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The Penderwicks #2
The Penderwicks on Gardam Street
With over one million copies sold, this series of modern classics about the charming Penderwick family from National Book Award winner and New York Times bestseller Jeanne Birdsall is perfect for fans of Noel Streatfeild and Edward Eager.
The Penderwick sisters are home on Gardam Street and ready for an adventure! But the adventure they get isn't quite what they had in mind. Mr. Penderwick's sister has decided it's time for him to start dating--and the girls know that can only mean one thing: disaster. Enter the Save-Daddy Plan--a plot so brilliant, so bold, so funny, that only the Penderwick girls could have come up with it. It's high jinks, big laughs, and loads of family warmth as the Penderwicks triumphantly return.
The Penderwick sisters are home on Gardam Street and ready for an adventure! But the adventure they get isn't quite what they had in mind. Mr. Penderwick's sister has decided it's time for him to start dating--and the girls know that can only mean one thing: disaster. Enter the Save-Daddy Plan--a plot so brilliant, so bold, so funny, that only the Penderwick girls could have come up with it. It's high jinks, big laughs, and loads of family warmth as the Penderwicks triumphantly return.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published April 8, 2008
About the author
Jeanne Birdsall
30 books1,126 followersJeanne Birdsall grew up in the suburbs west of Philadelphia, where she attended wonderful public schools. Jeanne had lots of great teachers, but her favorites were: Mrs. Corkhill, sixth grade, who encouraged her intellectual curiosity; Mr. Tremonte, eighth grade algebra, who taught Jeanne to love and respect math; and Miss Basehore, second and fourth year Latin, to whom Jeanne (and Mr. Penderwick) will be forever grateful.
Although she first decided to become a writer when she was ten years old, it took Jeanne until she was forty-one to get started. In the years in between, Jeanne had many strange jobs to support herself, and also worked hard as a photographer, the kind that makes art. Some of Jeanne's photographs are included in the permanent collections of museums, including the Smithsonian and the Philadelphia Art Museum. Her work can be seen in several galleries, including the R. Michelson Galleries in western Massachusetts.
Jeanne's home now is with her husband in Northampton, Massachusetts. Their house is old and comfortable, full of unruly animals, and surrounded by gardens.
Although she first decided to become a writer when she was ten years old, it took Jeanne until she was forty-one to get started. In the years in between, Jeanne had many strange jobs to support herself, and also worked hard as a photographer, the kind that makes art. Some of Jeanne's photographs are included in the permanent collections of museums, including the Smithsonian and the Philadelphia Art Museum. Her work can be seen in several galleries, including the R. Michelson Galleries in western Massachusetts.
Jeanne's home now is with her husband in Northampton, Massachusetts. Their house is old and comfortable, full of unruly animals, and surrounded by gardens.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,083 reviews
February 8, 2023
which penderwick sister someone identified with as a child tells me more than their silly little zodiac sign ever could
April 23, 2023
This was a read-aloud with my 12-year-old and, when I finished reading the last page, she said, “FIVE STARS AND ORDER THE NEXT ONE NOW!”
She's the intended audience for this series, so that may be all you need to know.
However, the rules for our daughter-mother buddy reads are: daughter listens and then rates the book, mother reads aloud and then reviews the book.
So, the author, Jeanne Birdsall, who seems like an incredibly affable person, gets those shiny five stars, but I have a few observations I'd like to make.
I'm not sure why, but I don't seem to be as won over by this series as my youngest daughter and so many others on Goodreads. I liked this one, book #2, better than the first offering. I found it a lot more original and I think the characters were far more developed.
And, yet, I wonder why sentences like these are peppered throughout this middle grades read:
Too obviously not speaking, she folded a bathrobe and placed it neatly into the suitcase on the bed (67)
After picking Batty up and inspecting her for damage—none—Mr. Penderwick helped Aunt Claire into the car. (71)
We all make mistakes when we're writing, but when a book is published by Alfred A. Knopf, I expect a certain level of professionalism. I found a minimum of 14 sentences in this novel that would have made both Strunk and White shrink and turn pale.
Also—I find it difficult to believe that children this young would casually use words like “morrow,” “hither” and “yon.” I understand that their father is a professor who casually uses Latin with his English speaking children, but when the kids talk like this, regularly, I'm not convinced.
And WHY is Rosalind 12 and Batty 4?? Rosalind should have been 14, right from the start, and Batty should have been 6 or 7. Their ages do not align with their speech, their knowledge, nor their circumstances. My youngest is 12-years-old, in the 6th grade, and she's considered one of the “older” kids in her class. Rosalind, at 12, is already a 7th grader, contemplating things that would never enter my daughter's mind or come out of her mouth. I am surrounded by preteens and teens; I sometimes have up to 6 of them at my house at a time, and I can tell you HOW they talk and what they would and wouldn't say. Rosalind could easily be 28, the way she is written.
Regardless, it looks like I'll be reading ALL of these books, so I might as well make my peace with them.
I just get a little irritated when an author depicts children without really understanding how they behave or talk.
She's the intended audience for this series, so that may be all you need to know.
However, the rules for our daughter-mother buddy reads are: daughter listens and then rates the book, mother reads aloud and then reviews the book.
So, the author, Jeanne Birdsall, who seems like an incredibly affable person, gets those shiny five stars, but I have a few observations I'd like to make.
I'm not sure why, but I don't seem to be as won over by this series as my youngest daughter and so many others on Goodreads. I liked this one, book #2, better than the first offering. I found it a lot more original and I think the characters were far more developed.
