Series Spotlight: Savvy by Ingrid Law

I recently had the chance to binge-read Ingrid Law's spectacular middle-grade Savvy Series and fell in love! Check out my series review below to learn why this is a must read series...

Savvy

(Savvy #1)

by Ingrid Law

May 1, 2008

Penguin

Thirteen is when a Beaumont’s savvy hits—and with one brother who causes hurricanes and another who creates electricity, Mibs Beaumont is eager to see what she gets. But just before the big day, Poppa is in a terrible accident. And now all Mibs wants is a savvy that will save him. In fact, Mibs is so sure she’ll get a powerful savvy that she sneaks a ride to the hospital on a rickety bus with her sibling and the preacher’s kids in tow. After this extraordinary adventure—full of talking tattoos and a kidnapping—not a soul on board will ever be the same.

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Scumble

(Savvy #2)

by Ingrid Law

August 17, 2010

Penguin

It’s nine years after Savvy, and Mibs’ cousin Ledge is on the verge of turning thirteen. More than anything, he wants the power to run like the wind. But when his birthday comes, he discovers that his savvy is actually making things fall apart. It starts out with small things, but then it gets worse. To top it all off, someone outside the family has witnessed his destruction. Now, in addition to trying to figure out how to control – or scumble – his savvy, he’s got to worry about how to protect the family secrets. Over the course of one amazing summer, Ledge learns a lot about himself and his family, makes a new – and very unlikely – friend, and learns to appreciate his newfound skills.

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Switch

(Savvy #3)

by Ingrid Law

Sept. 15, 2015

Penguin

Gypsy Beaumont has always been a whirly-twirly free spirit, so as her thirteenth birthday approaches, she hopes to get a magical ability that will let her fly, or dance up to the stars. Instead, she wakes up on her birthday with blurry vision . . . and starts seeing flashes of the future and past. But when Momma and Poppa announce that her very un-magical, downright mean Grandma Pat has Alzheimer’s and is going to move in with them, Gypsy’s savvy—along with her family’s—suddenly becomes its opposite. Now it’s savvy mayhem as Gypsy starts freezing time, and no one could have predicted what would happen on their trip to bring Grandma Pat home  . . . not even Gypsy.

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Praise for the Savvy Series

Boston Globe-Horn Book Award (Savvy)

Newbery Honor Book (Savvy)

“Readers will delight in the tall-tale tropes and Ledge’s authentic physical, emotional, and artistic challenges.” – Booklist, starred review

“The title stands alone in its fast-paced plot with twists and turns galore, and readers familiar with Savvy will eat it up and wish for more.” –School Library Journal

“Law has again told a story with as much heart as creativity.” –SLJ 

“Readers will be caught up in this snowy, magical adventure.” –Booklist 

Ingrid Law's wonderful Savvy Series consists of three books that can be read as stand-alones/companions. In Savvy, we meet Mibs and the extraordinary Beaumont family who, on their thirteenth birthday, get a special talent/skill called a savvy. Taking place a few years after the events in Savvy, Scumble introduces Ledger Kale, a cousin of the Beaumonts, whose unusual savvy brings him a grand adventure. And in the latest companion book, Switch, we return once again to the Beaumonts, 10 years after Savvy, and follow Gypsy Beaumont, who is now the proud thirteen year old owner of her very own savvy.

There is SO much to love about this series! Magic, adventure, heart, fantastic storytelling, unforgettable characters...this series has anything and everything you could want from middle-grade. There are those dynamite series that just crackle with the kind of magic created by their words and stories; those series that never fail to captivate you with their literary awesomeness, no matter how many times you read them...like the Harry Potter series, the Percy Jackson series, the Chronicles of Narnia. Ingrid Law's Savvy series is most definitely THAT kind of series! 

Every page of Savvy, Scumble, and Switch sparkles and shines! Law is a stellar storyteller, whose writing is full of whimsy, wit, and wonder. Law's unique language has this way of charming you with its lyrical flow and whimsical nature. This series is dripping with so much creativity and imagination. Young readers will be absolutely fascinated by the idea of a savvy and have so much fun joining Mibs, Ledger, and Gypsy on their enthralling adventures...and Savvy, Scumble, and Switch all have lots and lots of adventure! 

Law's series is bursting with magic, laughs, and thrills, but at its core, this series is all heart: from family to friendship, finding oneself, discovering the extraordinary parts within everyone, and celebrating being unique. And much of that heart comes from Law's irresistible and unforgettable characters. Readers will fall in love with these characters and want to visit them again and again!

Of course, one cannot read this series and not wonder what their savvy would be. Since a savvy tends to coincide with someone's personality and nature, I *think* my savvy would be the ability to whip up yummy cupcakes in any situation and from any ingredients on hand...how fun and awesome would that be?!

my final thoughts: I love love love this series! Ingrid Law has spun three wondrous stories and crafted one phenomenal series. Readers young and not-so-young will be enchanted by Savvy, Scumble, and Switch!

MY RATING 

(for the whole series)

5/5 yummy cupcakes

Ingrid Law is the New York Times bestselling author of two novels for young readers, Savvy and Scumble. Ingrid’s books have been placed on more than 30 state reading lists, and have earned accolades from Publishers Weekly, Oprah’s reading list, the Today Show’s Al Roker’s Book Club for Kids, and the Smithsonian. Savvy was named a Newbery Honor book in 2009. Ingrid is a huge fan of words and stories, of small towns and big ideas. She lives in Colorado, where she writes full time.