Savvy

Savvy Plot Summary

Introduction

The day Mississippi "Mibs" Beaumont turned thirteen, everything changed—just as it had for every member of her extraordinary family. In the Beaumont bloodline, thirteenth birthdays don't bring cake and candles alone; they bring "savvies"—supernatural abilities that run in the family like eye color or stubborn streaks. Her brother Fish could summon hurricanes with his emotions, while Rocket crackled with electricity that could power their house or destroy it. Their mother was perfect at everything she touched, and Grandpa Bomba had literally created new land when his powers first awakened. But when Mibs's father was crushed in a highway accident the day before her birthday, lying unconscious in a Salina hospital ninety miles away, she became convinced her emerging savvy was meant to wake him up. What followed was a desperate journey across the heartland in a stolen pink Bible delivery bus, accompanied by the preacher's rebellious children and a motley crew of misfits. Along the way, Mibs discovered that her power wasn't what she expected—she could hear the thoughts and feelings of anyone with ink on their skin, from tattoos to simple pen marks. It was a ability both invasive and profound, one that would teach her as much about herself as about the hidden depths of everyone around her.

Chapter 1: The Beaumont Legacy: Awaiting the Thirteenth Birthday Savvy

The Beaumont family lived in the heart of nowhere, straddling the invisible line between Kansas and Nebraska on a patch of land they called Kansaska-Nebransas depending on the day of the week. They had moved there after Fish's thirteenth birthday hurricane nearly destroyed their coastal home, seeking refuge from large bodies of water that could amplify his storms into catastrophic fury. Mibs spent the days before her birthday dreaming of what her savvy might be. Perhaps she would fly like a balloon toward the ceiling, or make fires die across four counties with a single breath. Her older brother Rocket, seventeen and crackling with electric energy, dismissed her hopes with typical teenage arrogance. "Girls don't get the powerful jujubes," he declared, running static-charged fingers through his dark hair. "Girls only get quiet, polite savvies—sugar and spice and everything humdrum." But Mibs knew better. Their family tree was full of women with formidable abilities: Great-aunt Jules could step back twenty minutes in time with every sneeze, while second cousin Olive could melt ice with a single red-hot stare. The anticipation built like pressure in a storm system as her birthday approached, each member of the family watching her with the careful attention reserved for unexploded ordinance. The rhythm of their isolated life felt safe and predictable. Momma made perfect cakes and perfect everything else with her flawless savvy. Fish practiced controlling his weather while Grandpa Bomba, who had created Idaho itself on his thirteenth birthday according to family legend, dozed in his chair and occasionally rumbled the earth in his sleep. Seven-year-old Samson moved through the house like a shadow, barely speaking, while three-year-old Gypsy chattered to her imaginary friends and counted invisible creatures only she could see. Everything should have been perfect for Mibs's most important day. Everything should have gone according to the careful plans families like theirs made for such momentous occasions. But fate, as Mibs would soon learn, rarely consulted anyone's expectations—especially not those of a girl who thought she understood exactly what her destiny would bring.

Chapter 2: Unexpected Turns: A Father's Accident and a Desperate Plan

The telephone rang during Thursday dinner, cutting through the comfortable chaos of pot roast and secretly hidden green beans. When Momma dropped the receiver with a rattling clatter and sank to the checkered linoleum floor, her perfect composure cracking like glass, the world tilted off its axis. The accident had happened on Highway 81—a ten-car pileup that left Poppa's vehicle crushed like a discarded can, with him trapped inside, unconscious and broken in a Salina hospital bed. Fish's immediate storm response shattered windows and sent napkins flying while Rocket's electrical panic made every lightbulb in the house explode in cascades of sparks and glass. The house plunged into darkness as the family absorbed the devastating news. Poppa, their anchor of normalcy in a sea of supernatural chaos, lay ninety miles away, unreachable and unaware. The next morning brought bitter disappointment when Momma announced that only she and Rocket would make the journey to Salina. Rocket's electrical touch was needed to keep their ancient station wagon running, but the rest of the family had to stay behind with Grandpa Bomba. Mibs begged and pleaded to accompany them, desperate to see her father, but Momma remained firm. It was too dangerous, too uncertain. As her thirteenth birthday dawned gray and unwelcome, Mibs felt the terrible weight of powerlessness. No party preparations brightened the house, no cake waited in the kitchen, no celebration seemed possible with Poppa lying broken and unconscious. The day she had anticipated her entire life was dissolving into anxiety and sorrow. But then, as she sat alone in the pre-dawn darkness, something extraordinary began to stir. When Gypsy woke the instant Mibs's feet touched the floor, and when Samson's supposedly dead pet turtle suddenly came to life in its aquarium, Mibs felt the first whisper of understanding. These couldn't be coincidences. Her savvy was awakening, and it wasn't about flying or controlling fire. It was about waking things up. The realization struck her like lightning: she was meant to wake up Poppa. She was his only hope, and she had to reach him before it was too late.