And, yet, I wonder why sentences like these are peppered throughout this middle grades read:
Too obviously not speaking, she folded a bathrobe and placed it neatly into the suitcase on the bed (67)
After picking Batty up and inspecting her for damage—none—Mr. Penderwick helped Aunt Claire into the car. (71)
We all make mistakes when we're writing, but when a book is published by Alfred A. Knopf, I expect a certain level of professionalism. I found a minimum of 14 sentences in this novel that would have made both Strunk and White shrink and turn pale.
Also—I find it difficult to believe that children this young would casually use words like “morrow,” “hither” and “yon.” I understand that their father is a professor who casually uses Latin with his English speaking children, but when the kids talk like this, regularly, I'm not convinced.
And WHY is Rosalind 12 and Batty 4?? Rosalind should have been 14, right from the start, and Batty should have been 6 or 7. Their ages do not align with their speech, their knowledge, nor their circumstances. My youngest is 12-years-old, in the 6th grade, and she's considered one of the “older” kids in her class. Rosalind, at 12, is already a 7th grader, contemplating things that would never enter my daughter's mind or come out of her mouth. I am surrounded by preteens and teens; I sometimes have up to 6 of them at my house at a time, and I can tell you HOW they talk and what they would and wouldn't say. Rosalind could easily be 28, the way she is written.
Regardless, it looks like I'll be reading ALL of these books, so I might as well make my peace with them.
I just get a little irritated when an author depicts children without really understanding how they behave or talk.
March 27, 2018
// Re-Read March 2018 //
What words can describe my adoration for this series and its characters? Reading a Penderwicks book is like a receiving a warm hug on a chilly day or like remembering a fond memory from your childhood.
It's blissful nostalgia & the joy of childhood.
I will never, ever stop coming back to the Penderwicks whenever I'm in need of a comfortable, cozy, & delightful read. <3
(And just so you know, my future kids will be read this series MANY times. *grins*)
/ / /
Can I just hug this book forever? Because I ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT. <3 I didn't think I would like it as much as the first one, but gosh, it was so. good.
There were a couple minor things I didn't like, but other than that, this book was a gem! Now I just need to get my hands on the third one...
What words can describe my adoration for this series and its characters? Reading a Penderwicks book is like a receiving a warm hug on a chilly day or like remembering a fond memory from your childhood.
It's blissful nostalgia & the joy of childhood.
I will never, ever stop coming back to the Penderwicks whenever I'm in need of a comfortable, cozy, & delightful read. <3
(And just so you know, my future kids will be read this series MANY times. *grins*)
/ / /
Can I just hug this book forever? Because I ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT. <3 I didn't think I would like it as much as the first one, but gosh, it was so. good.
There were a couple minor things I didn't like, but other than that, this book was a gem! Now I just need to get my hands on the third one...
September 20, 2008
I can't exactly remember what it was that kept me from reading The Penderwicks of Gardam Street the minute it came out on bookstore and library shelves. As a children's librarian I certainly enjoyed Ms. Birdsall's previous title, The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy, which garnered itself a bright and shiny National Book Award. Then there was all that talk about a resurgence of "old-fashioned" children's books and how Penderwicks marked a nostalgia trend. I didn't like that notion, and maybe that feeling ate away at the good time I'd had reading the novel. Maybe I felt guilty for liking it so much. Maybe that's what slowed my hand when it came to reading and reviewing the next Birdsall title. "I've read the first one," thought I. "How much more different could it be?" But then all these librarians and teachers stared telling me how good the sequel was. No, not just good. "Better than the original." Those were the exact words I heard from three different pairs of lips. And the general rule states that if three different pairs of lips tell you to read something, it is wise to follow their advice. So I finally finally FINALLY got around to picking up a copy and reading it and . . . . shoot. They were right. It really is better than the original. And the original, for all my hemming and hawing, was pretty darn good in its own right too.
Under normal circumstances Aunt Claire's visit to the Penderwick girls (Rosaline, Jane, Skye, and Batty) is a time of fun and jubilation. But when Claire announces that it was Mr. Penderwick's wife's dying wish that he eventually date and remarry, shock hits the girls. Rosalind, the eldest, takes it particularly hard and decides to institute a plan to save their father from the claws of some foul woman by setting him up on purposefully horrendous dates (thereby turning him off of the idea altogether). Of course there are other concerns clawing at the girls' attention. Skye and Jane have switched their homework yet again, and unfortunately it worked so well that Skye's English teacher has decided to stage "her" play with you-know-who in the lead. Rosalind, on top of this dating crisis, is dealing with the unwanted (?) attentions of next door neighbor Tommy Geiger. And even Batty has a situation of her own, involving the adorable little boy neighbor (and his beautiful and intelligent mother) and a creepy fellow lurking about the street whom she calls "Bug Man". Fortunately everything works out well in the end with the girls happier, wiser, and just as amusing as ever.
I know that there are some parents, teachers, and librarians out there amongst you for whom the term "classic" when applied to a contemporary work of children's fiction means only one thing to you: twee. Ootsy-cutesy. Sunshine, flowers, and suburbs full of white children acting as if it is 1959 and they haven't a care in the world. Well, let's examine this, shall we? First off, there's no denying that this is a book about four relatively well-off white girls living in the suburbs in a big beautiful house. Let the record also show, that in her defense Jeanne Birdsall has not pulled the old let's-just-throw-in-a-black-best-friend move that so many authors do in a fit of white guilt. There are kids of different races here but they fit in within the context of the story and not in a way that feels forced. And I know that everyone likes to discuss the Birdsall nostalgia factor, but does anyone properly credit how she doesn't fall back on the usual character stereotypes? Skye acts somewhat like a jock, but her interests lie in being smart in math and extremely tidy. Jane, in comparison, is the romantic Anne-of-Green-Gables-type of gal who is deeply into writing and daydreaming but who, on the side, turns into a Cockney soccer player when she gets into a skirmish on the field. These kids have a little depth to them, often when you least expect it.
