The Pants first came to us at the perfect moment. That is, when we were splitting up for the first time. It was two summers ago when they first worked their magic, and last summer when they shook up our lives once again. You see, we don’t wear the Pants year-round. We let them rest so they are extra powerful when summer comes. (There was the time this spring when Carmen wore them to her mom’s wedding, but that was a special case.)
Now we’re facing our last summer together. In September we go to college. And it’s not like one of those TV shows where all of us magically turn up at the same college. We’re going to four different colleges in four different cities (but all within four hours of one another—that was our one rule). We’re headed off to start our real lives.
Tomorrow night at Gilda’s we’ll launch the Pants on their third summer voyage. Tomorrow begins the time of our lives. It’s when we’ll need our Pants the most.
Before going onto separate lives, four childhood friends continue their lessons in coping with the complexities of life. Lena fights for her right to go to art school, Bridget confronts her first love, Tibby decides whether she can let go of tragic possibilities and embrace loving realities, and Carmen reconciles herself to the arrival of a baby sibling. Angela Goethals gives each girl her own distinctive sound in both dialogue and interior monologue, and she keeps her appropriately youthful voice from being overshadowed by the challenges each character faces. Her even reading propels listeners as each chapter shifts from character to character. J.M.S. (c) AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine
- Booklist, Starred...
"Readers of the other books won't be disappointed."
- Kliatt, Starred...
"Filled with conversations, action, & life."
- Publishers Weekly...
"The girls are once again wonderfully drawn, with all their realistic faults."
- The Bulletin, Recommended...
"The Pants set will bruise their fingertips on this page-turner."
