Module 8: Savvy by Ingrid Law

Law, I. (2008). Savvy. New York: Dial Books for Young Readers.

Summary

Mississippi "Mibs" Beaumont is ready to celebrate her thirteenth birthday, and while this milestone is special for most young adults, to the Beaumont family, it is especially so.  On a Beaumont's 13th birthday, they discover what their savvy, or special power, is.  Unfortunately, Mibs's special day is tainted by misfortune when her father ends up in a horrible car accident.  Mibs is left to navigate this exciting but scary time without either of her parents.  In an effort to utilize her newfound savvy to help save her father, Mibs finds herself on a crazy adventure where she discovers more about herself, her family, and newfound friends than she ever imagined possible.

Impressions and opinion of the book

Were one to try and identify Ingrid Law's savvy, they would undoubtedly land upon the author's uncanny ability to paint a story with her words that are as vibrant as the colors on the dust jacket. She blends time honored colloquialisms with new metaphors and similes smooth enough to become part of Kansaska-Nebransas's own special dialect.

Law's protagonist is a strong, female character, kind yet steadfast, and unwilling to sit idly by. Heroes come in multiple shapes and sizes, and sometimes, enemies turn to friends. Despite her savvy, Mibs is not perfect.  Still, she continues to try and persevere, and when her hope runs low, she has family and friends nearby to encourage her.  This enchanting story is a refreshing reminder that life may not always take us where we expect it to, but sometimes, the twists and turns make it better than we could ever have imagined on our own.

Full-Text Review

Mibs can’t wait for her 13th birthday, when her special gift, or “savvy,” will awaken. Everyone in her family—except beloved Papa, who married in—has one, from Grandpa Bomba’s ability to move mountains (literally) to Great Aunt Jules’s time-traveling sneezes. What will hers be? Not what she wants, it turns out, but definitely what she needs when the news that a highway accident has sent her father to the ICU impels her to head for the hospital aboard a Bible salesman’s old bus. Sending her young cast on a zigzag odyssey through the “Kansaska-Nebransas” heartland, Law displays both a fertile imagination (Mibs’s savvy is telepathy, but it comes with a truly oddball caveat) and a dab hand for likable, colorful characters. There are no serious villains here, only challenges to be met, friendships to be made and some growing up to do on the road to a two-hanky climax. A film is already in development, and if it lives up to this marvel-laden debut, it’ll be well worth seeing. (Fantasy. 10-13)
Kirkus (2008). [Review of the book Savvy by I. Law]. Retrieved from  https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/ingrid-law-2/savvy/

Library Uses

Ingrid Law manages to bring words to life in Savvy.  This text would have a wealth of beautiful examples of metaphors and similes to share with students.  Once familiar with the mentor text, other examples could be brought in, maybe even showing how authors of legends, myths, and tall tales steep their works with such language.  Once comfortable with them, students would have fun trying to create their own.