Maybe the best argument that the book belongs to the past (though it seems pretty contemporary, just without iPods and things) are the two moments when Mr. Penderwick makes Latin references that any child familiar with the Harry Potter books would recognize. The first happens on page 50 when he mentions the word "bellatrix" and no one follows it up with the accompanying "Lestrange". The second time happens on page 65 when he describes his latest date with the term "cruciatus." The forbidden curse unfamiliar to kids? It is the only evidence that this family of readers isn't living in the here and now. The evidence against this theory? Well, there are little moments like when the rules on entering into Quigley Woods are discussed. In the past a kid would wander abandoned would with impunity. These days it's a good idea just to have a couple ground rules here and there.
I'll just sum up the name of the game here in one word: Subversive. This is a deeply subversive children's novel. Aw, look at your little skeptical faces. You don't think I can back that statement up, do you? Well, consider how Ms. Birdsall both acknowledges and plays with our expectations. You walk into this novel with a certain attitude on how it will be portrayed. Then you get to page seventy-four when Jane makes the argument that their father should date because: " `men have needs . . . I read that in a magazine.' `What needs?' asked Batty. `What magazine?' asked Skye." Cheeky. You won't find that conversation in an Elizabeth Enright novel, I'll tell you that right now.
I do love the characters too. I was particularly fond of Skye since she reminded me of my best friend growing up. I knew a Skye type once. In terms of character development Birdsall respects and provides the proper amount of small, almost invisible moments that make a person who they are. The telling snippets that expose our humanity beneath the exterior. Here's an example: There is a moment when Rosalind has been so wrapped up the notion of her father dating again that she has wandered off and failed to tell Batty her usual bedtime story. Batty is fond of repetition and desperately needs her story. When Rosalind finally comes home her over-tired little sister's interior monologue works itself up and up until she's in tears (I found the line about being worried that Skye would think her a coward particularly touching) and Rosalind finally takes her to bed and gives her the story. The moment could be done in such a way that Batty comes off as looking bratty, and really the fact that the child doesn't high herself henceward is a testament of writing right there. But for me, the really telling point is right at the end of the chapter where it says of Rosalind, " `Sleep well, Battikins,' she whispered, then watched over her for a long time, just in case she woke up again, still wanting a story." In a way, the book is also about the selfishness of childhood. Every kid just cares about what they care about. It takes an extraordinary amount of energy sometimes for a person, be they old or young, to crawl out of their own little shell of self-pity to see and aid a fellow human being, no matter how close to them they may be.
Finally, it's funny. That probably should have been my first point lo these many paragraphs ago. It's true in any case. I think I may have snorted in a particularly unladylike fashion when I read the poem that Jane wrote for Skye's homework assignment which went, "Tra-la the joy of tulips blooming, Ha-ha the thrill of bumblebees zooming. I'm alive and I dance, I'm alive though death is always looming" (remember what I said about subversion earlier?).
I was at an event recently where I expressed my pleasure with this book. My companion nodded politely and listened, but then asked if I didn't find the story just a bit . . . well . . . . much. I could see where she was coming from. We're dealing with a book that contains something called the "Save-Daddy Plan". On top of that the answer to the girls' woes is so seemingly obvious (to say nothing of the last-minute villain who would have gotten away with it too if it weren't for those meddling kids and their pesky dog) that even the youngest reader is bound to guess where the storyline is going. I'll grant that, but the degree to which a children's book is predictable doesn't necessarily bother me. When you judge a book written with a child audience in mind, familiar tropes are standard fare. What's important is how well the author plays with them. J.K. Rowling, after all, was not the first author to write about a kid going off to a school for magic. She just happened to write it best. Likewise, Birdsall isn't the first writer I've seen to come up with a storyline that involves matchmaking and the like, but she writes so bloody well that I doubt any child, no matter how jaded, is going to mind if they suspect where the plot is headed.
Kids actually dig these books, which shouldn't strike you as much of a surprise. For devoted readers there's a veritable bibliography within these pages as well. Copious amounts of Eva Ibbotson, Sense and Sensibility, The Phantom Tollbooth, and on and on. Birdsall's writing is also extremely accessible. Without relying on hoopla and bombast she ropes you in with just a sentence or two. There's something for everyone here. For the kids that like "old-fashioned stories" you can make the argument that Birdsall is conjuring up the distant past (what other novel out there today contains a kid with the name "Tommy" for heavens sake?). For those of you who couldn't care less about books with a classic feel and just want something funny, well written, and enticing, The Penderwicks on Gardam Street has your number. Even if you didn't much care for the first one, you're going to find a lot to love here. Better than the original.
Ages 7-14.
