The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits and a Very Interesting Boy
Jeanne Birdsall
Published By: Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2005
We finished our adventure with The Penderwicks and are very excited to meet Jeanne Birdsall at Kidsbooks in Vancouver on May 16th! She will be showing off her latest installment in the Penderwick Series, The Penderwicks at Point Mouette.
The suggested age for readers of these books is 9-12 year olds. We'll see how we do with the second and third book, as the sisters get older and their interest in boys grows, but I found that the first book was suitable for my 7 year old daughter and 10 year old son as a read aloud. There was something in it for both of them, although I think my daughter liked it better. They are used to the motherless children theme from Walt Disney movies and the eccentric professor of botany who often speaks in Latin is the perfect father figure for the boisterous Penderwick girls. He is very supportive but lets them have lots of room to explore life as he is busy with his own interests.
The Penderwick sisters range in age from 12 years to 4 years and are very close to each other, despite their differences. When they meet Jeffery, the son of the lady who is renting the summer house to the family, the adventures begin. Jeanne Birdsall brilliantly captures the emotional ups and downs of friendship, sibling relationships and coming to terms with disappointment at all ages. An award winning book that has the Wilson read-aloud seal of approval!
I just finished this also with my 7 year old daughter, and she really enjoyed it. It's a perfect read aloud for kids ready to listen to a longer story. She loved the characters, their adventures, their closeness, the way they supported each other. I absolutely agree with you about the way Jeane Birdsall captures the emotional ups and downs of these girls' lives. I can't wait to read the third one.
ReplyDeleteWe actually listened to the audiobooks, which were great.
I just found this review while googling to sort out if books two and three are okay still for the younger set. My seven year old daughter jut finished the first book and LOVED it. So I'm curious, did you read books two and three and if so, what was your take on the age appropriateness?
ReplyDeleteHi Liv
DeleteWe did read the second book, "The Penderwicks on Gardam Street and it was lovely to meet up with the Penderwick girls 4 years after their first adventure and in their own neighborhood. My daughter was still 7 when we read it and she loved it.
It does cover some "older" themes, like the girls' mother's death, Rosalind's growing interest in the neighbour boy and an odd man who Batty runs into who adds a bit of mystery to the story. Saying that, Jeanne Birdsall offers it all with a deft hand and keeps the girls the heroines of their own lives,as they discover their inner strengths, their attention to the family honour and their sleuthing skills.
I think having Batty as one of the characters adds a dimension to the book that makes it okay for younger readers. They can relate to her. I would definitely recommend it as a read aloud for younger kids.
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Sonya