The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants: The Perfect Summer Read


For my very last blog post, I really wanted to read a book that had summer vibes, because I am so ready for summer break! While I was researching some books to read, I stumbled across this title. In case you’ve heard of it before, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants was adapted into a popular movie as well!


The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants is about four teenage girls who’ve been friends since they were babies – Carmen, Tibby, Bailey (called Bee), and Lena. They are all feeling pretty glum as summer break starts, as this is their first summer apart from each other. Carmen is visiting her dad, Bee is going to a soccer camp, Lena is visiting her grandparents in Greece, and Tibby is staying home. That’s when they discover a pair of magical pants! These pants seem pretty normal at first glance, just a pair of blue jeans. However, they fit all four girls (who have very different body types) perfectly. They decide to mail the Pants to each other throughout the course of the summer to stay connected. This book explores lots of coming of age themes through topics like heartache, grief, love, regret, anger, and family issues.


The first one who gets the Pants is Lena in Greece. Lena has a bit of a difficult relationship with her grandparents, as they mostly speak Greek and she only speaks English. In addition to this, her grandmother is determined to set her up with a Greek boy named Kostos, until something a huge misunderstanding happens. This misunderstanding makes things pretty uncomfortable between Lena and her family. With Lena, readers learn about overcoming fears, love, and accountability.


Next is Tibby, who is spending her summer working at a local dollar store. She is very lonely, as all her friends are having fun around the world. She makes an unexpected friendship with an adventurous, sassy girl, who is also unfortunately terminally ill. With Tibby, readers explore grief, friendship, and putting things in perspective. 


Carmen in South Carolina gets the pants next. She was actually looking forward to spending time in South Carolina with her dad, because she doesn’t get to see him often (her parents are separated). But when she finally gets there, she receives a nasty surprise that flips her summer upside down. With Carmen, we learn about openness, forgiveness, and acceptance. 


Lastly, Bee gets the pants at her soccer camp in Mexico. Bee is a very outgoing and unafraid girl, who doesn’t care about bending the rules (or breaking them completely). However, these qualities sometimes land her in serious trouble. With Bridget, we explore heartbreak, emotional distress, and controlling impulsive decisions. 


Overall, I really liked this book, and I highly recommend it! It was entertaining and fulfilling. There were a couple parts of this book that I didn’t enjoy that much, specifically in Bridget’s storyline (it’s about her trying to seduce a coach who is older than her at the camp). But I loved the rest of the girls’ stories, and this book definitely has the summer vibes I was looking for. This book is actually part of a 5-book series, making it perfect for binging over summer break. I’m definitely going to read the next books over break!


I can’t believe this is my last blog post, the year has gone by so fast! This has been a really great year of reading books, and thanks so much for reading my blog posts.


- Arshia

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