Reviews
4.5 ★ - (loved it, favorite) I loved this series when I was 10 and skimmed through one of these books recently, the writing seemed a bit more middle-grade then I remember. Hope to reread soon! - summer '23 I don't know why I never reread this sooner, I love these girls so muchhhhhhh. Mr. Penderwick is the best. Cagney, Jeffrey. The dreaded Mrs. Tifton and Dexter Dupree. CWs: mentions of divorce, kissing (mention of loud kissing noises from adults), a parent having passed away some years before, a slightly gory rumor of a man being injured by a bull (didn't happen) 2/18/24
A friend recommended this to me a few years ago. I was expecting to like it, but I was pleasantly surprised I ended up loving it!
The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbit, and Very Interesting Boy by Jeanne Birdsall is the start of the Penderwicks series. I read , the fourth book, The Penderwicks in Spring for the Cybils a couple years back. Feeling that I was missing some things for a lack of context, I've decided to go back and read the series in order.
one of my favourite books from back when I was around 10 years old and it's still amazing to re-read now
Oh my stars! This book was the sweetest, most touching thing I've ever read. <3 It completely captured the essence of childhood. Honestly, the book was such a sensitive and touching portrayal of childhood. It made me tear up more than once as I really saw the characters in such a raw, honest way. They felt so real and relatable. The writing itself made me feel all cozy and comfortable. It was blissfully nostalgic, heralding back to the classic children's stories of the past. And it held a certain magic to it--the magic of summer days. Fireflies, climbing trees, cozying up with a book in the shade...all the things that make summer such a magical time. SO YES. I absolutely positively adored this book! <333 Definitely going on my favorites shelf. ^_^ (Oh, and if you're not already convinced, there are brownies and gingerbread and Narnia references. THIS BOOK HAS IT ALL, PEOPLE.) // Re-Read June 2017 // This is a story that will never ever get old. It's a slice of childhood--the book equivalent of comfort food. I will never stop loving The Penderwicks. <3
A lot about the characters and setting was cute, but there was just so much behavior that I don't approve of. I would rather read books to my kids where the non-villainous characters act in ways I want them to emulate rather than where I'm having to explain to them the main characters are showing what NOT to do. As I read aloud, there were several lines that I had to leave off altogether. A handful of examples were making cardboard cutouts of the adults they didn't like to shoot at, disobedience and disrespect to parents and other adults, lying to and keeping secrets from parents, and an eleven year old girl daydreaming about kissing a teenager. The author obviously has different morals than I do, so I probably won't continue reading her books.
This was a cute summer read. I don’t read a ton of middelgrade, however the warm setting and the wholesomeness of the book made for a great holiday book. As part of a series, I might dabble in one of the other books, however the dutch translation was TERRIBLE - 100% recommend picking up the original english versions instead.
I was lead astray with a comparison to Edward Eager. I kept waiting for the magic to start. It didn't.