Chapter 3: The Bible Bus Escape: Stowaway Adventures Begin

At the church birthday party Miss Rosemary had organized without invitation or welcome, Mibs discovered the pink Heartland Bible Supply bus parked outside like an answer to prayer. The lettering on its side clearly proclaimed its origin: Salina, Kansas—exactly where she needed to go. If it had come from Salina, logic dictated it would return there, carrying her to Poppa's bedside where her awakening powers could save him. The party had been a disaster from the start. Ashley Bing and Emma Flint, the school bullies who called her "Missy-pissy," had shown up to torment her, while Will Junior, the preacher's earnest fourteen-year-old son, tried awkwardly to befriend her. But when Mibs saw Bobbi's temporary tattoo—a devilish angel that seemed to move and speak inside her head—everything changed. The little tattooed creature whispered secrets about Bobbi's loneliness, and Mibs fainted from the shock of hearing thoughts that weren't her own. Fish found her in Pastor Meeks's office, surrounded by arguing adults and flickering television reports about missing children. His protective instincts flared into a violent windstorm that shattered windows and sent the preacher's pink Bibles flying like oversized confetti. In the chaos, Mibs realized her savvy had nothing to do with waking people up—it was about hearing the voices of tattoos and ink marks on skin, reading the hidden thoughts and feelings people tried to keep secret. The discovery terrified her, but it didn't change her desperate need to reach Poppa. She convinced Will Junior to help her board the Bible bus, where they found Fish already hiding in the back along with broody little Samson, who had somehow materialized among the boxes like a shadow seeking shelter. Bobbi followed them aboard more from defiance than friendship, declaring that if she was going to get in trouble for their escape, it might as well be for something truly spectacular. Lester Swan, the stammering delivery driver with his twitching shoulders and defeated demeanor, discovered them just as the bus pulled away from the church. Too overwhelmed to turn back, he found himself committed to an unplanned journey with five runaway children and no clear idea how to handle any of them. As the bus rolled north instead of south, away from Salina instead of toward it, Mibs realized her careful plan had already begun to unravel in ways she never could have anticipated.

Chapter 4: Ink and Voices: Discovering an Unexpected Gift

The voices in Mibs's head grew louder and more intrusive as their unlikely group settled into the rhythm of life aboard the pink Bible bus. Lester's tattoos—Rhonda and Carlene, inked onto his arms like permanent critics—provided a constant stream of bitter commentary about his failures and inadequacies. Rhonda, his mother's name beneath a red heart, clucked disapproval at every decision. Carlene, his ex-wife's name above a thorny black rose, offered venomous observations about his weakness and stupidity. When Mibs drew a simple smiley face on Will Junior's palm with her birthday pen, the ink came alive with his secret thoughts, speaking his hidden feelings directly into her mind. The intimacy of it overwhelmed her, this unwanted access to the private thoughts people kept locked away. Fish quickly smeared the drawing away with his spit, understanding instinctively that his sister needed protection from her own dangerous gift. The bus broke down in the tiny town of Bee, Nebraska, where Lester struggled with a failed Bible delivery while the children waited in growing frustration. Their destination seemed to slip further away with each delay, each complication that kept them from reaching Poppa's bedside. The missed connections and wrong turns began to feel less like bad luck and more like fate actively working against them. At the Emerald Truck Stop, Mibs encountered a homeless man lying unconscious behind the diner, and her desperate attempt to wake him with her supposed power revealed the harsh truth. She couldn't wake anyone up. Her savvy was purely about listening to the tattoos and ink marks that people carried on their skin—hearing their secrets, their pain, their hidden truths. The realization crushed her carefully constructed hopes like glass under a boot. But even as her dreams of saving Poppa crumbled, she began to understand the true nature of her gift. In the crowded diner, surrounded by truckers and bikers covered in tattoos, the cacophony of voices in her head created an overwhelming symphony of human emotion. She was learning to hear not just what people thought, but who they really were beneath the masks they showed the world. It was a terrible and wonderful power, one that would teach her as much about herself as about everyone else she encountered.

