This is what I hope will be the first of many book reviews for this blog. Savvy, by Ingrid Law is a gem! Whether you are 8 or 88 years old, there are jewels to behold, treasures to discover and a genuine sigh of satisfaction as the last words are read.
A quick summary:
Feeling accepted by others at age 13 is hard enough, but imagine the extra layer of having fantastic skills - skills you might not necessarily like. Everyone has Savvy, that quirky behavior or skill that makes us stand out from the others. In certain families, however, this savvy shows up in full force on the thirteenth birthday. What could be worse than calling down a tornado when you are angry, or knocking out the power in the whole city when your dad is in the hospital. Grandpa can make mountains and valleys form if he isn't careful and Grandma had the uncanny skill of capturing radio songs and broadcast in canning jars. This recipe includes: a thirteenth birthday party with catastrophic potential, a dash of teen-age girl rebelling against her minister-father, a lightly whipped family steeped in love, all baked in a pink school bus converted into a bible-selling machine.
The greatest appeal of this book are the characters; kids who meet and become friends and discover respect for others although they are as different from each other as clouds are different from lizards.
My two older daughter devoured this book, and so did I, staying up until the darkest hours in the morning. We actually screamed with delight at the book store the following week when we found Scumble, the second book which follows another Savvy family.
On top of a great story, Ingrid Law wrote with flitting delight, creating lovable traits by using language that almost sings off the page. I will be looking for more from Ingrid Law!
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