"Scumble" by Ingrid Law

400 pages

In "Savvy," we read about the wild adventure Mibs had after she turned thirteen and gained her "savvy"--the special, unique power everyone in her family gets when they become teenagers. Now, in "Scumble," it's nine years later and Mibs' cousin Ledger is trying to adjust to his own savvy. He's feeling pretty disappointed about it because instead of a "cool" savvy like the ability to shift mountains, mind-reading, or the power to control electricity, Ledger's savvy is more of a pain than a power: things just fall apart when he's around. His parents decide he should spend the summer on his grandfather's ranch in Wyoming instead of their home in Indiana so he has some space to adjust to his savvy and can learn from his relatives. Before long, it's become clear that Ledge's savvy is more powerful--and more difficult to control (or "scumble," as they call it)--than anyone thought. Even worse, he's being hounded by Sarah Jane Cabot, a local amateur reporter who's caught wind of his family's special talents. Now he has to keep Sarah from finding out the truth and learn to scumble his savvy before things get out of control.

I loved "Savvy," and this companion novel did not disappoint me. It's just a heart-warming, fun story--the kind of book that gives you a warm, fuzzy feeling. Ledge and his relatives obviously make mistakes, but they're so warm and supportive of each other that I want to be part of their family! I like that "Scumble" lets me know what the characters from "Savvy" are up to but puts the focus on new characters. There's not as much action in "Scumble" as the first book, but that allows for more character development so we really get to see Ledger's internal struggles and growth. I think he's a character a lot of people, kids and adults alike, can relate to. His self-esteem is totally shaken by the savvy thing and he feels like he's a disappointment to his dad, and those things resonate with a lot of people (okay, not the savvy part, but the self esteem part). The end is predictable but satisfying. Overall, a very pleasing sequel!