Author: Ann Brashares

I just finished the first book in Ann Brashares's series Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. I can see why this book is a favorite with girls, junior high and up.

Nicki Britton from the Houston Chronicle has a very interesting interview with the author.

Q: How is this different from other young-adult books on the market?

A: For young adults, there are so-called issue books, about serious things. Drug addition. Teenage pregnancy. These can be very moralistic. They tend to be driven not by characters but by the particular issue. And then there are books that are just frivolous. They are like eating fast food — fun while you're doing it, but you don't get that much from it. What Judy Blume has done successfully, and what I've tried to do, as well, is make a real book that's serious, but also fun. And that comes from the characters.