Thirteenth birthdays in the Beaumont family are a big deal, though not for any of the usual reasons.  When they turn thirteen, each Beaumont receives his or her savvy -- a special power they have to learn to "scumble" or harness and control.  The patriarch of the clan, Grandpa Bomba, can literally move mountains and earth to create new land.  Seventeen-year-old Rocket creates electricity (or causes blackouts), Fish makes storms, and the story's heroine, Mississippi (called Mibs) wakes up on her birthday waiting to figure out what her savvy will be.  With her father in the hospital in a coma after a car accident and her mother (whose skill is doing everything perfectly, even making perfect mistakes) by his side, the Beaumont kids are left to the mercies of the well-intended Miss Rosemary, the pastor's wife.

Determined to help her family, Mibs decides to hide on-board a pink Bible-delivery bus, and when she's joined by her siblings and Miss Rosemary's teenaged kids, they are off on an adventure that will put them in the paths of colorful characters, from the hapless Lester to the big-hearted Lill.  Reminiscent of Steinbeck's The Wayward Bus, this brilliant and bittersweet first novel tugs on the heartstrings while bringing a smile to your face.  Fun, magical, and well-crafted, Ingrid Law's Savvy is a quick and satisfying read that will have you wondering what your savvy would be if you could choose.