I loved this book I have read it 4 times isn't that a lot of times I really really really really loves this book! ( )

Ages 7 and Up - The four Penderwick sisters, Rosalind (age 12), Skye (11), Jane (10), and Batty (4), spend their summer with their widowed father and dog Hound in a cottage on the fancy Arundel estate. Here they meet 11 year old Jeffery, who lives in the estate mansion with his cold and snobby mother, Mrs. Tifton. The girl's friendship with Jeffery and Rosalind's crush on the 18 year-old gardener Cagney tie a series of vignettes into a story.
While listening to The Penderwicks, I couldn't help thinking of another story about four sisters and their friendship with the rich and lonely boy next-door. The high-standard comparison I found myself making with Little Women is what left me ultimately dissatisfied with The Penderwicks. For the Penderwick sisters, there are never any consequences or lessons learned, even though they make the same mistakes over and over again. (After about the fiftieth time of them getting worried about the fate of Jeffery because of some mess they've made, I found myself getting bored). The adult figures, even Cagney, remain one-dimensional up to the long, dragged-out end.
This book may not have seemed so long if I had read it rather than listened to it, but really I found the reading very well done. The narrator characterized each sister so well that after just a few minutes of listening I was able to tell each one apart.
This book got wonderful reviews and a National Book Award, but I found it merely okay. Recommended for medium to large public and elementary school libraries ( )

This is a fun story full of humorous mishaps and backyard adventures that all take place on the Penderwick family’s summer vacation. It is also a story about friendship and family. The characters are absolutely wonderful: from smart and feisty Skye, to the teenage Civil War buff, to the father who speaks to his children in Latin! Each character, even the more minor ones, has their own distinct personality that makes them memorable. To my mind, this is children’s literature at its best! ( )

This is a story about four sisters who go on summer vacation with their father. They stay in a cottage behind a large estate. There they befriend the owner's son Jeffrey. Together they have new adventures and stir up trouble. Over the course of the summer the sisters each learn something new about themselves. Before they leave they help Jeffrey develop bravery to speak to his mother about his feelings.

I enjoyed the book and am excited to find out that there is another story about the Penderwicks. It was fun to read to see what kind of trouble the sisters were going to get into. Throughout the story each sister discovers something new about themselves. It was interesting to watch how Jeffrey grew from a timid boy into a brave young man with the help and encouragement of the sisters and their father. It is a good story for students ages eight to twelve to relate to.

This would be a good story to read to a classroom and then follow with a discussion. The discussion would be about finding ways to overcome your fear to talk to your parents about your true feelings on a specific subject. Students could also write a short essay or story about how they have helped a friend who needed encouragement to overcome a fear. ( )

Kearsten says: I found this light, charming and sweet. It reminded me of a non-magic Half-Magic by Eager. And, the reader, Susan Denaker, was GREAT.

Recommended for all ages. ( )