Module 4: Realistic Fiction: The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall

Summary: The Penderwicks find themselves at a new vacation destination this summer. With the new destination comes new friends and new enemies, too. Four sisters, each different, enjoy this growing experience in their own way.

Citation: Birdsall, J. (2005). The Penderwicks : a summer tale of four sisters, two rabbits, and a very interesting boy. New York: Random House.

My Thoughts: I enjoyed The Penderwicks very much! It reminded me of my summer adventures and I found myself imagining what it would be like to be there with the girls. It is a fun read with lots of suspenseful moments and now I understand why my students love it so much!

Reviews:

Ashley Hergenroeder (Children's Literature)

This delightful story of four sisters and their summer vacation adventures will easily entertain readers. The Penderwick sisters are forced to change their summer plans when their usual rental house is unexpectedly sold. Fortunately, a new summer rental brings new adventures and new people to meet. As the girls make fast friends with the boy next door, there seems to be an endless supply of summer fun. But what would a summer vacation be without a little chaos and mischief? The four opinionated sisters, their friends, and pet dog seem to be a magnet for disorder, especially when it involves the snooty woman from next door. But through all their adventures, the sisters discover new things about themselves and each other. They learn just how strong they are and how powerful their family bond is. The girls learn new lessons while finding time to teach some of their own. These exciting events make it a summer that the Penderwicks will not soon forget. Possibly the best part of this story is that readers will be able to see that having fun does not always involve a TV or a video game! 2005, Alfred A. Knopf/Random House Children’s Books, $15.95. Ages 8 to 12.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, June 1, 2005 (Vol. 73, No. 11)

Echoes of Alcott contribute to the intimate charm of this story of "summer and magic and adventure." Not since the Marches have readers met more engaging girls than the Penderwicks: Rosalind, 12, pretty and practical; Skye, 11, smart and blue-eyed; Jane, ten, aspiring author, whose alter ego, Sabrina Starr, is fearless and clever; and butterfly wing-wearing Batty, four. Dear Father is a botanist, fond of spouting witticisms in Latin; Mommy is in heaven. This year, vacation will be spent at the cream-colored cottage at Arundel, estate of snooty Mrs. Tifton, whose house is "like a museum, only without armed guards." Unless she has a change of heart, Jeffrey, her gentle, music-loving only child, is doomed to be sent to Pencey Military Academy, "Where Boys Become Men and Men Become Soldiers." Despite a few mishaps, the children become fast friends and partners in the sorts of lively plots and pastoral pastimes we don't read much about these days. Their adventures and near-disasters, innocent crushes, escaped animals, owning-up and growing up (and yes, changes of heart) are satisfying and not-too-sweet. 2005, Knopf, 192p, $15.95. Category: Fiction. Ages 8 to 12. © 2005 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Suggested Uses: The Penderwicks is a fun story started for the classic "How I Spent My Summer" display. Along with other summer-related book, it would serve as the anchor for the classic writing project, the "How I Spent My Summer" essay.