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books about journeys
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
by Ann Brashares
Could a pair of jeans have magical powers? Carmen, Lena, Tibby and Bridget think so. The four friends are wildly
different in size, shape, and personality, but a pair of thriftstore jeans fit, flatter, and empower
each of the teens. In fact, as they try the pants on--one after another--they feel that anything might be
possible. The pants couldn't have come at a better time. This is the first summer they'll be apart. Lena will visit her
grandparents in Greece. Bridget is on her way to soccer camp in Baja. Carmen has been invited to stay with
her father in another city, and Tibby is dreading the thought of spending the summer at a dumb summer job without
her good friends. They make a pact: the magical pants will travel among them throughout the summer. They all will
be able to feel like the goddesses they are during part of the long summer ahead. Such an imaginative
set-up for a novel! Readers follow the pants into the lives of these engaging girls. We watch them
face difficult situations, deal with the consequences of their actions, discover new stores of inner
strength, and learn about the power of true friendship. Without moralizing, author Ann Brashares weaves in
delicious ideas about celebrating our differences and loving ourselves as we are.
The Saskiad
by Brian Hall
 Although published for an adult audience, I believe that mature teens will
devour this tale because it is subtle, heart-breakingly honest, and travels
more deeply than most YA titles dare. Saskia is the protagonist here -- an
imaginative yet lonely girl who is trapped on a farm outside of Ithaca, New York.
To kill time and keep herself sane, Saskia reads Homer and dreams of adventures.
She also yearns for her father, who abandoned Saskia and her mother when Saskia
was very young. Her dreams for adventure begin to take root in reality when she
receives a postcard from her mysterious father, requesting that she join him on
an important journey. Truly, this is a mythical, magical, epic coming-of-age tale.
Author Brian Hall does an exquisite job of capturing an intelligent teen in mid-bloom.
Chasing Redbird
by Sharon Creech
 When Zinnia discovers a hidden, overgrown path near her house,
she decides to follow where it leads. Little does she know that
she is beginning a journey that will take her through the brambles
of her family's past. Creech's tale is vibrant and bursting with
fresh language. She hooked me on the first page.
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