Magical jeans that look incredible on all who wear them, regardless of variations in the owners’ sizes and shapes? Far-fetched, to say the least, but this fantastic premise ties together the summer stories of four friends, each of whom encounters challenges during the season they spend apart. Lena, Tibby, Bridget, and Carmen vow to pass the jeans from one to another during the course of the summer, never washing them, lest they weaken the pants’ amazing qualities. The four teens face issues including a new stepparent, overwhelming shyness, the need to explain an embarrassing and misunderstood encounter with a boy, a cynical attitude about a rock-bottom job at a discount chain store, and a relentless drive to experience physical intimacy at any cost with an attractive but older camp counselor. These are presented with credibility, humor, and compassion in a way that allows the plot to escape becoming overly sentimental. The different story lines are competently interwoven, and the friends emerge at summer’s end stronger for their experiences. (Ages 13–16)