Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

Carmen got the jeans at a thrift shop. They didn?t look all that great: they were worn, dirty, and speckled with bleach. On the night before she and her friends part for the summer, Carmen decides to toss them. But Tibby says they?re great. She'd love to have them. Lena and Bridget also think they?re fabulous. Lena decides that they should all try them on. Whoever they fit best will get them. Nobody knows why, but the pants fit everyone perfectly. Even Carmen (who never thinks she looks good in anything) thinks she looks good in the pants. Over a few bags of cheese puffs, they decide to form a sisterhood and take the vow of the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants...

The next morning, they say good-bye. And then the journey of the pants — and the most memorable summer of their lives — begins.

"Brashares deftly moves from narrative to narrative, weaving together themes from the mundane to the profoundly important, from death to raging hormones, from stepfamilies to dead-end minimum-wage jobs....A complex book about a solid group of friends, with each one a strong and courageous individual in her own right." Linda Bindner, School Library Journal

"Debut novelist Brashares renders each girl individual and lovable in her own right, emphasizing growing up without growing apart. Move over, Ya Ya Sisters." Kirkus Reviews

"First novelist Brashares successfully creates four distinct characters, each with her own story line, and ties them together with a creative device: a pair of pants purchased in a thrift shop....Their bonds, combined with a realistic portrayal of teen emotions (Tibby is embarrassed by the smock she has to wear to work at Wallman's, while Carmen boils with rage when the seamstress fitting her bridesmaid dress disparages her curvy figure), make for an outstanding and vivid book that will stay with readers for a long time. Readers will hope that Brashares chronicles the sisterhood for volumes to come. Ages 12-up." Publishers Weekly

"Young teens will identify with one, or even all four, of these interesting, funny young women, and they'll be on the lookout for their own pair of traveling pants." Frances Bradburn, Booklist

"This tale of four teenage girls and a magic pair of bluejeans they find and share one summer has resonated far more deeply than any of the grown-up novels I've read this year." Deidre Donahue, USA Today

Inspired by a true story of a group of girls who bond one fateful summer, this is the first book of Brashare's bestselling series about four friends and the pair of jeans they all share, taking each of them on a memorable journey. Young Adult.

Carmen got the jeans at a thrift shop. They didn’t look all that great; they were worn, dirty, and speckled with bleach. On the night before she and her friends part for the summer, Carmen decides to toss them. But Lena decides they should all try them on. Whoever they fit best will get them.

Nobody knows why, but the pants fit everyone perfectly. . .

Take the New York Times bestselling book and pair it with a perfect cast, a screenplay from one of Hollywood’s most respected writers, and gorgeous locales like Vancouver, Baja, and Santorini, and you have The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, the teen girl movie of summer 2005 from Alcon Entertainment and Warner Bros. Pictures!

• Ken Kwapis directs a dream cast: Alexis Bledel (Gilmore Girls) as Lena, 2004 Emmy nominee Amber Tamblyn (Joan of Arcadia) as Tibby, America Ferrara (Real Women Have Curves) as Carmen, and newcomer Blake Lively as Bridget.

• Screenplay by Delia Ephron—the screenwriter behind You’ve Got Mail and associate producer of Sleepless in Seattle.

• The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants received enormous recognition including starred reviews, was named an ALA Best Book for Young Adults, is a Book Sense Book of the Year, a Publishers Weekly Flying Start, and won the hearts of teen girls across the country—and continues to be a New York Times Bestseller.

Ann Brashares grew up in Chevy Chase, Maryland with her three brothers and attended a Quaker school in the DC area called Sidwell Friends. She studied Philosophy at Barnard College, part of Columbia University in New York City. Expecting to continue studying philosophy in graduate school, Ann took a year off after college to work as an editor, hoping to save money for school. Loving her job, she never went to graduate school, and instead, remained in New York City and worked as an editor for many years. Last year, Ann made the transition from editor to full-time writer and wrote her first novel, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.

Ann lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her husband, Jacob Collins, an artist, and their three children, Sam, Nathaniel, and Susannah, their newborn, who is an honorary member of the Sisterhood.