The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale Of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, And A Very Interesting Boy (Turtleback School & Library Binding Edition)

The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale Of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, And A Very Interesting Boy (Turtleback School & Library Binding Edition) Review

The four Penderwick sisters (Rosalind, Skye, Jane, and Batty) are excited to be staying at an estate called Arundel for their summer vacation. Arundel is like nothing they've ever seen before - it is large and beautiful. They quickly make friends with Jeffrey, the son of the owner of Arundel, but his mother is less enchanted with the girls and how Jeffrey reacts to their friendship. The Penderwick girls will forever change Jeffrey's relationship with his mother - but for the good or the bad?

"The Penderwicks" is a delightful book aimed at children ages 9 to 12. Author Jeanne Birdsall has created a book that manages to combine modern elements to capture children's attention (their father has a computer) yet old-fashioned elements that will remind adults of beloved books they read as children (Rosalind writes letters to her best friend rather than e-mails). The book is told alternately from each child's point of view and each is a memorable character: Rosalind, trying to be a mother to each child and suffering her first crush; tomboy Skye; dreamer Jane who is always writing a novel; and young Batty, a nervous, shy child who loves wearing her beloved butterfly wings. The story is a simple one - children being children - that vaguely reminded me of "Little Women" (without the tragedy). There is a wonderful sense of humor throughout the book that children will love and adults will enjoy looking back to the innocent days of childhood. If there is a flaw in this book, it is the portrayal of the adults. Mr. Penderwick is a typical absent-minded professor, who unknowingly neglects his children and relies far too much on Rosalind. Jeffrey's mother is a stereotypical villain, whose character could use some fleshing out. Still, the book is really about the Penderwick sisters and Jeffrey and their story is a delight to read.

Readers of all ages will enjoy "The Penderwicks".

The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale Of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, And A Very Interesting Boy (Turtleback School & Library Binding Edition) Overview

FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. The four sisters of this nostalgic novel delight in a summer of adventure and discovery at a beautiful Massachusetts estate named Arundel. Jeffrey, the son of Arundel's owner, becomes the perfect companion to their exploits.

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