Chapter 5: Storms Within and Without: Learning to Scumble

The confrontation at the Emerald Truck Stop forced Fish to unleash his most powerful storm since the hurricane that had driven their family inland. When the brutal manager Ozzie humiliated Lill and threatened Samson with a pie knife, Fish's protective fury manifested as a localized tempest that shattered windows and sent debris flying through the air. But this time, something was different—Fish controlled the storm, directing its force with precision rather than letting it rage unchecked. As they fled the diner in the pink Bible bus, Fish discovered he could aim his winds like a weapon, deflect flying objects, and create controlled gusts that moved specific targets. The breakthrough represented years of struggle compressed into a single moment of crisis-driven clarity. He had finally learned to "scumble" his savvy—to layer control over raw power like paint over canvas, allowing his true nature to show through without destroying everything around him. But their escape brought new complications. The evening news had picked up their story, broadcasting their photographs with "ALERT! MISSING! ALERT!" warnings that made hiding increasingly difficult. At the Lincoln motel where Lill secured them rooms, they were forced to deceive her about calling home, with Bobbi using her talent for mimicry to impersonate her own mother in a fake phone conversation that convinced the kindhearted waitress they had parental permission for their journey. The swimming pool at the motel became an unexpected sanctuary, a place where the chemical-treated water washed away Bobbi's temporary tattoo and silenced her angel's voice in Mibs's head. Will Junior's awkward first kiss in the chlorinated water tasted of salt and courage, while Fish demonstrated his newfound control by creating playful water spouts and gentle currents that delighted rather than terrorized. In the quiet darkness of the motel room, sharing a bed with Lill's gentle snores and Bobbi's restless breathing, Mibs finally confronted an uncomfortable truth. Her desperate flight from Hebron wasn't just about reaching Poppa—it was also about running away from a savvy that felt more like a curse than a gift, from a life that was changing faster than she could understand, from the terrifying prospect of growing up in a world where she could hear everyone's hidden thoughts but couldn't silence the noise in her own head.

Chapter 6: The Hospital Reunion: Finding Strength Beyond Savvy

Their journey took an unexpected turn when Carlene, Lester's bitter ex-wife, recognized them from the television broadcasts and called the police. In her spite, she locked Samson in a hidden storage compartment behind her trailer's paneled wall, using the seven-year-old as bait to ensure their capture. The rescue required all of Mibs's newfound understanding of her gift—she drew a crude face on Carlene's foot and listened to her thoughts until she revealed Samson's hiding place. The confrontation with law enforcement could have ended their journey permanently, but Will's father—Officer Bill Meeks—proved to be an unexpected ally. The state trooper recognized the desperation behind their actions and arranged for Lester and Lill to drive them the final distance to Salina Hope Hospital under police escort. The pink Bible bus that had carried them so far from home would complete its mission after all. At the hospital, their family reunion was bittersweet. Momma's perfect composure had cracked under the strain of maintaining vigil at Poppa's bedside, while Rocket's electrical devastation throughout Salina spoke to anguish he couldn't control. Grandpa Bomba had brought one of Grandma Dollop's precious jars—the one containing Momma and Poppa's eternal love song—hoping music might reach where medicine had failed. In Poppa's room, surrounded by machines and monitors, Mibs pressed her finger to his faded navy tattoo of Miss Mermaid wrapped around her anchor. She listened desperately for any whisper of consciousness, any sign that her father's spirit still fought beneath the medical apparatus keeping his body alive. But the tattoo remained as silent as death itself, offering no comfort, no hope, no miraculous awakening. The machines suddenly went haywire when Rocket's emotional overload sent sparks through the medical equipment, flatlines replacing heartbeats on the monitors as alarms screamed through the corridors. In that moment of terror, as medical staff flooded the room and tried to separate the family from their dying patriarch, Mibs refused to let go. She whispered directly into Poppa's ear, reminding him of his greatest savvy—his refusal to ever give up on the people he loved.

