The Importance of Friendship

The primary theme of Keep in Touch is the importance of enduring friendships. The book's four main characters have been friends all their lives, but they are apart during the summer of their 16th year, at a time of great change for each of them. The notes and letters that comprise the early part of the book show that their friendship has had its ups and downs. For example, at age 12, Carmen writes an angry message to Tibby about her failure to come to Carmen's Halloween party, but all is forgiven when Tibby explains the reason for her absence.

At the same time the girls are preparing to be apart for the first time in their lives, they discover that a single pair of jeans fits each of them perfectly, and the pants become a symbol of their friendship and the love that binds them...