The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
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| Author | Ann Brashares |
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| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Young adult novel |
| Publisher | Delacorte Books |
| Released | 2001 |
| Media Type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 320 pp |
| ISBN | ISBN 0385729332 |
| Followed by | The Second Summer of the Sisterhood |
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants is a novel written in 2001 by Ann Brashares. The story is about four best friends, who have their first summer apart in all of their sixteen years. Then, when a magical pair of jeans comes into their life, their summer turns upside down. It was adapted into a film of the same name in 2005. Two sequels have been published, The Second Summer of the Sisterhood and Girls in Pants: The Third Summer of the Sisterhood.
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[edit] Plot summary
In the first novel in the series, it is established that the Sisterhood includes four virtual "sisters": Bridget Vreeland, Carmen Lowell, Lena Kaligaris, and Tibby Rollins. They find a pair of pants that fit all four, even though they are all different sizes. To keep in touch with each other during their summer vacation they pass the pants along. First they go to Lena, who is in Greece with her grandparents. Lena sends the pants to Tibby, who is stuck at home. Then Tibby sends them to Carmen, who is with her dad for the summer. Then she sends them to Bridget, who is at soccer camp in Mexico. And then it goes back the other way: Bridget to Carmen to Tibby to Lena. When each wears the pants, she gains insight into her life and is emboldened to change it.
Each of the girls' stories is different and fits their characteristics.
[edit] Characters
[edit] The Sisterhood
- Lena Kaligaris, whom they sometimes call Lenny, is a beautiful, quiet, and shy artist of Greek heritage. She has a younger sister Effie. Brashares based Lena on the Greek myth of Artemis, the proud, boy-hating goddess of the hunt who, when spotted bathing by a suitor, turned the young man into a stag. When she goes to Santorini, Greece, to visit her grandparents for the first time, she meets Kostos, whom she is set up with by her grandmother. She does not like him at first, but later starts to fall in love with him, and he with her.
- Tabitha Anastasia "Tibby" Tomko-Rollins is the rebellious daughter of former radicals. She is extremely interested in filmmaking. Tibby lives with her parents and two younger siblings, Nicky and Katherine. She sets out to make a film about losers (her own genre, called the "suckumentary"), and instead finds her way of thinking turned upside down by a 12-year-old girl with leukemia, Bailey Graffman. Bailey teaches her that everyone has a little "loser" in them. Bailey also shows her how to look on the bright side of life.
- Bridget "Bee" Vreeland is the bold, energetic athletic soccer star, who is described as "single minded to the point of recklessness." She is the daughter of a southern belle and former history professor. Her mother committed suicide when she was about twelve, and she is still grieving from her death. Bridget has a twin brother named Pervis "Perry." She seeks out Eric, a coach at her summer soccer camp. It is forbidden that the two intermingle socially, but it does not stop her from seeking him out relentlessly until she gets what she thinks she wants.
- Carmen Lucille Lowell, whom they sometimes call Carma and Carmabelle(her IM name) is the sensitive and caring half-Puerto Rican with the bad temper. Her parents are divorced, and she lives with her mother, Christina. She is the organized one, but sometimes she thinks too much. She is the one most insistent on keeping the sisters together through the Traveling Pants, which were first found by her. She is the "glue" keeping the Sisterhood together. She visits her father in South Carolina only to learn he has a life without her now. She half-heartedly decides to give the new family a chance, but after what she perceives as constant letdowns by her father, she snaps.
[edit] In Santorini, Greece
- Effie Kaligaris is Lena's fourteen-year-old sister. Although not as beautiful as her sister, she is outgoing and spirited, and she has more experience with boys than Lena. Effie's character did not appear in the movie version of the book.
- Valia and Bapi Kaligaris are Lena and Effie's grandparents. Valia is talkative and spirited, like Effie, while Bapi is quiet and introspective like Lena.
- Kostos Dounas lives with his grandparents in Santorini. Lena falls in love with him eventually. He was played by Michael Rady in the movie version.
