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The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy (National Book Award for Young People's Literature (Awards)) (Hardcover)
by Jeanne Birdsall
| Category:
Family, Magic Garden, Award-winning books, Ages 9-12, Children's book |
| Market price: ¥ 178.00
MSL price:
¥ 158.00
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 Good for Gifts |
| MSL Pointer Review:
It has everything: suspense, mystery, lots of humor, heroes, it's a wonderful summer romp of a book. |
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Author: Jeanne Birdsall
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Pub. in: June, 2005
ISBN: 0375831436
Pages: 272
Measurements: 8.5 x 5.9 x 1.0 inches
Origin of product: USA
Order code: BC00042
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- Awards & Credential -
The winner of the 2005 National Book Award |
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- MSL Picks -
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!
Target readers:
Kids aged up 8
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Jeanne Birdsall lives in Massachusetss with her husband, four cats, a rabbit, a puppy, and a pet snail. She is working on another book about the Penderwick sisters.
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This summer the Penderwick sisters have a wonderful surprise: a holiday on the grounds of a beautiful estate called Arundel. Soon they are busy discovering the summertime magic of Arundel's sprawling gardens, treasure-filled attic, tame rabbits, and the cook who makes the best gingerbread in Massachusetts. But the best discovery of all is Jeffrey Tifton, son of Arundel's owner, who quickly proves to be the perfect companion for their adventures.
The icy-hearted Mrs. Tifton is not as pleased with the Penderwicks as Jeffrey is, though, and warns the new friends to stay out of trouble. Which, of course, they will-won’t they? One thing's for sure: it will be a summer the Penderwicks will never forget.
Deliciously nostalgic and quaintly witty, this is a story as breezy and carefree as a summer day.
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A Boy at the Window
For a long time after that summer, the four Penderwick sisters still talked of Arundel. Fate drove us there, Jane would say. No, it was the greedy landlord who sold our vacation house on Cape Cod, someone else would say, probably Skye.
Who knew which was right? But it was true that the beach house they usually rented had been sold at the last minute, and the Penderwicks were suddenly without summer plans. Mr. Penderwick called everywhere, but Cape Cod was booked solid, and his daughters were starting to think they would be spending their whole vacation at home in Cameron, Massachusetts. Not that they didn't love Cameron, but what is summer without a trip to somewhere special? Then, out of the blue, Mr. Penderwick heard through a friend of a friend about a cottage in the Berkshire Mountains. It had plenty of bedrooms and a big fenced-in pen for a dog-perfect for big, black, clumsy, lovable Hound Penderwick-and it was available to be rented for three weeks in August. Mr. Penderwick snatched it up, sight unseen.
He didn't know what he was getting us into, Batty would say. Rosalind always said, It's too bad Mommy never saw Arundel-she would have loved the gardens. And Jane would say, there are much better gardens in heaven. And Mommy will never have to bump into Mrs. Tifton in heaven, Skye added to make her sisters laugh. And laugh they would and the talk would move on to other things, until the next time someone remembered Arundel.
But all that is in the future. When our story begins, Batty is still only four years old. Rosalind is twelve, Skye eleven, and Jane ten. They're in their car with Mr. Penderwick and Hound. The family is on the way to Arundel and, unfortunately, they're lost.
"It's Batty's fault," said Skye.
"It is not," said Batty.
"Of course it is," said Skye. "We wouldn't be lost if Hound hadn't eaten the map, and Hound wouldn't have eaten the map if you hadn't hidden your sandwich in it."
"Maybe it's fate that Hound ate the map. Maybe we'll discover something wonderful while we're lost," said Jane.
"We'll discover that when I'm in the backseat for too long with my younger sisters, I go insane and murder them," said Skye.
"Steady, troops," said Mr. Penderwick. "Rosalind, how about a game?"
"Let's do I Went to the Zoo and I Saw," said Rosalind. "I went to the zoo and I saw an anteater. Jane?"
"I went to the zoo and I saw an anteater and a buffalo," said Jane.
Batty was between Jane and Skye, so it was her turn next. "I went to the zoo and I saw an anteater, a buffalo, and a cangaroo."
"Kangaroo starts with a k, not a c," said Skye.
"It does not. It starts with a c, like cat," said Batty.
"Just take your turn, Skye," said Rosalind.
