3 Willows: The Sisterhood Grows

As the subtitle of "3 Willows" would imply, Brashares is crafting an extension to the sisterhood she portrayed in four previous books. Yet her three main characters in this new novel have a very tenuous relationship with her previous works - the girls share a town and a school, and that is about it. Whereas the four girls who shared a magical pair of pants were the closest of friends, almost from birth, Jo, Polly, and Ama find themselves drifting ever further from one another with nothing to hold them together. As the three girls graduate eighth-grade and go their separate ways for the summer, each seems to know that their friendship will never be the same. Indeed, it has already started to disintegrate with each taking up new friendships. The only one who seems to want to hold on (and need to hold on) to what they once had is Polly. Polly stays in town for the summer, hoping to quench her loneliness by taking up an unlikely hobby, modeling, even though she knows deep down that she doesn't have a model bone in her small, curvy body. Jo is spending the summer at her family's beach house, trying not to think about her parents' impending divorce by having a brief romantic interlude with an older boy. And Ama is regretting her summer scholarship that takes her on a hiking adventure through the wilderness, rather than keeping her safely rooted in academia and certain success. As each spends time away from the others, and from their own families, they learn more about themselves and who they really want and need to be. Brashares is certainly sticking with what works, rooting new characters in familiar territory, allowing familiar characters cameos in this new story. "3 Willows" is an enjoyable fast-paced read that fans of the "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" series will appreciate. While a young adult novel, Brashares is able to mix some profound and poignant observations about life into her narrative as she gives her characters some very true and messy situations to work through, showcasing life in all its ugliness and its glories. The roots she has planted here will certainly have life for more books.

What another wonderful book for girls of all ages. There are 3 girls, about to go to high school after the summer. Have they outgrown each other? Jo is going to work as a bus girl by the beach. Ama is going on a wilderness adventure, even if she didn't really sign up for it. Polly wants to be a model. All are searching to find out who they are. As they think about the willow trees that they planted when they were young, growing and changing. Are they still connected just like the branches and roots of their trees? Coming into their own, each with different parents and problems. This was a light and fun book. I think it is another hit!

I am a HUGE fan of the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants book. I felt like those girls were telling my story about my teen years and that I sort of grew up with them. When the series ended, I was really disappointed but it was understood. When you go away to college, things change with your childhood friends. So I was very excited to hear that there would be another Sisterhood series with new characters. I was worried at first that it wouldn't be as good as the originals. Plus there were only going to be 3 girls this time. Well after reading this book, all my worries were laid to rest. I feel as if I got to know the three girls very well throughout their stories. Their actions and thoughts were EXACTLY what I would have felt at their age. They acted like realistic fourteen year old girls. The author knows what it's like to be a teenager trying to change from being a kid to becoming more adult. I think my favorite was reading about Ama, who went from being someone determined to hate her summer to realizing that she needed this experience to help shape her. Plus all the wilderness adventure stuff was fun to read. I liked seeing the cameos of the characters in the original books. It's like seeing old friends. It's cool to see that even in the book, the legend of the original Sisterhood lives on. I thought it was funny about how all the girls would try to imitate the magical jeans and how the clothes wouldn't fit on everyone. I'm pretty sure that probably happened in the real world as well. I'm actually glad that there is no magical clothing that ties the girls together this time. One thing I will say, I didn't like Effie in the original books and I still definitely do not like her after this book. There are many unkind words to be said about her. My only real complaint about this book is that Carmen is not mentioned at all. I mean for goodness sakes, Tibby's siblings get speaking time, but an original member of the Sisterhood isn't even named? Since the characters in this book are younger than the original Sisterhood, nobody is having sex. There's kissing but nothing to hint anything stronger than that. It's a book about growing up and I have a feeling that a lot of girls will be able to relate to these three girls. It's very refreshing to read again about girls who can be true friends, having amazing summers and learn a lot about themselves without resorting to sex, drinking and cursing throughout the book. Fans of the original series will enjoy reading about the new set. I am eagerly waiting for the next book in the series.

3 Willows: The Sisterhood Grows (Hardback) by Ann Brashares is a friendship book written in the same manner as MS Brashares Sisterhood of the Traveling Pant series was written. There are new friends but the same spritual grow that takes place. I loved reading this authors first series and could see the positive influence these books have on young adults. It was very difficult not to compaare this book as I am a fan of the Sisterhood books, but these are different characters with different stories. Watchout for the 3 Willows and see if they become weeping. I highly recommend

As her subtitle implies, 3 Willows: The Sisterhood Grows is intended to build on the success of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants books, and in fact, Brashares's new characters speak reverentially of the sisterhood (apparently word has spread). However, Brashares also pokes fun at her own cross-reference. As one character puts it, "A lot of girls in our school tried to follow in [the sisterhood's] footsteps. It's the best reason I can give for a lot of terrible-fitting jeans in our middle school." Brashares isn't necessarily cashing in on her first series; perhaps instead of saying that she is building on the success of the Pants books, I should say that she is building on the kind of emotional and social success that a group of close friends can provide for each other. Brashares is very taken with the idea that good friends can help you through hard times. Still, her characters are far from being joined at the hip. They are independent and unique, only circling back to their friends at key moments. The three girls in this new book--Polly, Jo, and Ama--have just finished middle school and are looking forward to high school with varying degrees of dread and anticipation. One of the dominant questions of the book is, Will old friendships survive a new era of life? As Polly, Jo, and Ama go their separate ways for summer vacation, that question hovers over them, with its deeper resonances of How am I changing? Who am I really, and who will I become? Each girl faces her own set of challenges. For Polly, it's about self-definition. The path she chooses is utterly ill-suited to her--but Brasheres does interesting things with that. Polly must also face up to the fact that her mother is not okay, and why. Jo is pulling away from the old group, trying to get in with a new crowd at the restaurant where she works for the summer near her family's beach house. She meets a too-charming guy and has to decide what to do about him. In addition, her parents' problems force Jo to reconsider what she wants out of life. Ama, a classic perfectionist, is sent to a summer enrichment program where, for the first time in her life, she feels incapable of shining. How she learns to deal with failure is the theme of her summer. There's a little romance in her subplot, too. I was pleased to see that Ama is African American, by the way (literally: she was born in Ghana). The author's framing device is three willow trees that the girls planted together when they were much younger. It's nice, though perhaps a tad expendable. However, I enjoyed the notes about willow trees that began each section of the book. The most important thing you should know about 3 Willows is that Brashares writes very movingly about these girls. By the end of the book, I cared very much about what happened to Jo and Polly and Ama. That's the author's true gift to her readers.