The Sisterhood of Traveling PantsAnn BrasharesWhen one pair of jeans manages to work on four different best friends and make each look unique and special, that's when that you know you are in possession of a truly remarkable garment. The pants in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, by Ann Brashares, are what make the book complete. Even if this novel is a “girly” book; it's what makes the characters more endearing, the plot interesting in an almost chatty way, and the theme, which is the importance of friendship. The characters are endearing. Carmen is the most caring of the four friends and recognizes the importance of friendship more than the others. Carmen is half Puerto Rican and half white, she lives with her single Latina mother. Throughout the book, she must feel replaced when she discovers that her father is engaged to a white woman who already has two teenage children. Bridget is an athlete, spending her summer at a soccer camp in Mexico. She is impulsive and reckless, but her good humor helps her make friends quickly. Lena is the shyest. She is going to Greece to spend the summer with her grandparents. She is calm and happiest when she can be alone. She doesn't like boys very much, as through experience she has learned that they usually only like her for her looks. Finally, there is Tibby, the rebel. The only one of four girls stuck at home, she finds it simple and boring. The plot behind the story is interesting. The book begins with Carmen purchasing a pair of jeans. Like magic, they fit Carmen, Lena, Tibby and Bridget perfectly, even though they have different body types. When they all split up, the girls send a mail around the pants to whoever needs it, once middle of paper...... rangers. However, Bailey's overall happy outlook on life rubs off on her. Lena needs her friends not to care about her beauty. Without them, she withdraws, immersed in her own thoughts. It's her friends who remind her that she is much more than her appearance. Bridget is the one who talks the least openly about friendship, but she needs it as much as the others. Without close friends, Bridget's daredevil attitude is fun and exciting, but no one thinks to tell her to slow down. She goes too far and ends up in a bad situation, but her friends are there to make things better. The Sisterhood of Traveling Pants is a very touching story about four best friends and their lives. The interesting plot and character theme makes this a very good, well-presented book. Good friends are an integral part of life and without them, life can't be as fun and these four girls know it...