While in elementary school, the three best friends- Ama, Polly, and Jo- planted their willow tree sprouts that they received from school. These three willows are exactly what hold the friends together as they start to drift their separate ways during their last summer before high school. Each girl has a challenge set before them, of course, that will take the teens new places. Ama, the bookworm, is sent to an academic summer camp where she is forced to camp, rock climb, and hike all against her library-loving will. Polly, short and buck-teethed, wants to pursue her dream of becoming a model by entering a fashion show and attending modeling camp. Jo, cute and popular, spends the summer with her mom at their beach house to cope with the death of her brother and her parents' divorce. A lot has changed since the girls have been together, but are their personal growths enough to reunite the trio?

I enjoyed reading this book because it was easy and fun to read. It would be a good free-time or summer read, but I would only suggest it to younger girls around sixth, seventh, and eighth grade. The content was very light and the vocabulary was very easy. It's a good coming-of-age book, but not if you are past that age already. ( )

A nice enough story for preteens, but I'm afraid it will never live up to the Traveling Pants legacy, at least in my books.

The characters were strong, however unlike the Traveling Pants books, for the majority of the book the girls weren't good friends - it sort of felt like something was missing. ( )

Reviewed by Sarah Bean the Green Bean Teen Queen for TeensReadToo.com

The Sisterhood may be grown up, but their legend lives on.

Meet Polly, Jo, and Ama, three girls who are now entering the very same high school the legendary Sisterhood attended. The three have been friends since third grade, but now with high school approaching, they find themselves being drawn in separate ways and spending the summer apart.

Ama is all about academics, extra credit, and schoolwork. She's signed up to spend the summer at a camp that will give her school credit. She's hoping to be in the library all day, but instead finds herself signed up for the outdoor wilderness hike. Ama is not an outdoorsy girl and can't imagine herself spending the summer hiking and sleeping in a tent.

Jo is spending the summer at her family beach house and working as a bus girl at a local restaurant. She's hoping to make friends with the older girls from the "in" crowd so she can start high school in the right group. But a fling with a mysterious boy threatens to change all of Jo's plans.

Polly is stuck at home babysitting until she gets the idea that she could be a model. She throws herself into the world of modeling camp and starts to lose herself - and only her friends can help bring her back.

One of Ann Brashares strengths is that she puts so much into her characters that readers can always find someone like them. The experiences the girls have never seem over the top or unrealistic, and their friendship will resonate with readers making the transition from middle school to high school.

Although reminiscent of THE SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING PANTS series, Polly, Ama, and Jo each bring something new to the story - and their stories are original. Fans will enjoy the appearances made by characters from the previous series, as well.

3 WILLOWS is a great pick for readers looking for a wonderful, charming book about the challenges of friendship and growing up. ( )

Susan says: This book is about three friends - Polly, Ama, and Jo - who have grown apart at the end of their 8th grade year. Each girl longs for their friendship, but doesn't like things about the people in the friendship. They all do different things during the summer - Ama goes to wilderness camp against everything she likes, Jo goes to the beach with her mom, and Jo stays home and goes to modeling camp. Each girl finds her way back to the others through a difficult summer including first boyfriends, alcoholism, extreme dieting, and getting lost in the wilderness. Nothing happens that would make this a teen book, so I am going to move our copies to Youth. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants girls are in this book as well, although it is really brief glimpses except for Lena's sister Effie. They all live in the same town, so it doesn't seem unconnected or forced. A sweet book about friendship and growing up.

Ages 12-14 ( )

Title: 3 Willows Author: Ann Brashares Publisher: Delacorte Press Number Of Pages: 319

Summary: Summer is a time to grow

Seeds

Polly has an idea she can’t stop thinking about, one that involves changing a few things about herself. She’s setting her sights on a more glamorous life, but it’s going to take all of her focus. At least that way she won’t have to watch her friends moving so far ahead.

Roots

Jo is spending the summer at her family’s beach house, working as a bus girl and bonding with the older, cooler girls she’ll see at high school come September. She didn’t count on a brief fling with a cute boy changing her entire summer. Or on feeling embarrassed by her middle school friends. And she didn’t count on her family at all….

Leaves

Ama is not an outdoorsy girl. She wanted to be at an academic camp, doing research in an air-conditioned library, earning As. Instead, her summer scholarship lands her on a wilderness trip full of flirting teenagers, blisters, impossible hiking trails, and a sad lack of hair products.

It is a new summer. And a new sisterhood. Come grow with them.

Review: When I first started the 3 Willows I couldn’t get into it. I kept telling myself that I had to finish it and I am glad I did. Part of the reason I didn’t like 3 Willows at first is because Ama was really whiny and the book switched to her perspective a lot. Another reason I didn't like it was because the book was a little hard to follow since I haven’t read The Sisterhood Of The Traveling Pants. While I didn’t like Ama I thought that Jo and Polly were really good characters. Near the end of the book Ama finally stopped whining and actually enjoyed the rest of her trip. All in all the book was great except for Ama at the middle of the book.

I recommend this book if you like the Sisterhood Of The Traveling Pants series, Ann Brashares, summer, young adult novels, and best friends. ( )