Summary
This is the story of the four
Penderwick sisters, their dog Hound, and their father who go on a
summer vacation to Massachusetts. They stay in a little cottage at
the Arundel estate which is owned by a
woman named Mrs. Tifton. When the
family first sees Arundel Hall, they are amazed at the gardens and
the mansion. Ten year old Jane catches a glimpse of Jeffrey Tifton
as he watches them from his upstairs bedroom window. Jane
immediately begins to write a story about Jeffrey. The girls make
friends with the gardener, Cagney. He warns them not to go into the
gardens because Mrs. Tifton is trying to win the award for best
garden of the year. Cagney has two rabbits that the youngest and
shyest sister, Batty loves. Batty is four years old and when she is
not playing with Hound, she goes to Cagney's house to feed the
rabbits. The eldest sister, Rosalind, who is 12 has a crush on
Cagney and willingly goes with Batty to visit the rabbits.
Sky, the second eldest of the
Penderwick sisters at 11, meets Jeffrey first. Sky thought he might
be a snob, but finds out that Jeffrey is really a likable fellow.
Jeffrey likes the antics and friendships of all the Penderwick
sisters. He even invites them over to his house for his birthday
dinner. The girls are uncomfortable with the idea because they did
not bring any clothes to wear to a formal dinner in the mansion. The
girls are helped with this dilemma by the cook who takes them up to
the attic of Arundel Hall and finds old clothes that belonged to Mrs.
Tifton's mother. The housekeeper adjusts the clothing for the girls
and they all are able to help Jeffrey celebrate his birthday. But
Mrs Tifton does not like the girls. They sneak around in her garden
and they give Jeffrey ideas of independence. Mrs. Tifton wants
Jeffrey to go to military school and Jeffrey would like to go to a
music school. This is a fun tale of summer escapades and
friendships.
Impressions
At first glance, the main theme of this
book is summer fun. But it is really about growing up, taking care
of family, and making friends. The girls live with their widowed
father who sometimes seems absent minded. They relate to one another
more than they relate to their father, although he is always willing
to take time to listen to them when the need arises. The youngest
sister, Batty seems to miss her mother the most, and Rosalind, the
eldest tries to tell her sister bedtime stories to keep her mother's
memory alive. Each girl has their own interests, but when the time
comes for a united front, they have a secret meeting to talk about
their problems and find a resolution. One such problem was when
Jeffrey Tifton decides to run away. He went to the cottage where the
Penderwicks stay and they decided to let him sleep in Batty's room
for the night. In the morning, Mrs. Tifton came looking for Jeffrey
and that is when Mr. Penderwick stepped in to encourage Jeffrey to
speak to his mother about his reasons for not wanting to go to
military school.
Use in the library
One activity is to have students learn
the Penderwick sister's secret pledge. Another activity is for
students to make a chart that compares and contrasts the four
sisters. Another activity for the library is for the students to do
a personal research of front yard gardens in their area. Take
pictures and bring these pictures to class. The students can vote
for the best garden.
Reviews
From Book Links
The motherless Penderwick sisters-—
Rosalind, 12; Skye, 11; Jane, 10; and Batty, 4—are spending the
summer in a Berkshire cottage on the Arundel estate. Their botanist
father and protective dog, Hound, are also in attendance, though
Hound is fat more involved with the girls than their absentminded
professor dad is. After a bad beginning, the girls become friends
with Jeffrey, the son of the lady of the manor, Mrs. Tifton, whose
main concern is the welfare of her garden. On one level, Birdsall
might be criticized for one-dimensional characterizations (Mrs.
Tifton, her boyfriend), and certain minor elements that don't ring
true. But what this comforting family story does offer are four
marvelously appealing sisters, true childhood behavior (disobeying,
running away, a first crush), and a writing style that will draw
readers close. So satisfying, the story begs for a sequel: it would
be nice to see more of the Penderwicks. Reviewed by Ilene Cooper
From the Horn Book Magazine
" 'Summer afternoon —summer
afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words
in the English language,' Henry James wrote. Surely the motherless
Penderwick sisters —responsible Rosalind, twelve; feisty Skye,
eleven; creative Jane, ten; and shy Batty, four —would agree. Along
with their loving but preoccupied botanist father and a clumsy dog
named Hound, they spend their summer holiday in the Massachusetts
Berkshires in a rose covered cottage on the grounds of a mansion
called Arundel Hall. A fast friendship develops between the girls and
Jeffrey, the only child of Arundel’s icy owner, Mrs. Tifton. The
adventures the children share over the next three weeks include much
sneaking in and out of Mrs. Tifton’s prize-winning gardens.
Although Birdsall draws Mrs. Tifton and her snooty beau Dexter as
one-dimensional, writer’s muscle supports the entrancing sisters,
who behave just as real children would, arguing, calling each other
names, and disobeying adults. Suffused with affectionate humor, this
charming, old-fashioned story feels familiar in the way the best
books seem like old friends. The Penderwicks call to mind Edward
Eager’s quartet of siblings as well as those in Elizabeth Enright’s
The Saturdays; shades of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s The Secret
Garden appear in Arundel’s off-limits gardens and lonely Jeffrey
Tifton. Nostalgic but never stale, this fresh, satisfying novel is
like a cool breeze on a summer’s day. Reviewed by Carolyn Shute.
Resources
Birdsall, J. (2005). The
Penderwicks: a summer tale of four sisters, two rabbits, and a very
interesting boy. New York, NY:
Random House, Inc.
Cooper, I. (2005, July). [Review of
the book The Penderwicks: a summer tale of four sister, two rabbits,
and a very interesting boy by J. Birdsall]. Book Links,
14(6), 9. Retrieved from
http://www.booklistonline.com/booklinks
Shute, C. (2005). [Review of the book
The Penderwicks: a summer tale of four sister, two rabbits, and a
very interesting boy by J. Birdsall]. The Horn Book Magazine,
81(4), 465-466. Retrieved
from
http://archive.hbook.com/magazine/
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