 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
The Penderwicks: a Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy
- By Jeanne Birdsall
- Genre: Family Life
Common Sense Media says
Pleasant, old-fashioned summer break escapades.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that the behavior of the girls is a little out of control. They repeatedly rampage through Mrs. Tifton's formal gardens, despite her making it clear that they are not welcome there, sneak out of the house, lose their tempers, are not always truthful.
What's the story?
The Penderwicks -- responsible older sister Rosalind, temperamental Skye, budding writer Jane, little Batty, and their botanist father (their mother is dead) -- head out for a summer vacation at a rented cottage on the Arundel estate in the Berkshires. There they meet Jeffrey, the musically talented son of Mrs. Tifton, the snobbish owner of the estate, and Cagney, the teen groundskeeper. After some initial social disasters, the girls and Jeffrey get to be good friends, and Rosalind develops a crush on Cagney.
But Mrs. Tifton, supported by her equally mean and stuck-up beau Dexter Dupree, doesn't approve of the Penderwick girls or their friendship with her son. After a miserable and disastrous birthday party for Jeffrey, they overhear his mom and Dupree planning to marry and send Jeffrey away to military school. Gentle, artistic Jeffrey is horrified, and when his mother won't listen to his pleas, he plans to run away.
Is it any good?
THE PENDERWICKS is a book calculated to warm the hearts of aging baby boomers, and remind them of the books they read when they were kids. Whether it will warm the hearts of many of today's children remains to be seen. It will be loved by the kind of kids, if there are any left, who go into a trance over Little Women, The Moffats, and the like. It's a pleasant story, enjoyable in a slow-moving, old-fashioned way, about children enjoying a summer of outdoor play.
But winning the National Book Award for Young People's Literature makes its faults stand out: stereotyped characters; emotional flatness; and an ending in which the best-case scenario is for Jeffrey to go off to boarding school at the ripe old age of 11 so that his mom can marry the odious Dupree without being encumbered by an inconvenient child. Not quite the old-fashioned values you'd expect from an old-fashioned book, but a modestly enjoyable read nonetheless.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about the behavior of all concerned. Does Mrs. Tifton have any right on her side? Is she correct in her criticism of Mr. Penderwick's parenting? What do you think of Jeffrey's solution? Also, as the book depicts a type of childhood that may be more familiar to parents than kids. This may open the gates to comparisons between today's and yesterday's childhood.
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- Teens & kids
AGE
Very Interesting Book
I just finished this book today and I gotta say, it was very good. I would recommend this for any child.
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AGE
Adventurous Tale
The Penderwicks is a very exciting and adventurous book. I thought that it wouldn't be a good book before i read it, but it turned out to be a very enjoyable read. You may not like it if you only like action-packed books, but otherwise, it is a must-read!!!
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AGE
The Penderwicks- Best Book I Have Ever Read!
The Penderwicks is probably the best book I have ever read! It is about four sisters and their widowed dad who rent a summer house and face many different adventures together. Throughout the summer, they grow colser to each other and even discover a little more about each of themselves. This book is extremely family friendly, and enjoyable to everyone. I am happy to say the sequel is also just as good. I would just love it if they turned this book into a movie!
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AGE
14 thumbs up
Fantastic wholesome book for kids & grown ups of all ages. We listened to it on a road trip and my 5 & 7 yr olds laughed at the escapades, my 9 yr old would beg us to turn it back on and even my 2 year old laughed at the dog's antics. Not to be missed are here references to (and recommendations for) old-fashioned classics. I have read the 2 following books and found them just as good, if not better.
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AGE
GREAT!!!!
I love this book !!!!!! i read it like a billon times some people think its for younger kids but im a teen and i love it
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Kid, 12 years old
September 27, 2011
AGE
One of the best books ever!
This book is a wholesome, enjoyable literary gem that I will read to my children. It has a true meaning of what a family should really be, opposed to the "I hate my family," type of books these days. This book will always remind me of my childhood. The girls respect each other, even though they have a few scuffles, they always pull through. Rosalind is a mature teenager that is responsible, caring and over all, a great role model. Skye is a little head-strong, but she would do anything for her sisters. Jane is a little poetess who is an aspiring writer-to-be, she is kind to her sisters and loves them dearly. Batty is a sweet child who's imagination can get her into mischief sometimes. And last of all is the father, who respects, loves and is deeply interested in his daughters. These characters are etched into my heart forever. This book should be reserved on your bookshelf between "Little Women," and "All-of-a-kind-family!"
Hats off to you Jeanne Birdsall!
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| Author: | Jeanne Birdsall |
| Book type: | Fiction |
| Genre: | Family Life |
| Publisher: | Alfred A. Knopf |
| Publication date: | November 20, 2005 |
| Number of pages: | 262 |
| Hardcover price: | $15.95 |
| Publisher's recommended age(s): | 8 - 12 |
| Read aloud: | 9 |
| Read alone: | 10 |
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