...she knows marcel proust...

I walked out of Random House today with a heavy canvas bag of books, and one yellow-covered anticipated gem in my hands (all the better to start reading it the second I got on the train). This gem, of course, was "Forever in Blue", the fourth and final book in Ann Brashares' Traveling Pants series. By the time I arrived at Finch Station, I was 100 pages in. I didn't even make it home; I plopped into the Starbucks down the street and picked up where I left off. 50 pages further, I called Farnam, then Iman, telling them how incredible this book was. I didn't chat long, merely told them I was passing my copy forward, and went back to reading. An hour after that, the book. was. finished.

It was an incredible ending to a phenomenal young adult series. What struck me most was the stark difference between this series and, say, Gossip Girl. For all their common history with Alloy and 17th Street, these two series are worlds apart. What Ann Brashares does, in four thrilling, sentimental, and powerful books is give a believable and commendable portrayal of modern teenage life. The protagonists experience enduring friendships, academic and personal challenges, first loves, first thought-it-was-loves, and everything in between. Their problems are not only believable, but are inspiring in how the characters resolve them. These girls have strength, identity, humour, and integrity - they also have the kind of relationship with each other that every teenager should strive for. That spirit of girlhood solidarity is so enviable in an era of ever more superficial connections.

Bridget, long since my favorite character in the series, has a moment of clear understanding at a pivotal point in a new relationship. "She stood up her straightest, to her full woman's height of five feet ten and a half inches. If she didn't take her life seriously, who would? She was becoming the person she'd be for her whole life. Each thing she chose contributed to that person. She didn't want to be like this". I shook my head at this, marvelling at the contrast between this and some of the other teen literature I have read. If only other authors (and other publishers!) would come to realize that a book can be engaging and sexy, and still put forward a message of personal value.

I will miss these girls terribly, but am likely to revisit their adventures often. Needless to say I am thrilled with how they grew and evolved, and eager to see what this perceptive voice in young people's literature comes up with next.