The Second Summer of the Sisterhood

The Second Summer of the Sisterhood


Ann Brashares


ISBN-13: 978-0-553-49501-0


Dell-Laurel Leaf 2003





Plot Summary: As the Septembers face another summer, they feel assured by the fact that the pants will be there to unite them in their journeys. This summer, Tibby plans to take a film course at NYU, Carmen is staying home and is forced to deal with her mother's dating stories, Lena is staying home and working, and Bridget plans to visit her grandmother.
As usual the pants are a symbol of their unity. Bridget plans to visit her grandmother but when she gets there she pretends to be someone else. Lena is frustrated when she learns that after she broke up with Kostos that he is dating someone else. Tibby looks forward to her summer film camp at NYU, and Carmen is frustrated by her mom dating again and feels she is acting silly!



Critical Analysis: This book looks at Lena's conflicted feelings about Kostos, and in addition they examine Bridgets attempt to separate herself from her "true" self. She tells Tibby she feels like she might lose herself. In this book the darker side of the girls life emerges and they all face painful situations. Carmen expresses discomfort and pain because her mom is dating and seems to be making a fool of herself. Tibby leaves for NYU and her parents act just as careless as ever. This summer it appears as though the girls are all facing a struggle in someway, and their friendship helps them through the painful experiences once again showing the positivity in their friendship.



Annotation: In the summer of their Junior year, Tibby, Carmen, Lena, and Bridget start year two of their Sisterhood of the Pants. The girls all have different plans again; Tibby will go to NYU, Carmen is staying home, Lena is working at a local boutique, and Bridget is going to Alabama to confront her family issues.

Author: Ann Brashares was born and raised in the Washington, D.C. area with her three brothers. She attended the Sidwell Friends School and then studied philosophy at Barnard College, part of Columbia University in New York City.After college she worked in editorial jobs until 2000, when she began her first novel, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, published in 2001. Over the next five years she wrote three sequels-The Second Summer of the Sisterhood, Girls in Pants, and Forever in Blue.

Genre: YA Chicklit

Curriculum Ties: English

Booktalking Ideas:

1.) Why does Bridget try to hide herself?

2.)Why is Carmen angry about her mom dating?

3.) What do you think about the fact that the author describes Bridget as hiding "under a layer of fat" when earlier she tells us she gained fifteen pounds?

Reading Level/ Interest: 9th grade and up

Challenge issues: none

Reasons for selection: I feel it is a positive representation of female relationships, and like the first book it teaches girls to love their pals, and love themselves.