Two great books to add to the kids' summer reading lists-- and your own!

In Savvy, Mibs (short for Mississippi) is coming up on her 13th birthday, an exciting milestone in a family that develops a special magical talent at age 13. Mibs’ mother’s talent is being perfect (imagine living up to that!) and her older brother Rocket has influence over storms and electricity. Mibs can’t wait to find out what her savvy will be—but when her dad is in a car accident that lands him in a coma, she knows exactly what she wishes it will be! Her need to help her father propels her into an adventure full of surprises and tough lessons. Savvy was a Newbery Honor Book in 2009.

Scumble chronicles the 13th year of Mibs’ cousin Ledger 9 years later. Ledger’s savvy seems to be too much to handle, so he’s sent to live at the family ranch until he can learn to scumble, which means to balance out his talent so it doesn’t overpower his life. His older cousin Rocket, who’s still frightened of his own potential danger to others, stays in an electricity-free sod cabin at the ranch, and Ledger lives in fear of him and also of being like him; too dangerous to live in the wider world. Ledger meets Sarah Jane, the 13-year old daughter of a banker who’s threatening to foreclose on the ranch. She’s an aspiring tabloid writer, single-handedly ferreting out peculiarities and oddities and serving them up in lurid headlines in her home-made newspaper. When Sarah Jane sniffs out the strange goings-on at the ranch, Ledger makes it his mission to keep her from learning about his family’s secrets, but his efforts keep backfiring.

These books will capture the imagination of all the kids who fantasized about getting an invitation to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry on their eleventh birthday. Getting your savvy—and learning to scumble it--are great metaphors for the tumultuous magic of adolescent development. Savvy and Scumble are intended for the 9-12 crowd, but would be fun and satisfying for anyone who loves good children’s fantasy writing.