Under normal circumstances Aunt Claire's visit to the Penderwick girls (Rosaline, Jane, Skye, and Batty) is a time of fun and jubilation. But when Claire announces that it was Mr. Penderwick's wife's dying wish that he eventually date and remarry, shock hits the girls. Rosalind, the eldest, takes it particularly hard and decides to institute a plan to save their father from the claws of some foul woman by setting him up on purposefully horrendous dates (thereby turning him off of the idea altogether). Of course there are other concerns clawing at the girls' attention. Skye and Jane have switched their homework yet again, and unfortunately it worked so well that Skye's English teacher has decided to stage "her" play with you-know-who in the lead. Rosalind, on top of this dating crisis, is dealing with the unwanted (?) attentions of next door neighbor Tommy Geiger. And even Batty has a situation of her own, involving the adorable little boy neighbor (and his beautiful and intelligent mother) and a creepy fellow lurking about the street whom she calls "Bug Man". Fortunately everything works out well in the end with the girls happier, wiser, and just as amusing as ever.
I know that there are some parents, teachers, and librarians out there amongst you for whom the term "classic" when applied to a contemporary work of children's fiction means only one thing to you: twee. Ootsy-cutesy. Sunshine, flowers, and suburbs full of white children acting as if it is 1959 and they haven't a care in the world. Well, let's examine this, shall we? First off, there's no denying that this is a book about four relatively well-off white girls living in the suburbs in a big beautiful house. Let the record also show, that in her defense Jeanne Birdsall has not pulled the old let's-just-throw-in-a-black-best-friend move that so many authors do in a fit of white guilt. There are kids of different races here but they fit in within the context of the story and not in a way that feels forced. And I know that everyone likes to discuss the Birdsall nostalgia factor, but does anyone properly credit how she doesn't fall back on the usual character stereotypes? Skye acts somewhat like a jock, but her interests lie in being smart in math and extremely tidy. Jane, in comparison, is the romantic Anne-of-Green-Gables-type of gal who is deeply into writing and daydreaming but who, on the side, turns into a Cockney soccer player when she gets into a skirmish on the field. These kids have a little depth to them, often when you least expect it.
Maybe the best argument that the book belongs to the past (though it seems pretty contemporary, just without iPods and things) are the two moments when Mr. Penderwick makes Latin references that any child familiar with the Harry Potter books would recognize. The first happens on page 50 when he mentions the word "bellatrix" and no one follows it up with the accompanying "Lestrange". The second time happens on page 65 when he describes his latest date with the term "cruciatus." The forbidden curse unfamiliar to kids? It is the only evidence that this family of readers isn't living in the here and now. The evidence against this theory? Well, there are little moments like when the rules on entering into Quigley Woods are discussed. In the past a kid would wander abandoned would with impunity. These days it's a good idea just to have a couple ground rules here and there.
I'll just sum up the name of the game here in one word: Subversive. This is a deeply subversive children's novel. Aw, look at your little skeptical faces. You don't think I can back that statement up, do you? Well, consider how Ms. Birdsall both acknowledges and plays with our expectations. You walk into this novel with a certain attitude on how it will be portrayed. Then you get to page seventy-four when Jane makes the argument that their father should date because: " `men have needs . . . I read that in a magazine.' `What needs?' asked Batty. `What magazine?' asked Skye." Cheeky. You won't find that conversation in an Elizabeth Enright novel, I'll tell you that right now.
I do love the characters too. I was particularly fond of Skye since she reminded me of my best friend growing up. I knew a Skye type once. In terms of character development Birdsall respects and provides the proper amount of small, almost invisible moments that make a person who they are. The telling snippets that expose our humanity beneath the exterior. Here's an example: There is a moment when Rosalind has been so wrapped up the notion of her father dating again that she has wandered off and failed to tell Batty her usual bedtime story. Batty is fond of repetition and desperately needs her story. When Rosalind finally comes home her over-tired little sister's interior monologue works itself up and up until she's in tears (I found the line about being worried that Skye would think her a coward particularly touching) and Rosalind finally takes her to bed and gives her the story. The moment could be done in such a way that Batty comes off as looking bratty, and really the fact that the child doesn't high herself henceward is a testament of writing right there. But for me, the really telling point is right at the end of the chapter where it says of Rosalind, " `Sleep well, Battikins,' she whispered, then watched over her for a long time, just in case she woke up again, still wanting a story." In a way, the book is also about the selfishness of childhood. Every kid just cares about what they care about. It takes an extraordinary amount of energy sometimes for a person, be they old or young, to crawl out of their own little shell of self-pity to see and aid a fellow human being, no matter how close to them they may be.
Finally, it's funny. That probably should have been my first point lo these many paragraphs ago. It's true in any case. I think I may have snorted in a particularly unladylike fashion when I read the poem that Jane wrote for Skye's homework assignment which went, "Tra-la the joy of tulips blooming, Ha-ha the thrill of bumblebees zooming. I'm alive and I dance, I'm alive though death is always looming" (remember what I said about subversion earlier?).
I was at an event recently where I expressed my pleasure with this book. My companion nodded politely and listened, but then asked if I didn't find the story just a bit . . . well . . . . much. I could see where she was coming from. We're dealing with a book that contains something called the "Save-Daddy Plan". On top of that the answer to the girls' woes is so seemingly obvious (to say nothing of the last-minute villain who would have gotten away with it too if it weren't for those meddling kids and their pesky dog) that even the youngest reader is bound to guess where the storyline is going. I'll grant that, but the degree to which a children's book is predictable doesn't necessarily bother me. When you judge a book written with a child audience in mind, familiar tropes are standard fare. What's important is how well the author plays with them. J.K. Rowling, after all, was not the first author to write about a kid going off to a school for magic. She just happened to write it best. Likewise, Birdsall isn't the first writer I've seen to come up with a storyline that involves matchmaking and the like, but she writes so bloody well that I doubt any child, no matter how jaded, is going to mind if they suspect where the plot is headed.
