The Second Summer of the Sisterhood

PROLOGUE
0nce there were four girls who shared a pair of pants. The girls were all different sizes and shapes, and yet the pants fit each of them.

You may think this is a suburban myth. But I know it's true, because I am one of them-one of the sisters of the Traveling Pants.

We discovered their magic last summer, purely by accident. The four of us were splitting up for the first time in our lives. Carmen had gotten them from a second-hand place without even bothering to try them on. She was going to throw them away, but by chance, Tibby spotted them. First Tibby tried them; then me, Lena; then Bridget; then Carmen.

By the time Carmen pulled them on, we knew something extraordinary was happening. If the same pants fit-and I mean really fit-the four of us, they, aren't ordinary. They don't belong completely to the' world of things you can see and touch. My sister, Effie, claims I don't believe in magic, and maybe I didn't then. But after the first summer of the Traveling Pants, I do.

The Traveling Pants are not only the most beautiful pair of jeans that ever existed, they are kind, comforting, and wise. And also they make you look really good.

We, the members of the Sisterhood, were friends before the Traveling Pants. We've known each other since before we were born. Our mothers were all in the same pregnancy aerobics class, all due in early September. I feel this explains something about us. We all have in common that we got bounced on our fetal heads too much.

We were all born within seventeen days of each other, first me, a little early, in the end of August, and last Carmen, a little late, in the middle of September. You know how people make a big deal about which twin was born three minutes before the other one? Like it matters? Well, we're like that. We draw great significance from the fact that I'm the oldest-the most mature, the most maternal -and Carmen is the baby.

Our mothers started out being close. We had a group play date

Ann Brashares is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series, The Whole Thing Together, The Here and Now, 3 Willows, The Last Summer (of You & Me), and My Name Is Memory. She lives in New York City with her family. 

Visit Ann online at AnnBrashares.com and follow @AnnBrashares on Twitter.

Light and romantic." The New York Times
 
Fits like a favorite pair of pants. USA Today

A great summer read. The Sacramento Bee

"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." --Kirkus Reviews, Starred

"Equally authentic and engaging." Publishers Weekly 

"The Second Summer, while breezy and fun to read, deals seriously with love lost and found, death, and finding the courage to live honestly." Amazon.com

"[A] big-hearted, complex tale of living, learning, and caring." School Library Journal

"Brashares has done an outstanding job of showing the four teens growing up and giving readers a happy, ultimately hopeful book, easy to read and gentle in its important lessons." Booklist

"It takes a really good book to leave you laughing one moment and crying the next. This book did just that. It is even better than the first book." VOYA

"Although these teens deal with issues common to YA novels identity, romance, parental conflict Brashares' tale, with its lively characters, honest emotion, and wry wit, rises above the norm." Children's Literature