Savvy

When a child in Mibs Beaumont’s family turns thirteen, they gain a savvy, an inherited superpower that can range from mundane to magnificent, such as her mother embodying effortless perfection or her brother creating life-threatening hurricanes. With no idea what her savvy will be, Mibs needs all the support she can get, but just two days before her thirteenth birthday, a car crash changes everything.  

Suddenly, Mibs’ dad is in a coma, and her mom is out of state watching over him, leaving Mibs without parental support on her big day. But in her darkest moment, Mibs’ thirteenth birthday brings the solution to all her problems. Her savvy is to wake people up. Convinced only she can save her dad, Mibs will do anything to reach him as soon as possible. Mibs becomes a secret stowaway in the back of a delivery driver’s van, along with her brothers, Fish and Samson, and her neighbors, Bobbi and Will Junior.  

But as she travels across the country, Mibs realizes she may be in over her head, and her savvy may be another power entirely. While her father’s health may be out of her control, the journey teaches Mibs more about herself and her personal relationships with others. She feels like an outsider in her small town, but maybe she is just looking for belonging in the wrong place.  

Mibs is a brave and headstrong young girl, determined to save her dad no matter what obstacle stands in her way. However, in pursuit of her goals, she occasionally makes dangerous and ill-conceived choices. For example, Mibs hitchhikes a ride in the back of a stranger’s van without telling any adults. While the driver, Lester, turns out to be a good person, Mibs did not know that at the time. Readers may disapprove of her reckless decision-making, as her actions could have endangered not just herself, but also her brothers and neighbors. However, considering the stress of her situation and her naiveté at such a young age, Mibs remains a deeply sympathetic character that is easy to root for. 

Will is a year older than Mibs and serves as her love interest. In contrast to Mibs’ classmates, who often tease and isolate her, Will does not make Mibs feel strange and “freakish.” Instead, he makes her feel rather special and gifted. He is kind and clearly has romantic feelings for Mibs. Even when she feels too young to reciprocate, Will accepts the rejection in stride and remains positive and supportive, teaching readers the importance of accepting others’ boundaries.  

Will’s older sister, Bobbi, fills a somewhat antagonistic role. She is a stereotypical angry teen, prone to lashing out at others without justification. For example, she makes fun of Mibs’ birthday dress and kicks Fish. While her antics may annoy some readers, Bobbi has occasional moments of vulnerability, such as thinking about her loneliness, that make her rebellious nature come off as insecurity rather than genuine meanness. Readers will learn to not judge someone by their appearance because they may be going through hidden struggles.   

Savvy is told from Mibs’ point of view. She acts like an authentic thirteen-year-old, who occasionally makes misjudgments that the reader will know are wrong long before Mib catches up. For example, Mibs hears Bobbi’s thoughts, and it becomes clear her savvy is not “waking others” but mind reading. Yet, for a significant chunk of the book, Mibs ignores the evidence in favor of what she wants to believe. Despite her good intentions, Mibs ends up accomplishing the opposite of her goal – to protect her family. The desire to help a loved one clouds her judgment, ironically putting more loved ones (her brother and friends) in danger. 

While Mibs’ personal relationships are the heart of the book and keep the reader emotionally invested in the story, they are not the main focus. Savvy is a journey of self-discovery. Mibs learns what her power is, both in terms of her savvy and her independence. For a book about superpowers, the stakes are relatively low. Instead, the conflict derives from a much more intimate, personal scale, allowing the reader to understand Savvy’s characters better. Savvy feels like a realistic, grounded portrayal of how a family would handle superpowers. They go about their daily lives, occasionally receiving assistance and experiencing societal ostracization along the way, but they are mostly normal people.  

This book has won the Newbery Honor and was a runner-up for the Indian Paintbrush Book Award, with its success extending to two spin-off books. Although this book was published in 2010, it remains relevant today due to its timeless story. Through a flawed yet compassionate protagonist, Savvy tackles mature themes, such as the loss of a parent. He demonstrates a girl growing into herself while avoiding the pitfalls of growing up too quickly.  

Sexual Content    

• Will Junior has a crush on Mibs, as seen through his attentiveness. For example, Mibs observes that “Will always seemed to be walking on our heels or watching us when he was supposed to be praying. One time he even gave me his own cup of juice.”  
• Likewise, Mibs has a crush on Will Junior, as seen through her jealousy. Mibs states that she doesn’t “like the way Ashley kept staring at Will, or the way her staring at him bothered” her.  Ashley is Mibs’ mean classmate.  
• In a pool, Will Junior kisses Mibs, then her brother asks Will to stop. Mibs describes, “Then [Will Junior] moved forward and his lips touched mine, quick and awkward with the taste of chlorine and salt, like maybe he’d just slipped and bumped his face into mine accidentally.”  
• Mibs later tells Will Junior that she likes him, too, but is unwilling to be in a relationship due to their age. He supports her decision and decides to wait for her.  
• Will Junior was born out of wedlock and then secretly raised by his grandparents. Mibs describes, “I might have been wrong in believing that Will Junior was Bobbi’s brother. Will had a secret. Now I knew his secret.”  

Violence    

• After drawing on Will Junior’s hand, Mibs discovers that when ink touches a person’s skin, she can read their mind. Mibs panics, so Fish attacks Will Junior. Fish “spun him around, clocking him hard and fast in the eye with his fist. . . Bobbi joined the scuffle, climbing over the seats and throwing herself at Fish, scratching his cheek with her fingernails.” The fight ends when Fish finally understands why Mibs is scared and spits “a big, thick wad of juicy spit right into Will Junior’s hand. ‘Eww, man!’ Will hollered out in disgust.” The comedically chaotic fight lasts three pages, with no characters getting injured aside from scrapes and bruises. 
• The group takes a detour at a restaurant, where they encounter the manager, Ozzie, being rude to one of the waitresses. After Ozzie fires the waitress and throws her final paycheck across the ground, Samson “leaned forward from his hidey-hole behind the counter and bit The Great and Powerful Ozzie hard on the leg.” The extent of Ozzie’s injuries is unknown, as the group immediately flees the scene. However, Samson’s mouth is not bloody, so readers can assume they were superficial.  

  Drugs and Alcohol    

• None 

Language   

•  None   

Supernatural   

• Mibs and her family have supernatural abilities. For example, Mibs can read minds and Fish can create storms. Mibs once reads Will Junior’s mind, where he hints at having a secret.   

Spiritual Content    

• The van driver, Lester, delivers Bibles, and Will Junior’s grandfather is a pastor.   
• Overwhelmed with her new savvy, Mibs begs God to take it away. “I tried making a deal with God. I vowed that I would eat my green beans without complaint. . . If only I could stop hearing voices when someone nearby had ink on their skin.”   

by Kerry Lum