Parents' Guide to

The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy

By Matt Berman, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 9+

Sisters romp through summer in old-fashioned charmer.

Book Jeanne Birdsall Family Life 2005
The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

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age 8+

Based on 12 parent reviews

2009abate
2009abate Parent of 9 and 11-year-old
April 7, 2022
age 8+
My daughter and I read all four of these together. We both enjoyed all of them, though I think the first one is probably the best.
Meghan Carey
Meghan Carey Parent of 7-year-old
February 18, 2022
age 5+

The best role models!

The characters in these books are all learning, growing, and living honest and respectful lives. We laugh, we cry, and we talk about them all the time—daydreaming about visits, or considering how a Penderwick might handle a stressful/awkward/frustrating situation. I only wish that more books could be like The Penderwicks series.

This title has:

Great role models
See all 12 parent reviews

What's the Story?

The Penderwicks -- responsible older sister Rosalind, 12; temperamental Skye, 11; budding writer Jane, 10; little Batty, 4; 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?

Our review:
Parents say (12 ):
Kids say (39 ):

THE PENDERWICKS is a leisurely paced, old-fashioned kind of story about children enjoying a summer of outdoor play. It won the 2005 National Book Award and was a bit hit with readers and critics who delighted in its humor, family dynamics, and nostalgic atmosphere, despite a copule of one-note characters (the mean and snobbish Mrs. Tipton and her boyfriend).

The Penderwicks spawned the successful sequels The Penderwicks on Gardam Street and The Penderwicks at Point Mouette.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the characters' behavior. Is Mrs. Tifton correct in her criticism of Mr. Penderwick's parenting?

  • How do you think the Penderwicks' childhood is different from how most kids live today?

  • Is it fun to see how kids can make up their own fun all day long without texting or playing video games?

Book Details

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