Module 7: The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy

Birdsall, J., and Frankland, D. (2016). The
Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four
Sisters, Two Rabbits, and  a Very
Interesting Boy. Retrieved from
http://jeannebirdsall.com/books/
the-penderwicks/

Book Summary: The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy is a cute summer-time romp of a story featuring four sisters, their dog, and their widower father, who vacation at a summer cottage for three weeks. At Arundel, they meet an upstart and bad-at-listening "landlord", her son, and a teenaged gardener and his two rabbits. Rosalind, Skye, Jane, Batty, Hound, and Jeffery go on adventures and get up to some trouble thanks to a bull, a gardening competition, a potential husband for Jeffrey’s mother, and an escaped rabbit, but they always uphold the Penderwick Family Honor.

APA Reference:

Birdsall, J. (2005). The Penderwicks: A summer tale of four sisters, two rabbits, and a very interesting boy. New York City: Alfred A. Knopf.

Impressions: The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy is a humorous tale for elementary readers. Birdsall does an excellent job of characterization for all five of the main characters (six if you count Hound). Each sister is wholly her own person, and this is not only evident in what they say and how they act, but also their thoughts as Birdsall’s third-person omniscient narration jumps up from character to character. And, once Jeffery is added to the mix, every reader and his/her likes and dislikes are present: music, math, soccer, imagination, writing, adventure, responsibility, and more. This would be a fun story for a family to read together as every child will be able to identify with at least one of the characters. Additionally, Mr. Penderwick is present just enough to be a firm parental figure, but absent enough to provide the girls opportunities to be their own person and do their own things. He isn’t a git (to use Jane’s word) like Disney Channel parents, but he isn’t overbearing like Mrs. Tifton. He is supportive of their individual personalities and commandeering of their polite and respectful upbringing.

Professional Review:

Gray, B.A., Jones, T.E., Toth, L., Charnizon, M., Grabarek, D., Raben, D. (2005, July). The Penderwicks: A summer tale of four sisters, two rabbits, and a very interesting boy [review of The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy]. School Library Journal, 51(7), 95-96. Retrieved from http://www.slj.com/

Gr 4-6-- This enjoyable tale of four sisters, a new friend, and his snooty mother is rollicking fun. The girls' father is a gentle, widowed botany professor who gives his daughters free reign but is always there to support or comfort them. Rosalind, 12, has become the mother figure. Skye, 11, is fierce and hot-tempered. Jane, 10, is a budding writer of mysteries who has the disconcerting habit of narrating aloud whatever is occurring around her. Batty, four, is an endearingly shy, loving child who always wears butterfly wings. The family dog, Hound, is her protector. The tale begins as the Penderwicks embark on a summer holiday in the Berkshire Mountains, at a cottage on the grounds of a posh mansion owned by the terribly snobbish Mrs. Tifton. Her son, Jeffrey, is a brilliant pianist, but her heart is set on him attending a military academy like her beloved father. The action involves Rosalind's unrequited love for the 18-year-old gardener, Skye's enmity and then friendship with Jeffrey, Jane's improvement in her melodramatic writing style, and Batty's encounter with an angry bull whom she rather hopefully calls "nice horsie." Problems are solved and lessons learned in this wonderful, humorous book that features characters whom readers will immediately love, as well as a superb writing style. Bring on more of the Penderwicks!

Library Use: The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy would be a fun book display/passive program combination. Books like this one and other summer-centric juvenile fiction tales like Cody and the Fountain of Happiness (2015) by Tricia Springstubb, Diary of a Whimpy Kid: Dog Days (2009) by Jeff Kinney, The Fletcher Family Takes Rock Island (2016) by Dana Alison Levy, The Green Dog: A Mostly True Story (2003) by Suzanne Fisher Staple, and Fort (2015) by Cynthia DeFilce can be displayed with a place for young patrons to write/draw out their summertime adventures (on summery post-its like suns) and post on the wall nearby.