Book review: Savvy by Ingrid Law

November 24, 9:12 PMSeattle Books ExaminerDanielle Dreger-Babbitt

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Image from Publisher's Weekly

I'll be honest.  I didn't expect to like Savvy by Ingrid Law.  For starters I'm not the biggest fan of the fantasy or science fiction genre.  Big confession:  I've never read any of the Harry Potter books (I'lll probably go to book hell now), nor do I have any desire to.  I don't care how good they are, it's not something I am willing to devote myself to right now. 

So when Savvy appeared in my mailbox looking all magical and whimsical on the cover I rolled my eyes at my husband.  Then I started reading it.

Savvy is about a unique family living in middle America, Kansaka to be exact (half in Kansas, half in Nebraska.  How's that for taxes?)  Each member of the Beaumont family has a special savvy, or magical talent.  The talent doesn't appear until their thirteenth birthday, and when it does appear it can be catastrophic.  The day before Mibs (short for Mississippi) turns thirteen her father is in a serious car wreck and is in a coma in a town half a day's drive away.  Her mom and oldest brother head off to do a bedside vigil, leaving Mibs alone with her elderly grandfather, her fourteen year-old brother Fish, and her baby sister Gypsy all in the care of the preacher's wife. 

Mibs's birthday starts off bland.  Then she convinces herself that her savvy is to wake her father from his coma.  She sneaks away during her lame birthday party at the church and stows away in Bible salesman's bus.  Her brothers and the preacher's kids join her on her impromptu road trip.  What seemed like a good idea soon becomes a bad one when they discover that the bus is heading in the wrong direction and an Amber Alert has been issued for them.  Within a 24 hour window, Mibs and her posse have given the bus driver a new outlook on life, played matchmaker, started a pie fight, and created so much trouble it's unbelievable.  I'm not about to spoil a great ending.

Savvy is sweet but not saccharine.  I love the dialog.  Law's voice and prose is pretty spectacular considering this is her first novel.  I hope there are more adventures for Mibs and her family in the future.

If you're looking for a holiday gift for your tween, Savvy would be a great choice.  It's perfect for Harry Potter lovers (and haters) and those who are new to the fantasy genre.  Boys will probably enjoy the havoc that the Beaumont children create and girls will likely swoon at the budding romance between Mibs and the preacher's son, Will Junior (don't worry moms, it's pretty chaste).

I'll even go out on a limb and say it just might make a decent movie.