Savvy by Ingrid Law

          I have never been a big fan of fantasy except for Stephen King books.........but never the less I read this book to the end because I wanted to see what was going to happen next. This Newberry Honor Book is full of surprises.The Beaumont family consisting of mom, dad and five children is special because when they turn thirteen, they get their "savvy." A "savvy" is a special power: one child can produce high winds and cause a lot of damage like a hurricane, another can cause all sorts of electrical problems and the main character, Mississippi (Mibs) Beaumont can hear what someone is thinking through any ink they have on their body (like a tatoo, even a temporary one).
          Mibs grandad used to be able to move mountains when he was younger, and her grandmother could reach out and grab a song or t.v interview out of the air and "can" it in a mason jar so that she could crack the lid and listen anytime she wanted to. Mib's mothers' savvy was being "perfect." Anything she went to do was perfect which wasn't always so great either. But Mib's poppa was the only one who was "normal" and didn't have a savvy. The Beaumont family lives in the middle of Kansas and Nebraska, and their poppa is involved in a terrible car accident and is taken to Salina, Kansas.The majority of this story takes place over the course of two days, with Mibs and her family trying to get to Salina because Poppa isn't waking up and Mibs thinks that her new savvy can help to wake him.
          Mibs and her family and friends get into all sorts of trouble trying to get to Poppa and help him wake up. Finally they make it there but no one is sure Poppa is going to make it. Finally Mibs remembers that Poppa has a faded tattoo and she tries to make him hear her through this, and she can hear him faintly too. Finally he does wake up, but he is never the same again.........he has his good days and his bad. One day, Mibs mother writes a recipe on the back of her hand and Mibs finds out that her mother is going to have another baby. So the books ends on a high note. This is an interesting idea and does keep the readers attention; it is full of underlying, hidden meaning and would be more appropriate for at least fourth grade and up. I loved some of the ideas the author came up with like canning your favorite music so that you could listen to it at another time, but I do think a savvy could be a curse too. I am not sure that I would want to hear other people's thoughts all day just because they had ink on them somewhere. There are no pictures in this book and it is long, but it is a fast read. You can visit the author at: http://www.ingridlaw.com/.