61 pages 2-hour read

Ingrid Law

Savvy

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2008

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Character List

Meet the key characters, with insights into their roles, motivations, and relationships—spoiler-free.

Major Characters

Mibs is a nearly thirteen-year-old girl living in the rural borderlands of Kansas and Nebraska. She belongs to a family whose members develop supernatural abilities on their thirteenth birthdays. Following her father's severe car accident, she desperately hopes her incoming power will allow her to wake him from his coma, though the actual manifestation of her abilities proves highly confusing.

Key Relationships

Daughter of Momma Beaumont

Daughter of Poppa Beaumont

Sister of Rocket Beaumont

Sister of Fish Beaumont

Sister of Samson Beaumont

Sister of Gypsy Beaumont

Granddaughter of Grandpa Bomba

Friend of Will Junior

Friend of Bobbi Meeks

Stowaway on Bus of Lester Swan

Bobbi is the sixteen-year-old daughter of Pastor and Miss Rosemary Meeks. She wears a pierced eyebrow and acts tough to project boredom, hiding a more sensitive internal life. She feels alienated from her strict parents and harbors a quiet crush on Rocket Beaumont.

Key Relationships

Daughter of Miss Rosemary

Daughter of Pastor Meeks

Raised Alongside Will Junior

Reluctant Companion of Mibs Beaumont

Admirer of Rocket Beaumont

Lester is an anxious delivery driver for the Heartland Bible Supply Company. He drives a pink bus and carries deep insecurities, which manifest through tattoos of his mother and ex-girlfriend on his arms. He lacks confidence and easily bends to the demands of louder, more aggressive individuals.

Key Relationships

Romantic Interest of Lill

Unwitting Driver for Mibs Beaumont

Unwitting Driver for Fish Beaumont

Unwitting Driver for Samson Beaumont

Intimidated by Carlene

Influenced by Voices of Rhonda and Carlene

Delivery Driver for Pastor Meeks

Lill is an exceptionally kind waitress who works at a local truck stop diner. She struggles to arrive on time for her shifts but makes up for her tardiness with immense emotional warmth. She becomes an impromptu caretaker for the children hiding on Lester's bus.

Key Relationships

Romantic Interest of Lester Swan

Protective Caretaker of Mibs Beaumont

Protective Caretaker of Fish Beaumont

Protective Caretaker of Samson Beaumont

Employee of Ozzie

Will is a fourteen-year-old boy who lives with the Meeks family and behaves with a proper, straitlaced demeanor. Unlike his strict relatives, he treats Mibs with genuine kindness and respect. He suspects the Beaumonts hide a secret but accepts them without judgment.

Key Relationships

Raised by Miss Rosemary

Raised by Pastor Meeks

Raised Alongside Bobbi Meeks

Romantic Interest of Mibs Beaumont

Initially at Odds with Fish Beaumont

Fish is Mibs's fourteen-year-old brother whose supernatural ability allows him to control weather and create storms. Because his power responds directly to his temper, he struggles to manage his anger and protect his surroundings. He is fiercely protective of his siblings and highly suspicious of outsiders.

Key Relationships

Brother of Mibs Beaumont

Brother of Samson Beaumont

Brother of Rocket Beaumont

Brother of Gypsy Beaumont

Grandson of Grandpa Bomba

Protective Rival of Will Junior

Carlene is Lester's demanding ex-girlfriend who secured him his job delivering Bibles. She lives in a trailer park and frequently extorts money from Lester under the threat of having her brother fire him from the delivery company.

Key Relationships

Abusive Ex-Girlfriend of Lester Swan

Supporting Characters

Rhonda and Carlene are the vocal representations of Lester Swan's mother and ex-girlfriend. They manifest to Mibs through Lester's arm tattoos, constantly criticizing him and acting as a chorus of his own internal doubts.

Key Relationships

Symbolic Tormentors of Lester Swan

Samson is Mibs's seven-year-old brother, characterized by his quiet and highly introverted nature. He prefers enclosed spaces and rarely speaks. He possesses a calming physical presence that helps soothe his easily agitated siblings during moments of high stress.

Key Relationships

Brother of Mibs Beaumont

Brother of Fish Beaumont

Brother of Rocket Beaumont

Brother of Gypsy Beaumont

Momma is the deeply loving matriarch of the Beaumont family. Her supernatural ability allows her to do everything perfectly, from baking to executing mistakes with exact precision. She strives to maintain a sense of normalcy for her children despite their magical abilities.

Key Relationships

Mother of Mibs Beaumont

Mother of Fish Beaumont

Mother of Rocket Beaumont

Mother of Samson Beaumont

Mother of Gypsy Beaumont

Daughter of Grandpa Bomba

Poppa is the father of the Beaumont children and a former Navy man who wears a faded mermaid tattoo. Though he lacks a supernatural ability of his own, he is fiercely dedicated to his family. His sudden injury serves as the catalyst for Mibs's impulsive journey.

Key Relationships

Husband of Momma Beaumont

Father of Mibs Beaumont

Father of Fish Beaumont

Father of Rocket Beaumont

Father of Samson Beaumont

Father of Gypsy Beaumont

Rocket is the seventeen-year-old eldest sibling of the Beaumont family. His supernatural ability allows him to control electricity, but his intense emotions can cause accidental power outages. He feels immense guilt over the destruction his power sometimes brings to his surroundings.

Key Relationships

Brother of Mibs Beaumont

Brother of Fish Beaumont

Brother of Samson Beaumont

Brother of Gypsy Beaumont

Crush of Bobbi Meeks

Grandpa Bomba is the elderly patriarch of the Beaumont family whose ability involves creating and shifting land. He stretched the earth to build the Beaumonts' isolated homestead far from regular society. He offers practical wisdom to his grandchildren about managing their unusual powers.

Key Relationships

Father of Momma Beaumont

Grandfather of Mibs Beaumont

Grandfather of Fish Beaumont

Grandfather of Rocket Beaumont

Grandfather of Samson Beaumont

Grandfather of Gypsy Beaumont

Bill is a state trooper who works in the region. He carries a serious demeanor and enforces the law, representing an authority figure in the rural communities surrounding the Beaumont home. He is connected to the local Meeks family.

Key Relationships

Family Member of Pastor Meeks

Family Member of Miss Rosemary

Relative of Will Junior

Gypsy is the three-year-old youngest child of the Beaumont family. She prefers a soft, comfortable environment and dislikes hard edges. She gave Mibs her nickname because she could not pronounce the name Mississippi as a baby.

Key Relationships

Sister of Mibs Beaumont

Sister of Fish Beaumont

Sister of Rocket Beaumont

Sister of Samson Beaumont

Daughter of Momma Beaumont

Daughter of Poppa Beaumont

Miss Rosemary is the preacher's wife, a strict woman who steps in to babysit the Beaumont children. She believes strongly in appearances and rules, frequently ordering the children around. She insists on throwing Mibs a public birthday party despite the family's secret nature.

Key Relationships

Wife of Pastor Meeks

Mother of Bobbi Meeks

Parental Figure to Will Junior

Pastor Meeks is the local religious leader in Hebron. Unlike his surname suggests, he is quick-tempered and highly concerned with external appearances. He reacts with hostility when inconvenienced by minor errors in his church.

Key Relationships

Husband of Miss Rosemary

Father of Bobbi Meeks

Parental Figure to Will Junior

Customer of Lester Swan

Ozzie is the manager of the truck stop diner where Lill works. He is impatient and unsympathetic to his employees, creating a hostile environment in his restaurant before firing Lill in front of customers.

Key Relationships

Employer of Lill