The Penderwicks (2005)

What's not to like? A charming throw back to the children's books of my youth. ( )

I enjoyed this little book very much.

The Penderwick family is charming, if a little precious and a little too well behaved, but I would have enjoyed knowing them as a child or having them live in my neighborhood now!

Their friendship with the boy and their help of him to accomplish his goals was refreshing, with just enough misbehaviour/problems to keep it somewhat realistic in terms of children's behaviour.

I look forward to reading the sequels and recommend this book to any parent looking for a good "group read" with their children, any child looking for a pleasant story, and any adult looking for a little escape into the fantasy world of a wonderful childhood. ( )

When the four Penderwick sisters, along with their father and their dog, take a vacation home in the mountains for a few weeks in the summer, they expect the usual summer vacation adventures -- but they get even more fun and adventure than they had bargained for when they meet their neighbors and landlord.

If I had to pick just one word to describe this book, it would be "charming." There's a timeless, classic feel to this story -- not that it's set in nostalgic Days Gone By (there are references to the trappings of modern life, though those things are generally peripheral to the story), but the relationships between the characters, the situations they find themselves in, and the tone and pacing of the story all pay homage to the sort of books that were already dusty and deliciously old-book-scented when I read them as a child.

This time around, I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Susan Denaker. She does a fabulous job of bringing the story to life, with different (but not too different) voices for each character, and a reading that manages to be gentle but not sleepy. So, I would highly recommend both the book and the audiobook of this sweet story. ( )

This one was tough for me to finish. It felt like the author was trying to recreate the halcyon books of childhood and in so doing drew too hard upon her source material. The whole thing somehow rang hollow for me with its self-conscious charm. That being said, when I could suspend my disbelief the slight story was enjoyable but not at all like a visit to the Melendys. ( )

Fun story in the tradition of the Bastables and Melendys, I’d say, although not quite as well done as either. Still, I’m glad to hear that there’s a sequel. [Aug. 2008] ( )