The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
Written by: Ann Brashares
Recommended for ages 12 and up
$13.95 Delacorte Press

Finally, this book is in paperback and readily available to the middle school crowd. Join Carmen, Tibby, Bridget and Lena as they embark on a summer that will not soon be forgotten. The four girls are best friends and have been playmates since before they were born. (Their mothers all belonged to an aerobics class for pregnant women.) This summer they are all going their separate ways but have vowed to keep in touch no matter how much fun they are having without the others. The Traveling Pants are jeans that Carmen purchased at a thrift store and will prove to be an important part of the summer. They are to be passed from one friend to the other for the entire summer. The girls instated a list of ten rules that must be followed in conjunction with the Pants.

The foursome is comprised of the stereotypical personalities to which many young readers will relate. Tibby is the rebel, Bridget is the athlete, Lena is the beauty and Carmen is the average run-of-the-mill teenager who treasures her friends and will do anything to keep their friendships alive. Will a summer away prove to be too much for this group who has always been there for eachother? What is in store for each of the girls as they take their turn with the Pants? Typical teens who prefer realism to fantasy will not be able to put down this New York Times Bestseller.