Kids actually dig these books, which shouldn't strike you as much of a surprise. For devoted readers there's a veritable bibliography within these pages as well. Copious amounts of Eva Ibbotson, Sense and Sensibility, The Phantom Tollbooth, and on and on. Birdsall's writing is also extremely accessible. Without relying on hoopla and bombast she ropes you in with just a sentence or two. There's something for everyone here. For the kids that like "old-fashioned stories" you can make the argument that Birdsall is conjuring up the distant past (what other novel out there today contains a kid with the name "Tommy" for heavens sake?). For those of you who couldn't care less about books with a classic feel and just want something funny, well written, and enticing, The Penderwicks on Gardam Street has your number. Even if you didn't much care for the first one, you're going to find a lot to love here. Better than the original.
Ages 7-14.
March 22, 2022
summery childhood favorite reads about sisters going on vacation...i want to reread this book and also live inside it.
part of a series i'm doing in which i review books i read a long time ago
part of a series i'm doing in which i review books i read a long time ago
August 10, 2008
The sequel to "The Penderwicks" earns four stars (where the first earned five) because I do feel that some of the "magic" of the first book (with Arundel and Jeffrey, Cagney and the bunnies, and summertime—that enchanted, timeless setting) was lost by having the girls return to school and "normal life." However, I still enjoyed the book and very much appreciate the fact that Birdsall was able to keep the charm and sweetness of the family alive even by putting them back in the real world (though certainly the themes discussed could have been from generations past). It is so refreshing to find a story about a modern family where the siblings truly love and respect one another as people and as friends—though they do have their share of squabbles; where the father is wise and loving and gentle without being perfect; and where honor and honesty are prized. (PS The "Save Daddy Plan" is not as "Parent Trap"-ish as it sounds; which was a relief to me.)
One caution is that I do think the girls are given a bit too much "free reign" in terms of roaming around by themselves, trying to investigate a suspicious character in the neighborhood, etc. Yes, the old-fashioned charm of the tale is one of its strengths, but in this case I feel it is also a weakness--young girls shouldn't be encouraged to dart into the night to investigate a disturbance next door--that's what grown-ups, or certainly the police, are for!!!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
How could I not want to read the sequel? I'm a bit nervous as I thought the setting of the first book was so large a part of the charm and timeless feel -- yes, it was "modern" times but there was really nothing modern for the family staying in a little cottage of a grand old mansion in the Berkshires. How well will their sweetness and imagination translate to real life? Very well, I hope--and some people liked the second book even better. I hope I will, too!
One caution is that I do think the girls are given a bit too much "free reign" in terms of roaming around by themselves, trying to investigate a suspicious character in the neighborhood, etc. Yes, the old-fashioned charm of the tale is one of its strengths, but in this case I feel it is also a weakness--young girls shouldn't be encouraged to dart into the night to investigate a disturbance next door--that's what grown-ups, or certainly the police, are for!!!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
How could I not want to read the sequel? I'm a bit nervous as I thought the setting of the first book was so large a part of the charm and timeless feel -- yes, it was "modern" times but there was really nothing modern for the family staying in a little cottage of a grand old mansion in the Berkshires. How well will their sweetness and imagination translate to real life? Very well, I hope--and some people liked the second book even better. I hope I will, too!
April 19, 2019
The Penderwicks at Gardam Street is a really solid follow up to The Penderwicks. I love the relationship between the four sisters and I always look forward to the MOOPS meetings they hold. This installment was particularly funny because Mr. Penderwick's sister has decided that it's time for him to start dating again but the girls, not feeling ready yet, get themselves involved and humor ensues. I think I actually enjoyed this second book just a *smidge* more than book one but it's hard to gauge since both are 5 star reads for me. The Penderwicks series is reminiscent of Anne of Green Gables or Little Women and I often have to remind myself while reading that it actually takes place in a contemporary setting. I wish these were around when I was a kid, but I'm so thankful to be reading and enjoying them in my adult life!
April 4, 2019
Wow! She did it again. Jeane Birdsall has successfully swept me away... twice. Witty, interesting, powerful. A story of true friendship and family values. A thoroughly enjoyable read. I have very high hopes for this series. All ages! Completely appropriate.
Happy reading!
Happy reading!
July 15, 2021
My thoughts, in chronological order
***
2008 October 22
I think the Penderwicks will be classics when the Offspring are grown. Both kids and I get so caught up in their adventures, which aren't all that adventurous, by comparison with most of the fantasy we've read. Somehow Birdsall manages to make the little things like baking a cake, practicing soccer, or picking out a Halloween costume, every bit as important to the reader as they are to children.
***
2008 October 23
We carry on loving this. Birdsall does an excellent job balancing the thoughts and goals of her different characters from age four to forty-four or so (I'm guessing). The Possum is thrilled with the Latin, and the echoes of words, the PandaBat loves Batty and her way with animals. I love Mr. Pen, his sister, Aunt Claire, and the new neighbor.
Also, Asimov the cat is a really interesting minor character.
***
2008 October 24
Continued loving. The PandaBat protested against my reading this aloud last night, because he really likes it and wanted to read the new Fly Guy books to himself, which he wouldn't be able to do while I was reading the Penderwicks.
The mysteries are all deepening.
***
2008 October 25
Ahh. Contentment all around.
***
2016 August 25
I like the retro feel of the Penderwicks books, the idyllic life they lead. Plus, there are endless book references, especially in this one.