"There's no point in playing if we don't do it right."
Rosalind, who was sitting in the front seat with Mr. Penderwick, turned around and gave Skye her oldest-sister glare. It wouldn't do much, Rosalind knew. After all, Skye was only one year younger than she was. But it might quiet her long enough for Rosalind to concentrate on where they were going. They really were badly lost. This trip should have taken an hour and a half, and already they'd been on the road for three. Rosalind looked over at her father in the driver's seat. His glasses were slipping down his nose and he was humming his favorite Beethoven symphony, the one about spring. Rosalind knew this meant he was thinking about plants--he was a professor of botany--instead of about his driving.
"Daddy," she said, "what do you remember about the map?"
"We're supposed to go past a little town called Framley, then make a few turns and look for number eleven Stafford Street."
"Didn't we see Framley a while ago? And look," she said, pointing out the window. "We've been past those cows before."
"Good eyes, Rosy," he said. "But weren't we going in the other direction last time? Maybe this way will do the trick."
"No, because all we saw along here were more cow fields, remember?"
"Oh, yes." Mr. Penderwick stopped the car, turned it around, and went back the other way.
"We need to find someone who can give us directions," said Rosalind.
"We need to find a helicopter that can airlift us out of here," said Skye. "And keep your stupid wings to yourself!" She was talking to Batty, who, as always, was wearing her beloved orange-and-black butterfly wings.
"They're not stupid," said Batty.
"Woof," said Hound from his place among the boxes and suitcases in the very back of the car. He took Batty's side in every discussion.
"Lost and weary, the brave explorers and their faithful beast argued among themselves. Only Sabrina Starr remained calm," said Jane. Sabrina Starr was the heroine of books that Jane wrote. She rescued things. In the first book, it was a cricket. Then came Sabrina Starr Rescues a Baby Sparrow, Sabrina Starr Rescues a Turtle, and, most recently, Sabrina Starr Rescues a Groundhog. Rosalind knew that Jane was looking for ideas on what Sabrina should rescue next. Skye had suggested a man-eating crocodile, who would devour the heroine and put an end to the series, but the rest of the family had shouted her down. They enjoyed Jane's books.
There was a loud oomph in the backseat. Rosalind glanced around to make sure violence hadn't broken out, but it was only Batty struggling with her car seat--she was trying to twist herself backward to see Hound. Jane was jotting in her favorite blue notebook. So they were both all right. But Skye was blowing out her cheeks and imitating a fish, which meant she was even more bored than Rosalind had feared. They'd better find this cottage soon.
Then Rosalind spotted the truck pulled over by the side of the road. "Stop, Daddy! Maybe we can get directions."
Mr. Penderwick pulled over and Rosalind got out of the car. She now saw that the truck had TOMATOES painted in large letters on each of its doors. Next to the truck was a wooden table piled high with fat red tomatoes and, behind the table, an old man wearing worn blue jeans and a green shirt with Harry's Tomatoes embroidered across the pocket.
"Tomatoes?" he asked.
"Ask if they're magic tomatoes," Rosalind heard. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Skye hauling Jane back in through the car window.
"My younger sisters," said Rosalind apologetically to the old man.
"Had six of 'em myself."
Rosalind tried to imagine having six younger sisters, but she kept coming up with each of her sisters turned into twins. She shuddered and said, "Your tomatoes look delicious, but what I really need is directions. We're looking for number eleven Stafford Street."
"Arundel?"
"I don't know about any Arundel. We're supposed to be renting a cottage at that address."
"That's Arundel, Mrs. Tifton's place. Beautiful woman. Snooty as all get-out, too."
"Oh, dear."
"You'll be fine. There are a couple of nice surprises over there. You're going to have to keep that blond one under control, though," he said, nodding toward the car, where Skye and Jane were now leaning out of the window together, listening. Muffled complaints could be heard from Batty, who was being squashed.
"Why me?" called Skye.
The man winked at Rosalind. "I can always spot the troublemakers. I was one myself. Now, tell your dad to go down this road a little ways, take the first left, then a quick right, and look for number eleven."
"Thank you," said Rosalind, and turned to go.
