Forever In Blue

November 20, 2006
Carmen, Lena, Bridget and Tibby may not be forever in blue jeans, but they do share the Traveling Pants for at least one more summer. Fans rejoin the foursome just after their freshman year in college. Carmen is attending a summer theater program in Vermont, where she unexpectedly lands a plum role and must contend with her roommate's attempts to sabotage her performance. Enrolled in a summer painting class at Rhode Island School of Design, Lena falls for a fellow student and also receives a surprise visit (his specialty) from Kostos, her former Greek beau. On an archeological dig in Turkey, Bridget finds herself attracted to a professor (who's married). And Tibby, in the most poignant story line, becomes reclusive while taking film classes at NYU, and breaks up with her devoted boyfriend, Brian, after their first sexual encounter results in a pregnancy scare. Brashares credibly recounts the emotional turmoil surrounding the girls' love, peer and family tribulations. There is just passing mention of "the Pants" and their special powers until novel's end, when the jeans, through a rather unlikely set of circumstances, disappear in Greece—an event that bands the four friends together in a countrywide search. The series' legion followers will eagerly follow each gal through her summer of ups and downs and will again be heartened by the teens' rock-solid friendship. Ages 12-up.

May 1, 2007
Gr 8 Up -Forever in Blue (Delacorte, 2007), Ann Brashares' fourth excursion into the world of the Traveling Pants, is crisp and unexpectedly poignant at times, dealing with issues relevant to teens. Tibby has a pregnancy scare and pushes her long-time boyfriend away. Lena makes a definite break with Kostas and spreads her wings both metaphorically and physically with a fellow art student. Bridget contemplates a fling with a married professor and works on drawing her estranged family into her life. Carmen attends theater camp and lands a plum role. The girls have only phone calls, e-mails, and the Traveling Pants to tie them together, until Lena's sister loses the Pants in Greece. The crisis brings them all together. They finally realize that the Pants are not really important. The narration is performed splendidly by Angela Goethals, who perfectly voices Tibby's numbness, Lena's newfound confidence, Bridget's confusion, and Carmen's despondence. Sure to be wildly popular in both school and public libraries, but as both Tibby and Lena take the bold step of losing their virginity (without graphic descriptions), this installment is appropriate for more mature listeners.Charli Osborne, Oxford Public Library, Oxford, MI

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