***
2021 July 6
The Offspring are grown now, the Possum just graduated from college, the PandaBat a rising college sophomore. Neither of them followed the series to the end. And now I see that Birdsall's own childhood began 14 years before my own, and that in some ways the setting is more like my childhood than theirs. Not exactly: while there aren't any cell phones or computer games mentioned, the college professor adults have laptops, and there's maybe a cordless phone. So there isn't a buzzing neon glow of nostalgia attracting them. Like a sitcom, younger characters have to be introduced if the series isn't meant to age along with the cast. I am just fine with shifting the focus, just a little, to a new, younger kid on the street. Which reminds me, there's a new baby down the block who needs a gift book.
***
2008 October 22
I think the Penderwicks will be classics when the Offspring are grown. Both kids and I get so caught up in their adventures, which aren't all that adventurous, by comparison with most of the fantasy we've read. Somehow Birdsall manages to make the little things like baking a cake, practicing soccer, or picking out a Halloween costume, every bit as important to the reader as they are to children.
***
2008 October 23
We carry on loving this. Birdsall does an excellent job balancing the thoughts and goals of her different characters from age four to forty-four or so (I'm guessing). The Possum is thrilled with the Latin, and the echoes of words, the PandaBat loves Batty and her way with animals. I love Mr. Pen, his sister, Aunt Claire, and the new neighbor.
Also, Asimov the cat is a really interesting minor character.
***
2008 October 24
Continued loving. The PandaBat protested against my reading this aloud last night, because he really likes it and wanted to read the new Fly Guy books to himself, which he wouldn't be able to do while I was reading the Penderwicks.
The mysteries are all deepening.
***
2008 October 25
Ahh. Contentment all around.
***
2016 August 25
I like the retro feel of the Penderwicks books, the idyllic life they lead. Plus, there are endless book references, especially in this one.
***
2021 July 6
The Offspring are grown now, the Possum just graduated from college, the PandaBat a rising college sophomore. Neither of them followed the series to the end. And now I see that Birdsall's own childhood began 14 years before my own, and that in some ways the setting is more like my childhood than theirs. Not exactly: while there aren't any cell phones or computer games mentioned, the college professor adults have laptops, and there's maybe a cordless phone. So there isn't a buzzing neon glow of nostalgia attracting them. Like a sitcom, younger characters have to be introduced if the series isn't meant to age along with the cast. I am just fine with shifting the focus, just a little, to a new, younger kid on the street. Which reminds me, there's a new baby down the block who needs a gift book.
February 26, 2019
Reading the adventures of the Penderwick family is like a breath of fresh air. This sequel missed some of the adventure of the first story but was nonetheless enjoyable and and a great family or middleschool book.
May 7, 2008
I liked The Penderwicks so much that I was worried that the sequel couldn't be as good. But it was good! These books are like Little Women but younger and more modern. There's still an old-fashioned feel about them, though, which I think is partly because things like phones and TVs and computers remain in the background.
If I just read a summary of the books, I wouldn't think they seemed interesting, but there's something irresistible about them once you start reading. Maybe it's the characters. There are 4 Penderwick girls: Rosalind, Skye, Jane and Batty (short for Elizabeth, their mother's name). Rosalind is the eldest sister, who has taken responsibility for the others since their mother died when Batty was born. Skye is the scientist and the one with the shortest temper. Jane is an aspiring writer and also a star player on the Antonio's Pizza soccer team. Batty's best friend is the family dog, Hound, and she likes to have Rosalind tell her stories at bedtime.
I don't know if I would have liked these characters if I'd read these books at 10, but I find them believable and likable now. They're girls who love their family and want to do the right thing. And they have adventures. Batty, after seeing a man with sunglasses appear on their street several times, is convinced a Bug Man is after them. Jane and Skye switch homework assignments, Jane writing a play for Skye, Sky writing a science essay for Jane. I never thought to do that with my sister! Although we had similar strengths and weaknesses, so it wouldn't have worked so well for us. Rosalind devises a plan to save their father from the dates his sister encourages him to go on.
Rosemary, this bit's for you. This book pays homage to books of the past. In one scene, Jane calls to characters from books by C.S. Lewis and Edward Eager, and there's a surprise appearance by a character from Sense and Sensibility.
I read on Jeanne Birdsall's website that she's planned 5 books in the series. I look forward to #3!
If I just read a summary of the books, I wouldn't think they seemed interesting, but there's something irresistible about them once you start reading. Maybe it's the characters. There are 4 Penderwick girls: Rosalind, Skye, Jane and Batty (short for Elizabeth, their mother's name). Rosalind is the eldest sister, who has taken responsibility for the others since their mother died when Batty was born. Skye is the scientist and the one with the shortest temper. Jane is an aspiring writer and also a star player on the Antonio's Pizza soccer team. Batty's best friend is the family dog, Hound, and she likes to have Rosalind tell her stories at bedtime.
I don't know if I would have liked these characters if I'd read these books at 10, but I find them believable and likable now. They're girls who love their family and want to do the right thing. And they have adventures. Batty, after seeing a man with sunglasses appear on their street several times, is convinced a Bug Man is after them. Jane and Skye switch homework assignments, Jane writing a play for Skye, Sky writing a science essay for Jane. I never thought to do that with my sister! Although we had similar strengths and weaknesses, so it wouldn't have worked so well for us. Rosalind devises a plan to save their father from the dates his sister encourages him to go on.
Rosemary, this bit's for you. This book pays homage to books of the past. In one scene, Jane calls to characters from books by C.S. Lewis and Edward Eager, and there's a surprise appearance by a character from Sense and Sensibility.
