The Penderwicks

 

(Image from Amazon.com)

SUMMARY

The Penderwicks is a book about four sisters who go on a summer vacation to a fancy estate with their dad.  They meet a boy who lives next door, and they have all kinds of adventures that lead them into all kinds of trouble.  This boy, Jeffrey, is the son of the estate owner, who is not as pleased that these four girls are there.  Mrs. Tifton warns her son to stay away from these troubling girls, but their new sense of adventure is too tempting to keep away from.  The five children end up becoming good friends and ruining Mrs. Tifton's chance of winning the garden competition, all in the same summer.

APA CITATION

Birdsall, Jeanne. The Penderwicks. David Fickling, 2013.

MY OPINION & RECOMMENDATIONS

I love this book!! I specifically remember reading this book in elementary school, and I immediately fell in love with the characters.  I was able to relate with each of the sisters in different ways, and it really just reignited my love for reading.  I would recommend this book for girls in upper elementary.  It's an easy read, but a longer book that might seem daunting for younger kids.  Definitely worth the read!

PROFESSIONAL REVIEW

Echoes of Alcott contribute to the intimate charm of this story of “summer and magic and adventure.” Not since the Marches have readers met more engaging girls than the Penderwicks: Rosalind, 12, pretty and practical; Skye, 11, smart and blue-eyed; Jane, ten, aspiring author, whose alter ego, Sabrina Starr, is fearless and clever; and butterfly wing–wearing Batty, four. Dear Father is a botanist, fond of spouting witticisms in Latin; Mommy is in heaven. This year, vacation will be spent at the cream-colored cottage at Arundel, estate of snooty Mrs. Tifton, whose house is “like a museum, only without armed guards.” Unless she has a change of heart, Jeffrey, her gentle, music-loving only child, is doomed to be sent to Pencey Military Academy, “Where Boys Become Men and Men Become Soldiers.” Despite a few mishaps, the children become fast friends and partners in the sorts of lively plots and pastoral pastimes we don’t read much about these days. Their adventures and near-disasters, innocent crushes, escaped animals, owning-up and growing up (and yes, changes of heart) are satisfying and not-too-sweet. (Fiction. 8-12)

Birdsall, Jeanne. “The Penderwicks.” Kirkus Reviews, Knopf, 14 June 2005.