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| The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy (Penderwicks (Quality)) | 
 enlarge | Author: Jeanne Birdsall
Publisher: Yearling
Category: Book
List Price: $6.50
Buy New: $0.22
You Save: $6.28 (97%)
Buy New/Used from $0.22
Avg. Customer Rating:  (88 reviews)
Sales Rank: 3408
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
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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.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 83 more reviews...
 The Penderwicks September 1, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
On the cover of this book it says the book is a summer tale of four sisters, two rabbits, and a very interesting boy. After reading The Penderwicks, a reader would find out that this book is about much more. Most of the characters are introduced in the first few chapters. The main characters in this book are Skye, Jane, Rosalind, Batty, Jeffrey, Mrs. Tifton, Cagney, Mr. Penderwick, Dexter, and Hound.
Rosalind, Skye, Jane, and Batty are the Penderwick sisters. All of the sisters have brown hair and brown eyes except Skye who has blonde hair and blue eyes. She is the second oldest of the four sisters. She sticks up for herself and others. Skye is kind, neat and tidy. She likes to solve difficult math problems for fun.
Rosalind is the oldest sister. Even though she is only going into seventh grade, she is like the mother of the family (the Penderwicks mother died several years earlier). Another thing to know about Rosalind is that she is interested in boys.
Jane is the third oldest of the Penderwick sisters. She is a very creative person who likes to write books for the pleasure of writing. The series she is working on is about her main character that she invented named Sabrina Starr.
Batty, who is four years old, is the youngest sister. Batty loves animals like dogs, horses, and bunnies. Her favorite thing to wear is a pair of butterfly wings. She is very shy around new people. She tells all her secrets to her favorite family member, Hound.
Mr. Penderwick is a good father who loves all his daughters. He is very relaxed and understanding when his daughters get into scrapes. He also loves plants and he talks about them to the gardener at Arundel Hall. He speaks in Latin a lot and loves Beethoven symphonies.
Jeffrey is a boy with freckles and straight brown hair. He's Mrs. Tifton's only child. He likes to play with the Penderwick sisters. Jeffrey also came to the rescue of Batty two times in the book. He loves music and wants to be a musician someday.
Mrs. Tifton is a single mother who is very rich and hardly ever works. But to win the Garden Club competition, she would weed in her flower garden for a week. She acted spiteful for almost the whole book. By the end of the book, Mrs. Tifton becomes an understanding, caring, and kind mother.
Cagney is Mrs. Tifton's gardener. He is a very caring person. He is a teenager who is very interested in Civil War history. Cagney also likes all the Penderwick girls. Cagney came to the rescue of Rosalind.
Dexter is Mrs. Tifton's boyfriend and plans to marry her. He is a very snobbish and selfish man. Dexter doesn't like children or dogs. He wants to send Jeffrey to military school because he wants Mrs. Tifton all to himself.
Hound is the Penderwick's dog. He is loyal, sweet, kind, and protective. He protects Batty the most. Hound also senses when someone is in danger. He does not listen to Rosalind when she gives him a command.
The Penderwick Family spent their three weeks of summer vacation at Arundel cottage in the Berkshire Mountains. The cottage is a part of a large estate. It is on the same land as the grand mansion named Arundel Hall. One thing the Penderwick sisters enjoy doing is exploring the beautiful gardens of Arundel. This was where Skye first met Jeffrey. When the sisters got to know him, they all became great friends.
Jeffrey and the sisters went through many exciting adventures. Some of these events included saving Batty from Farmer Vangelder's bull, looking in the attic at Mrs. Tifton's old party dresses, and celebrating Jeffrey's birthday. Churchie, the housekeeper, remade the dresses so the sisters could wear them to Jeffrey's birthday dinner.
Jeffrey's birthday dinner was a disaster! The Penderwick girls were invited. Dexter and Mrs. Tifton were there too. They don't like the Penderwicks at all. Everyone was rude, but in a polite way.
After that, Mrs. Tifton and Dexter forced Jeffrey to visit Pency Military School for an interview. Mrs. Tifton wanted Jeffrey to attend the same school as her father did. She wanted Jeffrey to be exactly like him. When they got back from the school, Jeffrey ran away to the cottage where the Penderwicks were staying. Then Mrs. Tifton and Dexter came over looking for Jeffrey. Jeffrey told his mother that he does not want to go to Pency Military School. He adores music and wants to be a musician. His mother was shocked at this news. But, she did what her son hoped she would do. She let him go to a different school and agreed to let Jeffrey take music lessons.