I read on Jeanne Birdsall's website that she's planned 5 books in the series. I look forward to #3!
December 26, 2015
This was cute! It was a little slower and more predictable than the first one, but it was still a fun read. And I love the Penderwick sisters and the bond they share. I look forward to reading the next one!
August 12, 2019
Oh how I love this family.
August 25, 2022
I love these books a lot.
August 19, 2008
Birdsall manages, yet again, to write a charming, timeless tale about family, honesty, friendship, and love.
The four Penderwick sisters each have their own plots and arcs throughout the book, but must always come together to deal with the main plot of this sequel - that their father has started to date (which, I think it's only fair to point out that the dating is not the father's idea. He is, in fact, quite reluctant, and it is only because of a letter that his wife wrote for him before her death that he agrees to it).
The only downsides were that I didn't feel that this book had quite the same endearing charm and fanciful feeling as the first, and a few of the plot points were pretty predictable. However, I did find my self intrigued by the story and the storytelling. And just as the first book, it is so wonderful to have a story where siblings not only get along, but love each other and help each other, and where parents and children talk to each other like equals and honestly respect and care about each other.
I hope Birdsall will delight us with even more stories - Penderwick and otherwise.
*****
I actually started this a few days ago but have been away from the computer.
How fun! The four of us are reading Penderwick stories!:D
The four Penderwick sisters each have their own plots and arcs throughout the book, but must always come together to deal with the main plot of this sequel - that their father has started to date (which, I think it's only fair to point out that the dating is not the father's idea. He is, in fact, quite reluctant, and it is only because of a letter that his wife wrote for him before her death that he agrees to it).
The only downsides were that I didn't feel that this book had quite the same endearing charm and fanciful feeling as the first, and a few of the plot points were pretty predictable. However, I did find my self intrigued by the story and the storytelling. And just as the first book, it is so wonderful to have a story where siblings not only get along, but love each other and help each other, and where parents and children talk to each other like equals and honestly respect and care about each other.
I hope Birdsall will delight us with even more stories - Penderwick and otherwise.
*****
I actually started this a few days ago but have been away from the computer.
How fun! The four of us are reading Penderwick stories!:D
July 15, 2013
Read along with Zahara.
I pretty much love this family and all of their adventures. I'm sad that there's only one more book left. I hope it's not a trilogy and she's still writing.
Review to come.
ETA: Just found this on her site:
Are you writing more books about the Penderwicks?
There are now three published Penderwick books, and I’m working on the fourth, which will come out in 2014. The fifth Penderwick book will be the last.
Well, I'm glad there will be two more but will still be sad to see them go after the fifth is over. Here's hoping she continues to write after she's done with the Penderwicks.
I pretty much love this family and all of their adventures. I'm sad that there's only one more book left. I hope it's not a trilogy and she's still writing.
Review to come.
ETA: Just found this on her site:
Are you writing more books about the Penderwicks?
There are now three published Penderwick books, and I’m working on the fourth, which will come out in 2014. The fifth Penderwick book will be the last.
Well, I'm glad there will be two more but will still be sad to see them go after the fifth is over. Here's hoping she continues to write after she's done with the Penderwicks.
September 2, 2017
Such a fun, cute book. It definitely has the same sort of feel as Elizabeth Enright and Eleanor Estes, which reminds me of childhood. Love these characters. And totally called the ending. I especially enjoyed the whole "Marianne" thing. XD Highly recommended.
October 17, 2020
Love this series so much
January 11, 2010
Birdsall's first book, The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy, had a timeless and innocent charm. Reminiscent of many childrens' books from the earlier, it could have been set at any point in the past century. Although the summer adventures of the four sister and their friend and dog had serious elements (eg Jeffrey's miserable home life) and were sometimes dangerous (eg the bull) they were truly child-like and carefree.
The second installment opens with the girls' mother dying of cancer. Not so carefree! Then it moves forward a few years to their father's half-hearted attempts to date for the first time since losing his wife, and focuses on his daughters' fears of having a stepmother. It also brings in the girls' romantic and school difficulties. Although the writing style and the sisters' personalities are consistent the feel of the story itself is markedly different from the prior volume.
The second installment opens with the girls' mother dying of cancer. Not so carefree! Then it moves forward a few years to their father's half-hearted attempts to date for the first time since losing his wife, and focuses on his daughters' fears of having a stepmother. It also brings in the girls' romantic and school difficulties. Although the writing style and the sisters' personalities are consistent the feel of the story itself is markedly different from the prior volume.
February 16, 2016
Man, how can I explain my love for the Penderwick books??? Batty is adorable, Rosalind is intriguing, and Skye and Jane are... pure awesomeness. These books are middle grade, but I love them more than most YA books I've read - the sweet innocence, the mystery, and most of all, the crazy schemes and situations these girls get in. How I adore them! I'd recommend them to everyone look for a cute, clean, and hilarious read. :D This one, specifically? I love Ben (Duck!) and I adore the relationship between Skye and Iantha. Skye needs another scientist in her life, for sure. ;) The whole play mix-up? Hilarious! Read it, my friends. Just... read it.
April 12, 2019
4.5 stars
While I didn't quite like this as much as the first one, I still loved it. I missed Jeffrey. And Tommy just didn't replace him. Hopefully, Jeffrey will be in later books. Anyways, this book is still excellent with many gem moments such as Skye's before-game rituals, Jane's play and just Batty in general.
