - Copyright 2008 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. School Library Journal - 05/01/2008 Gr 4-7-Mississippi Beaumont ("Mibs" for short) simply cannot wait for her 13th birthday. There's the allure of finally becoming a teenager, of course, but in the Beaumont family, 13 is when family members get their "savvy," or unworldly power. For Mibs's older brother Fish, it's control over the elements, and for her mother it's the ability to do everything perfectly. Unfortunately, Mibs's excitement is cut short when her father is injured in a car accident. Convinced that her new powers will be able to save her Poppa, she and some new friends climb aboard a bus toting pink bibles on her birthday, in the hopes of getting to the hospital. Instead they find themselves headed in the wrong direction with the cops looking for them, Mibs's powerful brother seriously angry, and the son of a preacher man she has a crush on coming dangerously close to figuring out the Beaumonts' secret. Mibs's real savvy isn't what she expected, and neither are her traveling companions. Though the story never lives up to the brilliance of its opening chapter, Law has a feel for characters and language that is matched by few. With its delightful premise and lively adventure, this book will please a wide variety of audiences, not just fantasy fans. Definitely an author to watch.-Elizabeth Bird, New York Public Library Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information. - Copyright 2008 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission. Booklist - 05/15/2008 *Starred Review* Upon turning 13, each member of the Beaumont family develops a supernatural ability, or savvy, which must then be tamed. Well aware of the problems savvys can bring (the family had to relocate when one child had difficulty controlling his storm-producing savvy), 12-year-old Mississippi (Mibs) awaits her birthday eagerly but with a bit of trepidation. Then Poppa is seriously injured in an accident far away, and Momma goes to his side, leaving Mibs and the rest of the family to cope with Mibs’ 13th birthday on their own. Initially believing that her savvy is the ability to restore life, Mibs sets her course for Poppa. Joined by her brothers and the local preacher’s kids, she sweet talks her way onto a traveling Bible salesman’s bus. On the journey, however, Mibs realizes her savvy isn’t what she thought, which opens the way for a number of lively adventures both geographic and emotional. Law’s storytelling is rollicking, her language imaginative, and her entire cast of whacky, yet believable characters delightful. Readers will want more from Law; her first book is both wholly engaging and lots of fun. - Copyright 2008 Booklist. Loading...
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