| The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy (Penderwicks (Quality)) | 
 enlarge | List Price: $6.50 (€5.13)
Buy New: $2.63 (€2.08)
You Save: $3.87 (€3.06) (60%)
Buy New/Used from $2.26 (€1.79)
Avg. Customer Rating:   (based on 93 reviews)
Sales Rank: 2237
Category: Book
Author: Jeanne Birdsall
Publisher: Yearling
Studio: Yearling
Manufacturer: Yearling
Label: Yearling
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Paperback
Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 272
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 7.6 x 5.1 x 0.8
ISBN: 0440420474
EAN: 9780440420477
ASIN: 0440420474
Publication Date: March 13, 2007
Release Date: March 13, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
|
| Similar Items:
|
| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
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.
From the Hardcover edition.
|
| Customer Reviews: Read 88 more reviews...
 The Penderwicks November 11, 2008
One day I found this book lying around in my house. As always, I love to curl up with a good book. So when I started to read it, I couldn't put it down. This is a realistic fiction book that talks about an adventure four sisters encounter with. The summer adventure has twist and turns, sure to stay in your memories at all time. I read this book when I was nine and I recommend it to readers aged 9-11. The Penderwicks is a book your whole family can enjoy.
 Good, but not great November 8, 2008
Honestly, I don't understand what all the fuss is about this book. It was pleasant and enjoyable, but from all the reviews and awards this book received I was expecting something really unique. I think what bothered me most was that it seemed like the author was too in love with her characters. The Penderwicks were presented as always being right even when they were supposedly doing wrong, and everyone who opposed them was just bad, evil, and two-dimensional.
As far as it being so unique, ummm... four "poor" sisters from an eccentric family with a rich boy as a next-door neighbor? Doesn't that remind anyone of "Little Women"? And of course, there's the chubby, low-class but kind-hearted housekeeper/cook, a perfect dead mother, and a handsome working-class boy for the eldest Penderwick daughter to fall in love with. There seem to be elements taken from every children's book ever written.
The writing wasn't bad, but again I don't understand all the raves about how wonderful the writing was.
I think this is worthwhile to read if you just want something fun and light-hearted. But it's not the end-all and be-all of children's books.
Well-Written, Character-Driven Novel That's Fun! November 6, 2008
Don't judge a book by its cover, or its title. The subtitle--"A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy"--may be accurate (though the boy isn't all THAT interesting!) but...dullsville. The cover has a sweet, old-timey feel to it that's appropriate to the book but aimed more for a grown-up like me than for today's kids, who tend to want tons of action and humour just as they want flashy covers. However, it's a wonderful book, and I hope that children will ignore both cover and title and discover it on their own, in case they don't have a librarian like me who will book-talk it and sing its praises.
"The Penderwicks" breaks a few basic children's book dictums. There's no single protagonist, no one eye (or "I") through which we view the world. Doesn't matter. The book works. And it's been a long time since we've enjoyed a story with siblings who, no matter what their differences and occasional tiffs, truly enjoy each other. There's also no one single, overarching conflict, although there are any number of small conflicts, and one major problem for the "interesting boy" whom the Penderwick girls meet and spend time with over the course of this summer. That doesn't matter either. Can a book be episodic? Certainly. Think "Pickwick Papers" (is the similarity in names a coincidence, I wonder?). Think "Tom Jones." For an episodic book to work, you need strong characters, which this book has, and strong writing, which it also has.
What I also delight in is that the book has a timeless feel to it. When I read on the back flap that the author wanted to create a book like the ones she devoured as a child, I thought, Yes, this is just that kind of book. However, today's children readers won't have to be immersed in Edward Eager or Betsy Byars to relate to these characters. These are everyday kids living in the 21st century, complete with computers and backpacks. They also have ambitions (hoorah for Jane, doggedly penning her own series of adventure books), pets (hoorah for Batty and Hound, neither of whom is completely well-behaved but both of whom are lovable), bad tempers (hoorah for Skye, who often puts her foot in her mouth, but also has the grace to apologize when she does--at least sometimes), and crushes (hoorah for Rosalind, who falls in love for the first time, experiences a serious humiliation, and has the wisdom to understand she'll live to get over it). These are strong female characters, and if Dad is a bit of a scatter-brain, he's also both loving and a man of strong values (if he were constantly supervising the girls, there'd be no plot!).
Oh, and did I mention that there's plenty of good humour? It's a fun read, and I look forward to the future adventures of the Penderwicks.
 A New Book with Clasic Appeal November 3, 2008
Parts of this book reminded me of Little Women - the movie version, with Winona Ryder (I am embarrassed to admit I've never read Alcott's book itself). At any rate, here with the Penderwicks we have four diverse sisters - one motherly (Meg/Rosalind), one a writer with an adventurous spirit (Jo/Jane), one practical (Beth/Skye...I admit, this is the longest stretch in terms of character association), and one young and sweet (Amy/Batty). They make friends with a neighbor boy ("Laurie"/Jeffrey) and have their secret sisterly societies (The Pickwick Society/MOOPS). Even the fathers (Mr. March/Mr. Penderwick) are both gentlemen, intelligent and wise.
In this summer tale there are plenty of adventures and opportunities for the characters to grow. There is a sweet, old-fashioned pace and feel to the story, but it's not too syrupy to me. If anything, I was disappointed that the story was so brief - the littlest bit of complexity introduced in each of the characters could have been explored so much more. I was happy to see, though, that Birdsall has written a follow-up to this summer story, so perhaps there are many more Penderwick adventures in our future.
Strictly OK October 16, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
My problem with the book, as many others have noted, is that it feels like it should be set in the past, yet isn't. Two of the girls' name evoke a different time period - Jane and Rosalyn - but then we get to Skye in her camo baseball hat, and I knew my mental image of the set up was wrong.
Mr. Penderwick is oddly absent through most of the book, yet the girls think he's a great father. I don't know how they even remember what he looks like, based on the fact that it's the girls who cook the meals, watch the younger children, organize all their adventures, and put themselves to bed.
But the thing that annoyed me the most about the book is how completely unrealistic the children's actions are based on their ages. Rosalyn, the eldest, is 11 I believe. Well, I have 6 and 8 year old girls, and I can tell you that really, the ages of these characters should be 18 to 6. Even odd little Batty is more articulate than your average 4 year old. I've read a number of children's books recently where the characters are supposed to be 11 and act like adults, and it makes me crazy.
|
|
|