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Madeleine (MSL quote), USA
<2006-12-26 00:00>
My sister brought this book home from the bookstore, and I thought, "Ho hum, looks like a little kid's book." However, after reading The Penderwicks, I quickly changed my mind. It's not that the book is action-packed or thrilling, because it's not, but it's that the characters are believable and sympathetic. That's what makes this book so interesting. None of the four girls are perfect, but they are the sort of people that you instantly want to get to know better. Take-charge Jane, stubborn Skye, writer Rosalind (my favorite of the four), and lovable, trouble-maker Batty. Put them all together with a very likeable Jeffrey and a properly dislikeable Mrs. Tifton, and you get a great book. For any age. |
A kid (MSL quote), USA
<2006-12-26 00:00>
When the Penderwick family's summer holiday plans are changed, the widowed Mr. Penderwick decides to take his four young daughters - ages 4 through 12 - to a cottage in the Berkshire Mountains of Massachusetts. Instead, though, they find themselves on a beautiful grand estate called Arundel. For the close sisters, Arundel gives them a realm of possibility and each their own treasure-trove of memories and discoveries.
There's practical Rosalind, who, while gladly looking after her three younger sisters, develops a crush on an older teen gardener named Cagney, much to her surprise.
Next there's spirited, loudmouthed Skye, who refuses to back down against far bigger challenges than completing algebra problems.
Then there's the imaginative Jane, whose artistic skills are put to the test as she writes her most important Sabrina Starr adventure yet.
And last but not least, there's shy little Batty, who always wears her butterfly wings as she and her loyal Hound explore the magical gardens and surrounding lands together.
Meanwhile, the Penderwick sisters also find a great companion in Jeffrey Tifton, the owner's son. Jeffrey - along with the kind housekeeper Churchie, Harry the Tomato Man, and Cagney - helps the holiday to be a wonderful one that includes tame rabbits and the best gingerbread they ever had. Unfortunately, the terrible, snobbish Mrs. Tifton and her smirky boyfriend Dexter Dupree look down on the children and their adventures. When the Penderwick sisters discover the miserable future that lies in store for their new friend, they realize they must help him - or else this could be his last happy summer forever!
This is a lighthearted children's book that is also somewhat realistic. Readers won't like how Mrs. Tifton treats the girls, but they will enjoy the sisters' special bond, such as when they have their secret MOOPS. As with summer holidays, the book ends too quickly but will continue to be just as memorable as the years go by.
The Penderwicks is Jeanne Birdsall's first novel and the winner of the 2005 National Book Award.
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A kid (MSL quote), USA
<2006-12-26 00:00>
This is my favorite book!! I found out about it when we were going on a vacation, it was a 10 hour drive and I asked my mom if we could go to the bookstore, she said yes. I saw the book read the first page and knew I would like it right away. If you like snappy, funny, and heart warming adventure books then you will like this one. This book is about 4 sisters who go on a vacation and rent a cottage in an estate called Arundel. There is Rosalind the practical, and oldest Penderwick, Skye the smartest and stubborn one, Jane the writer who writes the "Sabrina Starr" books and often narrates her life aloud, and Batty the shy one who always wears her beloved butterfly wings, and of course Hound Penderwick. They meet a boy named Jefferey on the estate who becomes their companion on each adventure, as well as Cagney the gardener, Churchie who makes the best gingerbread in the country, two rabbits named yaz and carla, and unfortunately Mrs. Tifton and her Boyfriend Dexter. I hope this review helps you read this book! |
Zoe Collins (MSL quote), USA
<2006-12-26 00:00>
My mother recommended this book to me after she read it in a discussion group with fellow librarians. Out of all the books that the group read, this one was their favorite and when I finished it, I understood why. Jeanne Birdsall has a gift for capturing the unique dynamics of a family comprised of one scholarly father who is confused about how to raise four daughters, four daughters who must cope with one another as well as the situation presented to them, and even a dog who may not have a strong stomach when it comes to what he eats but will stand bravely by the youngest sister in all her perils. Ms. Birdsall masterfully handles a wide variety of characters without allowing one or two to completely drive the narrative. It is rare to find an author these days who truly knows how to use the third person omniscient point of view.
This book is for anyone who remembers those lazy days of summer that you spent in your childhood playing make believe with your family while meeting new friends along the way. For those of you who can't recall having this experience, read the book anyway. Ms. Birdsall will make you feel like you're there with the girls having the same experience.
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