2019 challenge: a book about a family
While I didn't quite like this as much as the first one, I still loved it. I missed Jeffrey. And Tommy just didn't replace him. Hopefully, Jeffrey will be in later books. Anyways, this book is still excellent with many gem moments such as Skye's before-game rituals, Jane's play and just Batty in general.
2019 challenge: a book about a family
June 14, 2017
I love the Penderwick books! The ending here is a bit obvious, but it doesn't really matter, b/c getting there is so fun and delightful. Wonderful writing, delicious characters! I love it all!
September 18, 2019
Fab read
March 28, 2019
And this was just as good as the first. I absolutely loved it! Also the last bit with Bug Man was HILARIOUS. XD
April 12, 2019
I wish I could give books 1000 stars
October 5, 2022
Delightful.
November 7, 2009
I didn't think anything could be more delightful than The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy," but I was proved wrong by the second installment (in a to-be five-part series),"The Penderwicks on Gardam Street."
This book continues where the first left off, though it can be enjoyed thouroughly as a stand-alone. The four Penderwick sisters (ages 4-12) are embroilled in a plot to save their widowed daddy from re-marriage, and while doing so they continue to live their lives - full of the joy, heartbreak, uncertainty, wonderment and changes that come with childhood.
I believe this book is especially to be enjoyed by girls. Readers will quickly fall in live with the entire Penderwick family, as well as their lovely community in the town of Cameron, Massachusetts. This is a book that lends itself to the examination of identity within the family dynamic (especially for a reader that is a girl with sisters), as well as how individuality plays out within a family. Readers will identify with one or more of the sisters: from Rosalind, the eldest at age 12, beautiful, reliable and brave; to Skye, 11, the blonde/blue eyed girl among brunettes/brown eyes, the fearless warrior, the astrophysicit in the making; to Jane, 10, the poet, the dramaticist, the unwavering soccer prodigy; and to Batty, 4, the "sensitive" Penderwick, the one that undertands the animals, and the one that held the answers to the weighty questions all along.
Not many books make me cry, but this one does; both in the prologue and epilogue. And not just the first time I read it, but EVERY time I read it aloud with my own girls. Birdsall really understands children, and she is pitch-perfect in echoing their voices, concerns, dreams, imaginations, and, not least, their everyday lives.
This book continues where the first left off, though it can be enjoyed thouroughly as a stand-alone. The four Penderwick sisters (ages 4-12) are embroilled in a plot to save their widowed daddy from re-marriage, and while doing so they continue to live their lives - full of the joy, heartbreak, uncertainty, wonderment and changes that come with childhood.
I believe this book is especially to be enjoyed by girls. Readers will quickly fall in live with the entire Penderwick family, as well as their lovely community in the town of Cameron, Massachusetts. This is a book that lends itself to the examination of identity within the family dynamic (especially for a reader that is a girl with sisters), as well as how individuality plays out within a family. Readers will identify with one or more of the sisters: from Rosalind, the eldest at age 12, beautiful, reliable and brave; to Skye, 11, the blonde/blue eyed girl among brunettes/brown eyes, the fearless warrior, the astrophysicit in the making; to Jane, 10, the poet, the dramaticist, the unwavering soccer prodigy; and to Batty, 4, the "sensitive" Penderwick, the one that undertands the animals, and the one that held the answers to the weighty questions all along.
Not many books make me cry, but this one does; both in the prologue and epilogue. And not just the first time I read it, but EVERY time I read it aloud with my own girls. Birdsall really understands children, and she is pitch-perfect in echoing their voices, concerns, dreams, imaginations, and, not least, their everyday lives.
May 26, 2009
Sorry to be the crabby one again, but as I said with the first one--what does this book have that a thousand wonderful old fashioned girls books (because this IS a girls book--no boy is gonna read it) lack?
This is charming and predictable except for the outcome of the "Bug Man" bit (which I won't reveal here), which belongs with the rest of the story like a fish belongs with a bicycle.
But I suppose since the first one got a National Book Award (sigh), this one will be up for the Newbery.
Meanwhile I'm going back to read Betsy-Tacy. And The Moffats and The Saturdays.
And if you haven't read all of those, you should before reading this book!
Then tell me how fresh and wonderful this one is.
Because it isn't.
This is charming and predictable except for the outcome of the "Bug Man" bit (which I won't reveal here), which belongs with the rest of the story like a fish belongs with a bicycle.
But I suppose since the first one got a National Book Award (sigh), this one will be up for the Newbery.
Meanwhile I'm going back to read Betsy-Tacy. And The Moffats and The Saturdays.
And if you haven't read all of those, you should before reading this book!
Then tell me how fresh and wonderful this one is.
Because it isn't.
December 20, 2019
2019 review:
Still funny, and great!
2018 review:
When a sequel is better than the first, thats amazing. Thank you Ms. Birdsall for writing a new classic. I love the Penderwicks. Can't wait to start the next book!
Still funny, and great!
2018 review:
When a sequel is better than the first, thats amazing. Thank you Ms. Birdsall for writing a new classic. I love the Penderwicks. Can't wait to start the next book!
December 21, 2019
Just as adorable as its predecessor. These Penderwick sisters get into lovely, adventurous scrapes!
Content: a few replacement expletives, a couple of mentions of wanting to “kill” someone (to show a character was upset), Big Bang theory (one comment, I think), Aztec rituals and gods
Content: a few replacement expletives, a couple of mentions of wanting to “kill” someone (to show a character was upset), Big Bang theory (one comment, I think), Aztec rituals and gods
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