[edit] In Bethesda
- Bailey Graffman is a twelve-year-old girl who befriends Tibby and assists her on her documentary film. She was played by Jenna Boyd in the movie version.
- Brian McBrian is a video game aficonado who spends hours every day playing Dragon Master at 7-Eleven. He is the first person interviewed for Tibby's documentary. He was played by Leonardo Nam in the movie version.
- Duncan Howe is the assistant manager at Wallmans, where Tibby works. Duncan is labelled by Tibby as a loser and was one of the stars of her 'suckumentary'.
[edit] Family members of the Sisterhood
- Mr. Kaligaris is Lena's strict Greek father. He doesn't approve of Lena's interest in art—especially when he catches her doing nude art in The Second Summer Of The Sisterhood.
- Ariadne 'Ari' Kaligaris is Lena's mother. She's always caught between her husband's and daughter's squabbles.
- Effie Kaligaris is Lena's extroverted sister. Effie gives Lena courage and comfort at times when the Sisterhood isn't there.
- Mr.Vreeland is Bridget's father. He isn't very close to Bridget.
- Marly Randolph Vreeland is Bridget's late mother. Marly left a hole in the first group of Septembers when she died, and has made it hard for them to bridge the gap since.
- Perry Vreeland is Bridget's twin brother who shared a childhood with the Sisterhood and grew up to be a reclusive teenager.
- Christina Lowell is Carmen's single mother who cares a lot for her daughter but in Carmen's opinion, tries a little too hard sometimes.
- Mr. Rollins is Tibby's dad. He isn't a major character in the book or movie.
- Alice Tomko-Rollins is Tibby's mom, who had been a young hippie while Tibby was young.
- Nicky and Katherine Rollins are Tibby's younger siblings. In the book, Nicky is the older of the two, but in the movie, Katherine is already a toddler while Nicky is still a baby.
[edit] In South Carolina
- Al Lowell is Carmen's father. When Carmen arrives for a visit, he surprises her with the news that he is engaged to Lydia.
- Lydia Rodman is Al's fiancée. Lydia is a perfectionist and wants everything orderly, which doesn't appeal to Carmen.. She has two children from her previous marriage, Paul and Krista.
- Paul Rodman has an alcoholic father. Brashares has hinted at a relationship between him and Carmen, but has yet to elaborate on this theme.
- Krista Rodman comes to visit Carmen in the second book. She wants to be like Carmen. Krista is blonde and petite and extremely well-mannered but decides to become her own person in the second book instead of who her mom wants her to be.
[edit] In Baja California
- Eric Richman is a college sophomore and coach at Bridget's soccer camp. Bridget falls in love with him. He was played by Mike Vogel in the movie version.
- Molly Brevin is the coach of Bridget's team, Los Tacos. During games she frequently makes Bridget play defense or even sit out when she thinks that Bridget is showing off.
- Diana is a friend that Bridget makes at camp. She is African American and reappears in the third book. Diana is played by Erica Hubbard in the movie version.
[edit] In Alabama
- Greta Randolph is Bridget's grandmother who, like her mother, suffers from diabetes. Greta was cut off from Bridget because of her bad relationship with Bridget's father. Greta takes Bridget in during Bridget's stay in Alabama in the Second Summer. She helps Bridget discover her mother's past.
- Billy Kline is Bridget's childhood friend and summer romance. He used to be her best friend when she was in Alabama during summers when Marly was still alive.
[edit] Film, TV or theatrical adaptations
[edit] External links
- Sisterhood Central from Random House
[edit] Novels in the series
The novels in the series are:
- The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (ISBN 0-385-72933-2, hardcover, 2001)
- The Second Summer of the Sisterhood (ISBN 0-385-73243-0, hardcover, 2004)
- Girls in Pants: The Third Summer of the Sisterhood (ISBN 0-385-72935-9, hardcover, 2005)
- Forever in Blue: The Fourth Summer of the Sisterhood (To be released January 9 2007)
