Four friends and a pair of jeans are back to continue the saga of the traveling pants. Bridget goes back to Alabama in search of her mother’s past; Lena rekindles a romance with Kostos, the boy she met in Greece; Carmen fears for her place in the family when her mother starts dating; and Tibby goes away to a summer film program, where putting together a film becomes a way to put together her life. Though the young women deal with love, death, and change in various ways, the old, magical jeans are always there to remind them that sometimes friends are closer than family. The prologue fills in what’s necessary for those uninitiated into the sisterhood, and Brashares adeptly balances the four story lines. The characters seem like old friends, and the author’s sure ear for dialogue and her empathy for her protagonists’ complicated emotions creates a story as comfortable as an old pair of jeans. A big, complex, satisfying sequel, sure to add to the author’s legions of fans. (Fiction. YA)
