The Penderwicks (The Penderwicks, 1)

Product Information

Skye, 11, an adventurous girl whose blunt, occasionally ill-considered words sometimes get her in trouble; Moral questions are brought up often, particularly when one or a few of the sisters have done something they know they shouldn't. But there is usually a dismissal of conscience or a justification of their actions and not often a realization of their wrong-doing. Nonetheless, my daughter loved the story, and, after we finished it, she reminded me that reading can be ADVENTUROUS.

There are four sisters, and while you can tell that they are devoted and loyal to each other, they don't always act lovingly. Some of the things they say to each other are a bit sarcastic (to be funny), other times it's rude. Lastly, the oldest sibling is 12 years old and throughout the story she begins to have "feelings" for a teenage boy. It explores her emotions of maybe falling in love with him. Then, there is a chapter where Mrs. Tifton even goes as far as saying that if the eldest daughter doesn't be careful, someday she will "loose her innocence" to some boy. Religious & Supernatural - 6 Incidents: “Skye held Hound, whispering her name in over and over in his ear, trying to hypnotize him.” Mentions a book called Magic by the Lake. A girl is playing vampires with her dog. A girl reads a story with a genie. “The gods of fate may be kind.”

Publication Order of The Penderwicks Books

Although Jo and Amy have a difficult time getting along throughout the novel, they are the sisters who are most alike. Both are highly independent and determined, and even Amy has some tomboyish aspects to her character. In personality, Beth and Meg are similar as well. But I feel I need to stop myself now. Because I'm making this book sound horrible - and it's not. It's fun. It's timeless (minus mentioning a laptop, which was quite weird to be honest, since the book felt as if it could have been written in the 1950's!). It's just a bunch of kids having quirky adventures over a summer time. You can't really bring too much thought and inspection into something like this - you ruin the beauty of a story like this.

Hugs book to chest* This was so cute and I enjoyed it immensely! I've been struggling to catch up on my 50-book challenge for the year so I've been trying to read some short middle grade books to meet my goal. I remember my teenage sisters liking this book a lot when they were younger, and my 10-year-old sister recently became enamored with them, so I decided to give the first book a try. And I'm so glad I did! Mrs. Tifton is growing increasingly anxious as the Garden Club competition approaches, and she is determined that this will be the year she wins. Rosalind warns her sisters to avoid Arundel and its gardens on the day of the competition, but this sets the stage for disaster. Skye, Jane, and Jeffrey are deeply committed in a soccer game and are giving it their all until the ball ends up in the yard. The children follow in hot pursuit, oblivious to their surroundings until they realize they are not alone. Mrs. Tifton is barely controlled as the girls return to the cottage, but the Garden Club judge is amused and understanding. I know it's a beloved book on here, and a National Book Award winner to boot, and I did enjoy reading it aloud. I recently reread Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women. When I first read this book two years ago, in February 2018, I immediately added it to my list of treasured favorite novels. I couldn’t put the book down once I started it, and I found the same to be true even in rereading. There’s something so compelling about this age-old classic, something that has clearly transcended the decades and continues to delight generations of readers. That said, I'm an adult now, not 12, so there were things that I just couldn't blow past. For instance, many of the kids felt oddly aged. Rosalind felt much older than 12, especially crushing on the much older Cagney. Now yes, when I was 12, I was more than capable of crushes, but coupled with the way she acted like the Mom (even more than the Dad acted like a dad), it just felt weird. Speaking of Dad, he was barely present in the book, unless to give encouragement or to be called upon when the girls acted like, well, brats. (Because, yes, some of what they did was truly bratty and wouldn't have happened if there was even a modicum of parental attention.) He was in this so little, I almost wondered why bother writing his character at all (which was, of course, goofy, eccentric dad - yawn!).

Success!

I'm not sure why, but I don't seem to be as won over by this series as my youngest daughter and so many others on Goodreads. I liked this one, book #2, better than the first offering. I found it a lot more original and I think the characters were far more developed. Fast forward to 2018, and I decided to give it another chance. I was curious to read the book because I had just read Edward Eager’s The Time Garden, a witty story in which the contemporary characters time-travel to the world of Alcott’s characters in 1860s Concord. (I appreciated the allusions in fuller context after I’d read Little Women.) I don't know if I would have liked these characters if I'd read these books at 10, but I find them believable and likable now. They're girls who love their family and want to do the right thing. And they have adventures. Batty, after seeing a man with sunglasses appear on their street several times, is convinced a Bug Man is after them. Jane and Skye switch homework assignments, Jane writing a play for Skye, Sky writing a science essay for Jane. I never thought to do that with my sister! Although we had similar strengths and weaknesses, so it wouldn't have worked so well for us. Rosalind devises a plan to save their father from the dates his sister encourages him to go on. Oh, and if you're not already convinced, there are brownies and gingerbread and Narnia references. THIS BOOK HAS IT ALL, PEOPLE.) And so the days slid by, each better than the one before, and everyone thought that their perfect vacation at Arundel would last forever and ever and ever."

We all make mistakes when we're writing, but when a book is published by Alfred A. Knopf, I expect a certain level of professionalism. I found a minimum of 14 sentences in this novel that would have made both Strunk and White shrink and turn pale. I really liked how the plot meandered from one adventure to the next. It's nice to get those slice of life books sprinkled here and there. basically: I LOVE SISTERS AND SUMMER AND DOGS AND FRIENDSHIP. and this book is about all of those things!!!! dreamy. Jane, 10, aspiring author and soccer player. Often speaks as though she's writing one of her heroine's adventures ("For although Sabrina Starr had enough courage to face her adversaries, it was nice when she didn't have to."); My youngest child has had a very difficult month. I won't be getting into the details here, but suffice it to say that no 12-year-old should ever face the trials that she has.It reminds me a lot of Little Women (and I mean that in the best way. The characters are so sweet - and sassy - with each of their personalities rounding out their sisterhood.

Even with their flaws and the mistakes they make, what makes readers adore them is the way that they support one another and Jeffrey, their friend. This is while they save a boy they hardly know from a tough situation, proving themselves to be fantastic role models for young kids. Batty is saving up her dog-walking money for an extra-special surprise for her family, which she plans on presenting on her next birthday. However when some unwelcome surprises make themselves known, these best laid plans are ruined. As much as I love the film, it still doesn’t quite capture the nuances of the story and characters that I love best. The March sisters are extraordinarily multidimensional, a fact that tends to get lost in adaptations that have to compress the story to adhere to a shorter length. Melissa Patenaude- Skye's archenemy at school. She is the captain of Skye's rival soccer team. She crushes Pearson and is jealous of Skye. But in the end, it seems like that both become friends.

Become a Member

There is a new film version of the book out now—it premiered last Christmas. I have yet to see it, but I am looking forward to comparing it to the 1994 movie and to the novel itself. I have read about director Greta Gerwig’s careful attention to detail, her array of inspirations, and the unusual story structure that she chose for telling the story in a new way. I am curious to see how the new cast interprets the characters. I mean. . . those are all FABULOUS books, and great inspiration, but they were already written, by someone else. I like to see what current authors manifest in their own minds. Judges Citation. "2005 National Book Awards Winner, Young People's Literature". NBF. Retrieved 2008-01-29. In the second half of the book, the chapters about Meg feel disconnected from the rest of plot. Jo’s, Beth’s, and Amy’s stories weave seamlessly together, but Meg’s do not. I wish Meg’s subplots had been more vital to the overall plot.