What began as a book about four high school girls and their incredible friendship becomes a heartwarming series about growing up, staying friends and lessons of life. Author Ann Brashares began with The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (published in 2001) and just recently completed the series with Sisterhood Everlasting (2011). The story begins with the four high school girls finding a soft, ordinary pair of thrift-shop jeans before they each head off on their own summer adventures. These close friends, all-different sizes and builds, not to mention backgrounds and personalities all fit into the pants. The pants settle on each girl's hips perfectly, making each girl feel confident as a teenager can feel. Because they fit each girl they must be “magical pants”. So they decide to make a pact to share them equally, to mail them back and forth over the summer from wherever they are. This is how the story begins and continues throughout the four books concluding in the fourth book, Forever in Blue (published in 2007). What we learn in this first book is the connection that these girls have through their mothers who took a birthing class together. A very unique but not uncommon situation. And while the parents keep close ties the girls create something even more special, respect for each other. We follow the girls through high school and college, with each summer bringing new experiences, adventures, as well as new loves.
While Forever in Blue (published in 2009) was an ending to the series of the traveling pants, it wasn’t an ending in the author’s mind. Even though she concluded the story of the traveling pants she decided she wasn’t ready to end the story of these four loveable characters and thus created one last book ten years later. Ann Brashares rediscovers her four characters at the age of 29 to create a reunion of the sisterhood, Sisterhood Everlasting (2011). This last installment is extremely heart-warming and very moving. It is a powerful story of friendship, losing your way and then finding the courage to create a new one. Throughout all of her books, the author includes special quotes from famous people that open up each chapter. Each quote really does make the reader think and adds a nice touch to this already funny, perceptive, and moving series. (Recommended for grades 8 and up.)
