The Pants first came to us at the perfect moment. That is, when we were splitting up for the first time. It was two summers ago when they first worked their magic, and last summer when they shook up our lives once again. You see, we don’t wear the Pants year-round. We let them rest so they are extra powerful when summer comes. (There was the time this spring when Carmen wore them to her mom’s wedding, but that was a special case.)
Now we’re facing our last summer together. In September we go to college. And it’s not like one of those TV shows where all of us magically turn up at the same college. We’re going to four different colleges in four different cities (but all within four hours of one another—that was our one rule). We’re headed off to start our real lives.
Tomorrow night at Gilda’s we’ll launch the Pants on their third summer voyage. Tomorrow begins the time of our lives. It’s when we’ll need our Pants the most.
Girls in Pants: The Third Summer of the Sisterhood FROM OUR EDITORS The Barnes & Noble Review
Since publication of The Second Summer of the Sisterhood in 2003, readers have waited with bated breath for the third uplifting installment of Ann Brashares' blockbuster series. At last, the Traveling Pants are back! Filled with changes, surprises, and -- of course -- friendship, this appealing page-turner follows the four friends through the last eventful summer before they head off to college. Beginning with the ceremonial unfolding-of-the-Pants, Brashares dives headfirst into the complicated lives of the four girls: Carmen, who is now taking care of Lena's grandmother and dealing with a new development at home; Lena, whose plans for art school might be thwarted by her father; Bridget, who finds an unexpected surprise at the soccer camp where she is working; and insecure Tibby, who discovers in herself untapped reserves of strength. In this touching and heartfelt story, Brashares sends her likable characters off in several directions; but, as always, she ultimately brings them together in an affirmation of friendship. And, while it remains to be seen what further adventures await the girls as they leave for their different schools, one thing is sure: Fans of the Traveling Pants will continue to savor every twist and turn in this inspiring series. Shana Taylor ANNOTATION The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants graduates from high school and spends their last summer before college learning about life and themselves.
FROM THE PUBLISHER It's the summer before the sisterhood departs for college...their last real summer together before they head off to start their grown-up lives. It's the time when they need their Pants the most.
Tibby: Learns that the Pants have always known what she hasn't about Brian, and clings to them tightly -- while others around her leap headfirst.
Carmen: Needs all the Pants magic possible, now that she's agreed to watch Lena's cranky Greek grandmother for the entire summer. Not to mention that she's pretending to be someone she's not -- to someone who could really matter....
Lena: Wishes the Pants could tell her whether going to art school is the dream she should follow, even if it means her family won't support her.
Bridget: Is especially glad to have the Pants at soccer camp when she finds out who her fellow coach is.
In this breathtaking novel, which brims with sunshine and sorrow, courage and happiness, Ann Brashares takes readers on an amazing journey into a summer that will change everything for the girls and their cherished magical Pants. FROM THE CRITICS Publishers Weekly Fans of the Traveling Pants series will be delighted to welcome back the four lifelong friends as they face their last summer together before separating for college. Though each girl has her own problems-and her own romance-to deal with, the quartet is there for each other, as are the magical pants that look good on them all (even if the pants themselves take a back seat in this installment). The author expertly splices together each friend's struggle with growing up: Bee's first love turns up as a fellow soccer coach at the summer camp where she is also coaching, Carmen's mother is expecting a new baby, Lena's father, as punishment for her sneaking off to an art class, will not pay for her education at Rhode Island art School of Design and Tibby is afraid when a longtime friendship turns into romance. Though readers new to the series may have trouble catching on to the back story, and a couple of plot points strain credibility (e.g., Tibby becomes Carmen's mother's last-minute labor coach), the girls are once again wonderfully drawn, with all their realistic faults. Readers will laugh as tough Carmen faces off with a police officer who stops her on her way to the hospital, and be touched when Lena draws a portrait of her recently widowed grandmother. Even in moments that edge toward melodrama (such as a parting shot of the four friends holding hands as they face the ocean surf), it's the girls' genuine love and tenderness that will win readers over and make them envious of the friends' strong bond. Ages 12-up. (Jan.) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
Children's Literature - Susie Wilde
Billed as the YA Ya-Ya sisters this series has many devoted fans who will have to have the third installment to find out what is going on with their favorite heroines as the four faithful friends get ready for college. Bridget's off at soccer camp co-coaching with her past love, Brian, and she is thinking more about him than college. Artistic Lena's father has caught her drawing a nude model and has decided an art education is not the thing for her . . . so she has to figure out how to get herself funded at the Rhode Island School of Design. Carmen is concerned about going all the way to Williams College when her mother and new husband are having a baby . . . does she really want to leave a hole that's so easily filled, or maybe she'd go to a local school? Tibby begins her summer by finally accepting Brian's physical attentions . . . but now what? This is the last summer before they will take off in different directions. As usual this is fast-paced, addictive reading. 2005, Delacorte, Ages 11 up. KLIATT - Claire Rosser
Fans of this delightful series of books will eagerly grab this third part. (It has been announced that a movie will be made of this series and released in the summer of 2005, which will only encourage more readership.) To recap: it concerns four friends, four families, linked by a lifetime of memories and also by a magical pair of pants that brings out the best in the girl wearing them. This third summer of the sisterhood is the summer after graduation, before the friends—Tibby, Bee, Lena and Carmen—separate and go to college, so there is a bittersweet quality to the story. Each girl is a thoughtful, articulate, attractive person with her own set of talents and interests; connecting them all is the friendship they treasure. They may get their feelings hurt, they may stagger around in despair, they may be confused, they may be celebrating and happy—they are absolutely believable characters. As they pursue their activities this third summer, they frequently are in touch with one another, which is how the reader finds out what's going on in each life. It's best to start with the first book, but each book is equally enjoyable. KLIATT Codes: JS*—Exceptional book, recommended for junior and senior high school students. 2005, Random House, Delacorte, 338p., Ages 12 to 18. Kirkus Reviews Tilly, Carmen, Lena and Bee are graduating from high school and heading to college-Brown, RISD, NYU, and Williams. In the summer before college, before getting on with "their real lives," the girls have the Pants to keep them connected as they go their separate ways. Brashares provides a prologue for those new to the saga, explaining the sisterhood and the magical powers of the Pants they share-one at a time, of course-during the summer. The Pants offer a kind of spiritual link between the girls, providing love, security and connectedness as they face various dramas with boys, parents, new siblings and uncertain futures. The theme of this volume is change, as the girls understand they are leaving one life behind, but in one way or another, each realizes that leaving home doesn't mean giving up home or friends. Four intersecting story lines, snappy dialogue, empathy for characters and humor make this installment as enjoyable as the others. Legions of fans will enjoy spending another summer with the girls. (Fiction. 12+)
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