Soon after that, the Penderwicks had to leave. It was the end of an unforgettable summer and the end of this book.
My favorite scenes in this book were when Skye and Jane climbed up the rope ladder to Jeffrey's room. I thought that was awesome because they acted like spies. The disastrous birthday dinner was interesting because nobody liked each other and they all knew it, but they were polite in spite of it. I also liked the scene where Batty was rescued from the bull. It was intense when Skye, Jane, and Jeffrey rescued her. My most favorite scene was when Rosalind fell into the pond and hit her head on the rock and Cagney came and saved her. It was romantic.
I recommend this book because there is something for everyone. It is funny and loaded with excitement. There are also unexpected events in every chapter! Plus there are many colorful characters that are all different. Almost everyone can find someone they can relate to. The characters I related to were Skye and Jane because Skye looks like me and she is good at math, and Jane is creative.
If I could rate this book from 1 to 10 (1 being the lowest and 10 being the highest), I would rate this book a 7 . I gave it a 7 because it was a great book. It wasn't the best book I've ever read though. If I read this book five times, I would get the same thrill the first three times. But the fourth and fifth time it would just become boring. This is still a wonderful book and I really enjoyed it. Go and check this book out!
 My kids love this book - maybe even as much as I do! August 9, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
I read with my daughters every night - once or twice a year, we find a book that makes me sneak back into their room late at night to read a few chapters ahead because I just can't wait for the next day. This is one of those books. The sisters are amazing - funny, bright, each very much their own person - from Rosalind - mature beyone her years to little Batty, each character a joy. Dare I say modern March sisters?
Other reviewers have already covered the plot - I just want to empahsize how enjoyable this book was for both me and my kids. Enjoy!
I am just ordering the follow up - I can't wait for it to arrive.
A Wonderful Read Aloud July 14, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
All at once a fun, heart warming and poignant story of family, friendships and their many forms...and loyalty. I chose this as a read aloud---for my kids who are 8 and 6. My daughter, the 8 year old, laughed out loud and said "awwww" at all the right moments when the sisters looked out for one another---and when they got themselves into some silly kid situations. The makings of a modern classic. Refreshing to read. Something I would have enjoyed when I was 8---and certainly something I enjoyed reading and sharing at my (undisclosed!) age!
Highly recommended...
Truly excellent! June 25, 2008
What a wonderful treasure!
I really couldn't tell you exactly what it was about this book that made me want to come back to it at every spare moment. It's not like there is some huge climax, or that I'm waiting to see if my favorite character makes it to the end of an adventure alive - it's not that sort of book. And yet, it is. The Penderwicks are an absolutely wonderful, lovable and endearing family made up of four sisters (from ages 4 to 12 1/2), their loving father, and their happy and protective dog, Hound.
The book tells the story of the four girls' summer vacation at a cottage on a huge estate. And while most of the book consists of tiny stories and daily events, we see as the book progresses that author Jeanne Birdsall has managed to create adventures and climaxes fitting for the Penderwicks, that build and span the entire book - each character achieving their own arc.
So, while perhaps the Penderwicks aren't out to save the world, they have adventures of their own that need to be tackled - anywhere from helping their new friend stand up to his self-centered mother, to rescuing a runaway rabbit. And all the while, Birdsall has filled these characters with wonderful heart and individuality, so that by the third chapter you won't be getting the sisters confused with each other, and you will be anxious to hear more about each of them.
The story seems truly timeless - it's a modern story, but you'd really never know it aside from the mention of a car and a few mentions of a computer. It could be as relevant today as if it were written one hundred yeas ago, or one hundred years from now. I hope you'll read it! It's truly excellent!
 Intensely boring May 21, 2008
3 out of 12 found this review helpful
Finally got around to reading this book, and while it's better than anything I've ever had published, it certainly does suck the life force from one, doesn't it? I kept turning the pages--- after all, a National Book Award and all---- yet on each new page a canvass of nothing is painted with a palette of low-affect dialogue exchanges and sight words. Dreadful. I don't know who these people are, gushing about this book, and I see an actual young person has chimed in with some praise, but in the universe I inhabit, kids tend to like books in which something worth mentioning actually happens. Honk if you agree.
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