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!
