The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
By: Ann Brashares

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants is a story about four teenage girls, the Septembers. The girls’ moms were in an exercise class together specifically for pregnant women, these women were known as the Septembers, since they were all due in September, this name later carried on to their daughters who had all been best friends since birth. Thier names are Carmen, Lena, Tibby, and Bridget. The summer of sophomore year in high school Carmen was at a thrift store, after browsing around the store she found a pair of pants, just an ordinary pair of blue jeans, she didn't think anything of them, little did she know they would become a huge part of the September’s summer. When the girls were all hanging out one day, they rediscovered the pants, each girl tried them on, feeling insecure that the pants wouldn't fit them, but magically the pants fit each girl although they each had different body types. This was the first summer that all of the girls would be completely separate, each going across the country and across the world for a summer full of adventure. Carmen traveled to her dad’s house in North Carolina, Bridget who goes by Bee traveled to Baja, California to attend a soccer camp, Lena traveled to her grandparent’s home in Greece, and Tibby began her first summer job making a short film. The girls decided when they were hanging out before they went their separate ways for the summer that they would pass around the pants and send them to one another throughout the summer. Besides writing letters to eachother, this would sort of be a way for them to keep in touch with each other and to bring their friendship closer together, even though it sounds weird considering it's a pair of pants. The girls came up with rules like never washing the pants, and never double cuffing the pants because it's tacky. The pants went through the ups and downs of each girl’s summer, whether it be Carmen finding out about her father getting married, or Lena meeting a boy in Greece. The pants, as silly as it sounds, created an inseperable bond between the girls. I would recommend this book because it is a fun and relatable story of four teenage girls, that always has excitement in it. This book connects to the American culture because it shows the diversity throughout the four girls. Each girl is different in their own way but have a bond like no other. Carmen and Lena demonstrate the importance of family and exploration. Tibby shows the importance of creativity and helping others when she creates a film based on a girl named Bailey she met, who had luekemia.  Lastly, Bridget shows the importance of sports and recreation, having fun, and just letting go. The four girls also demonstrate the importance of frienship, travel, and adventure, three major things that play a role in American culture.