Young Adult Fiction Book Review: Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

Young Adult Fiction

Title: Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

Author: Ann Brashares

Publisher: Random House Children's Books

Copyright date: 2001

Number of Pages: 320

Awards: Book Sense Book of the Year Award for Children's Literature, New York Times Bestseller, ALA Best Books for Young Adults, Publishers Weekly Flying Start

Reading Level: Independent Reader Jr. "I am a Reader"

Generally appropriate for 4th Grade to 7th Grade

These books are appropriate for the independent reader who can retain and understand more elaborate and sophisticated story elements.

Lexile: 600L

Genre: Young Adult Fiction

Summary:

Four friends (Carmen, Tibby, Lena, and Bridget) are facing their first ever summer apart from each other. Before they leave each other, they discover magical pants that miraculously fit all of them. They decide that the Pants should circulate among them throughout the summer. Bridget is off to soccer camp in Baja, Lena's off to Greece to visit her grandparents, Carmen's going to South Carolina to visit her dad, and Tibby is staying in Bethesda working at Wallman's.
 
At soccer camp, Bridget falls in love with a soccer coach, Eric. She leaps into him head first despite his hesitation. Does Eric want the same thing as Bridget, and if so, will he break her heart or follow her lead? Lena goes to Greece to see her grandparents and falls in love with a Greek boy named Kostos. Does Lena listen to her heart or her grandparents who are trying to break them apart? Carmen is going to see her dad, but to her surprise, he has a new family with a soon-to-be wife and two older kids. Will Carmen let this destroy her and her beliefs about her father, or will she be strong enough to put this behind her and embrace her extended family? Tibby is working at Wallman's and meets a kid named Bailey who happens to have leukemia. They become friends and Bailey teaches Tibby how to live her life to the fullest.
Is there a happy ending to this tale?

Academic Purpose:

This book has no relation to other content areas. But, as a teacher how I would use this book in my classroom is by helping and guiding my students on how to create and maintain a healthy relationship with friends. When my students are reading this book I would implement group building activities on how to be a good friend to everyone and why it is important to be kind to everyone you meet.

Rating System:

Categories:	5 Stars	3 Stars	1 Star	Comments
Style and Language	The book anticipates readers’ questions and uses great word choice for the age targeted. It has linear progression and communicates its point clearly.	The book follows a linear progression, with some unclear points. The word choice is okay.	The book is confusing as it doesn’t follow a linear progression at all. The vocabulary in the book is either too simple or too complex for the age group targeted.	This book uses great word choice for the age targeted. There are great vocabulary words to enrich the story. The book has a strong beginning, middle, and end, and it communicates its point clearly.   5 stars
Plot and Character Development	The plot is in depth and helps to create a picture in the reader’s mind. The plot is organized having a beginning, middle, and end. The character development is strong.	The plot is okay. The book is organized with a beginning, middle, and end. The characters are well developed.	The book is confusing and doesn’t have a clear beginning, middle, or end.	The plot is all about friendships, loyalty, and love. This book is great for young girls. All the things that young girls go through in life happen in this book. The author does a great job developing the main characters so the reader can feel that they can connect with the characters. 5 stars
Interest	The book holds real life situations which draw the reader in. The word choice and story hold the reader’s attention. The book is suitable for the age group targeted.	The book holds little interest and draws the reader in sometimes. The book is suitable for the age group targeted.	The book is very boring and doesn’t hold the reader’s attention. The book is not suitable for the age group targeted.	This book uses real life situations, such as friendships, sadness, and loneliness. So many adventurous things are happening with the characters’ summer events.   5 stars
Educational Value	The book is relatable to education. The book can be integrated into other content areas.	The book is relatable to education. The book may need further resources to help connect it to other content areas.	The book is not relatable to education whatsoever. The book is not appropriate to be integrated into other content areas.	This book has no relatable elements to other content areas. But, this book can be used to enrich the values of friendships and anti-bullying.       1 star