Audience: Third grade is the beginning of the target audience, but I don't remember any red flags that would make this inappropriate for younger children (especially if read aloud).
Plot: I'm just going to quote the book jacket for the summary here because why try to rewrite what someone's already worked to perfection?
"Mibs Beaumont is about to Become a teenager. As if that prospect weren't scary enough, thirteen is when a Beaumont's savvy strikes--and with one brother who causes hurricanes and another who creates electricity, it promises to be outrageous...and positively thrilling. But just before her big day, Poppa is in a terrible accident. Suddenly, Mibs's dreams of X-ray vision disappear like a flash of her brother's lightning: All she wants now is a savvy that will save Poppa. In fact, Mibs is so sure she'll get that powerful savvy that she sneaks a ride to the hospital on a rickety bus, with her siblings and the preacher's kids in tow. But when the bus starts heading in the wrong direction only one thing is certain: After this extraordinary adventure, not a soul on board will ever be the same. Reading the fantastical tale of the Beaumont family will leave you as changed as if you'd just discovered your own savvy--and who's to say you won't, once you've learned how to look?"
What makes it great?
I was hooked from the very first page by both the voice of the narrator, Mibs, and by the premise of an ordinary family with extraordinary powers which they must try to both control and accept as important parts of themselves.
This is not a superhero story. In fact, take out the powers and the heart of the book would still be intact. It is like a mix between the supernatural of the Charlie Bone books (a lot of the family powers are very similar to those of the Children of the Red King--read about them here: Charlie Bone--Children of the Red King) and the bittersweet, coming-of-age books of Sharon Creech (if you like this book, I highly recommend The Wanderer).
I love what the jacket says about finding your savvy. Everyone really does have a bit of "know-how" that is unique to each of us, and I love that Mibs is able to use her unusual savvy to discover the hidden savvys in others.
I was hooked from the very first page by both the voice of the narrator, Mibs, and by the premise of an ordinary family with extraordinary powers which they must try to both control and accept as important parts of themselves.
This is not a superhero story. In fact, take out the powers and the heart of the book would still be intact. It is like a mix between the supernatural of the Charlie Bone books (a lot of the family powers are very similar to those of the Children of the Red King--read about them here: Charlie Bone--Children of the Red King) and the bittersweet, coming-of-age books of Sharon Creech (if you like this book, I highly recommend The Wanderer).
I love what the jacket says about finding your savvy. Everyone really does have a bit of "know-how" that is unique to each of us, and I love that Mibs is able to use her unusual savvy to discover the hidden savvys in others.
(Apparently, there is a companion book called "Scumble" about Mibs' cousin, so I'll have to check it out. Happy Reading!)
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