-
Access our Top 20
Books of 2024!
Summary | Excerpt | Reading Guide | Reviews | Beyond the book | Read-Alikes | Genres & Themes | Author Bio
A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy
by Jeanne Birdsall
Book Reviewed by:Deliciously nostalgic and quaintly witty, this is a story as breezy and carefree as a summer day. 2005 National Book Award Winner. Ages 8-12.
Winner of the 2006 BookBrowse Sapphire Award for Most Popular Debut 2005.
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.
Winner 2005 - National Book Award.
Winner 2005 - Child Magazine's Best Books of the Year.
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 ...
.png)
BookBrowse Awards
2006
National Book Awards
2005
First time author Jeanne Birdsall has given us a family that is idiosyncratic without being ridiculously eccentric, and a charming set of children who are opinionated but not obnoxious. Little Batty, in particular, is a winner. I look forward to seeing if Birdsall can continue to work the same magic in the follow up due to be published in 2008, which will feature the four Penderwick children and a boy called Tommy Geiger who lives across the street and loves football above all...continued
Full Review
(320 words)
This review is available to non-members for a limited time. For full access,
become a member today.
(Reviewed by BookBrowse Review Team).
Jeanne Birdsall grew up in the suburbs west of Philadelphia. She says she first decided to become a writer when she was ten years old, but it took her until she was forty-one to get started. In the years in between she held many 'strange jobs' and also worked as a photographer, with some of her photos in the permanent ...
This "beyond the book" feature is available to non-members for a limited time. Join today for full access.
If you liked The Penderwicks, try these:
by Roddy Doyle
Published 2013
Four generations of women travel on a midnight car journey. One of them is dead, one of them is dying, one of them is driving, and one of them is just starting out. Perfect for thoughtful middle-graders and young teen girls.
by Jack Gantos
Published 2013
A sly, sharp-edged narrative about a small western Pennsylvania town and a dead-funny depiction of growing up in a slightly off-kilter place where the past is present, the present is confusing, and the future is completely up in the air.
.png)
The truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it
Click Here to find out who said this, as well as discovering other famous literary quotes!
