I took Emily, my eleven-year-old friend and fellow fan of Ann Brashares' series, to see the film. Emily thought the actress who played Tibby rocked. (Where have I seen that actress before? Can anyone fill me in?) I thought the actress who played Carmen was awesome. As book-a-holics who are surly and suspicious when it comes to adaptations, we agreed, of course, that the books were much better, blah, blah, blah. I have to admit that the movie is fun, a total summer chick-flick tearjerker about family and friendship that can be enjoyed even without having read the books. For me, one part was actually better in the movie — seeing how Carmen's Puerto-Rican heritage made her so "other" when she was with her father's new family. While reading, I did imagine her heritage, but the actress, with her curves and emotions and accent, brought the "between cultures" aspect of Brashares' story to life for me.