Chapter 7: Awakening: The Power of Never Giving Up

Poppa's voice finally reached Mibs through Miss Mermaid, faint but determined: "Don't give up." The tattooed mermaid stirred on his arm as consciousness fought its way back from the depths of coma, proving that some kinds of awakening had nothing to do with supernatural abilities and everything to do with love's refusal to surrender. When Poppa's fingers twitched and his eyes fluttered open, the miracle belonged not to any savvy but to the simple human power of never giving up hope. His recovery was slow and incomplete—the accident had damaged more than his body, leaving gaps in memory and cognition that might never fully heal. Some days he couldn't remember whether he liked blueberries or what day of the week it was. On the hardest days, he couldn't find words for simple things like coffee or newspaper. But on the good days, he was still their beloved Poppa, rubbing his knuckles against his jaw and smiling at his family with recognition and love. The journey home to Kansaska-Nebransas brought changes for everyone. Fish returned to public school with his storms finally under control, while Rocket left for Wyoming where Uncle Autry's ranch would give him space to work through his electrical demons under open skies. Mibs chose to continue homeschooling, learning to filter the constant whisper of voices in her head, distinguishing between thoughts worth hearing and mental noise worth ignoring. The pink Bible bus had carried them through more than geography—it had transported them through the painful transition from childhood certainty to adult complexity. Will Junior remained a constant visitor, their friendship deepening into something more patient and understanding than first attraction. Bobbi's rebellious facade had softened into genuine friendship, while Lester and Lill had found each other in the chaos of their shared adventure.

Summary

As Mibs celebrated her fourteenth birthday on the porch swing Poppa had finally built them, she reflected on how much had changed since that desperate flight in the pink Bible bus. Her savvy had evolved from invasive curse to selective gift—she could now choose which voices to hear and which to silence, understanding that everyone carried inner voices both helpful and harmful. The homeless man behind the diner had been crushed by negative voices until he couldn't bear consciousness, while Lester had nearly drowned in the bitter criticism of Carlene and Rhonda until Lill's love gave him strength to silence them. Poppa dozed beside her on the swing, Miss Mermaid occasionally stirring on his arm to share thoughts both clear and confused. His greatest savvy—his refusal to give up—had saved him when medicine couldn't, just as it had won Momma's heart years earlier and would continue to guide their family through whatever challenges awaited. Rocket was thriving in Wyoming's wide spaces, Fish had mastered his storms enough to blend with normal teenagers, and the family had found its new rhythm around Poppa's limitations and strengths. The Beaumont legacy would continue—Mibs had already learned from Momma's carelessly inked hand that another sibling was on the way, another child who would someday face their own thirteenth birthday transformation. But that knowledge no longer terrified her as it once had. She understood now that savvies were like any inheritance—they could be burden or gift depending on how they were embraced, scumbled, and shared with those who mattered most. In the end, the most powerful magic wasn't supernatural at all, but the very human ability to love unconditionally and never give up hope.

About Author

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Ingrid Law

Law interrogates the essence of American folklore and adolescence through her imaginative narratives, blending tall tales with contemporary coming-of-age stories. Her storytelling is marked by vivid character development and a distinctive use of "rollicking" language, aiming to craft a uniquely American magic that eschews traditional fantasy elements. Her works often explore the themes of identity struggles and emotional transitions, primarily set against the backdrop of rural towns which she finds to possess extraordinary charm. This method reflects her early exposure to folklore and small-town life in northern New York and Colorado, shaping her literary imagination.\n\nIngrid Law's notable contributions to middle-grade literature include her Newbery Honor-winning debut novel, "Savvy," which follows a girl's journey of self-discovery through supernatural abilities. This was followed by "Scumble" and "Switch," each expanding on her thematic focus while maintaining her characteristic style. Beyond her novels, Law has embraced a diverse career path, previously working in various jobs before becoming a full-time author. Her experience as a bookseller enriched her understanding of storytelling's impact, which is evident in the critical acclaim her works have received, including translations into twenty languages and placement on over thirty state reading lists. Her narratives resonate with young readers, providing a reflective space for them to explore complex emotions and personal growth within a fantastical yet relatable framework.

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