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Parents' Guide to

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

By Matt Berman, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 12+

Popular series start shows positive girl friendships.

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

Community Reviews

age 12+

Based on 13 parent reviews

age 14+

*Spoiler included RE sexual content

I did really enjoy this book and found the characters to be well developed and charming...true to how I remember myself and my friends feeling and acting in high school, if not in action, definitely in spirit. I do feel that the material is more appropriate for high school aged teens, however. The provided review referenced "some sexual content" which would include a young teen seducing an older teen so she could lose her virginity. A lot of emotion is involved, obviously my description is brief, flippant, even, for the purpose of sharing information quickly. Remember that I do like this book and am not saying to stay away from it. And some 12-year-olds may relate to that. But not all. I think there are some parents of 7th graders who would want to know that that's in there and would choose to hold off a bit. I just like everyone to be able to make those informed choices.
age 12+
Parents need to know that this book supports female friendships, which will inspire many readers. The characters make poor choices, but they "grow from them," according to the site's expert review. There are some sexual references, language and some "intense" emotional stuff. Teens will really enjoy this book (young adults, too!).

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (13 ):
Kids say (45 ):

Ann Brashares is a great storyteller, building a reservoir of affection for her characters that makes the climax of each of their stories effective. This book's main characters certainly experience their share of drama: Tibby befriends a 12-year-old with leukemia, Carmen's father has a new family, Lena falls in love in Greece, and Bridget has her first sexual experience, which devastates her.

The friendship that the four girls share is the kind most teens long for: rock solid and dependable, with no rivalries or pettiness to mar it, filled only with kindness, love, and understanding. This friendship -- along with the girls' openness to the world and their capacity for honest self-appraisal and growth -- gives teen readers something to aspire to.

Book Details

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Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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