The Cheesiest Story About Sisterhood and Some “Traveling Pants”

By Kristen O.

Ann Brashares is an author of young adult fiction novels, and her most popular series is the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, which is what I am reviewing. This is the type of reading theme that I like to stick to, but I can't say I enjoyed this one very much. Some of Brashares' work includes The Last Summer, My Name is Memory, and The Here and Now, which doesn't give me a good first impression anyways, so I won't go out of my way to read one of her books again.

Anyways, the story is about four girls that are best friends. Their moms became friends at their prenatal aerobics class, and they spent all of their summers together. One day, one of the girls, Carmen, bought a pair of jeans at a thrift store. The jeans aren't anything special, but they end up miraculously fitting all of the girls, and they are all different shapes and sizes. One summer, all the girls will be spending it apart. Carmen is going to South Carolina to spend the summer with her father. Lena is going to Greece with her sister, Effie, to spend the summer with their grandparents. Bridget will spend the summer at soccer camp in Baja California, Mexico. Tibby will be the only one staying in their hometown of in Bethesda, Maryland. Before they all leave, they vow to send the pants to one another to keep them close. They call them "the traveling pants". Each of these girls end up having a crappy summer because of some misfortune.

I didn't really enjoy this book, and I usually enjoy cheesy girl stuff (only when it comes to reading, for some reason). I felt like it was way too cliche, and I thought that the girls having a crappy time away from each other was kind of anticipated. I also felt like the pants weren't very symbolic, and I didn't like how it was unrealistic that the pants fit all of them.

I did think that the author portrayed girls' friendships correctly. I know that I would have a tough time being away from my best friend for the whole summer. I think that the bonds between the friends were very believable and I think the author could have definitely grasped the attention of a younger audience.

I don't recommend this book because I didn't find it very meaningful or entertaining. Just your average cheesy chick flick in book form.

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, by Ann Brashares, Delacorte Press, September 2001, 294 pages