The Penderwicks in Spring Quotes

“Not everyone is fodder for books,' said Rosalind.”
― Jeanne Birdsall, The Penderwicks in Spring

“Some secrets buried away in boxes are peacefully forgotten, just as we hope they'll be. But some refuse to stay in their boxes, popping out at the worst possible times. And then there are those...that linger and fester, gnawing away from the inside out.”
― Jeanne Birdsall, The Penderwicks in Spring

“Skye.” “Lima-Oscar-Victor-Echo”
― Jeanne Birdsall, The Penderwicks in Spring

“While in her heart Batty knew that Ginevra was a nice person, she sometimes couldn’t help wondering if nice people could also be show-offs.”
― Jeanne Birdsall, The Penderwicks in Spring

“So she was always in the middle of at least one book and felt safe only if she had several more on standby.”
― Jeanne Birdsall, The Penderwicks in Spring

“And then last autumn his heart had stopped working properly. The veterinarian said that they just had to care for him and love him, and Batty had loved him, and loved him, and loved him, but it hadn't been enough. No one in her family had ever said that Hound's dying was her fault, but she knew the truth. She hadn't been able to keep him with her, to stop him from leaving her behind.”
― Jeanne Birdsall, The Penderwicks in Spring

“When Batty got back home from walking the dogs, there were teenagers lounging all over the place, some left over from the basketball game, some arriving for the birthday dinner, some who fit into both categories. For once, she hardly cared, too delighted to see that Oliver's sleek car was no longer in the driveway. Hoping that he was gone forever, she rushed into the house and ended up in the kitchen, where dinner preparations were in full swing. Mr. Penderwick was chopping up vegetables for quesadillas, Rosalind was pulling a cake out of the oven, Jeffrey was shredding cheese, and Iantha was cooking up small, plain cheese quesadillas for Lydia, who was to be fed before the big dinner got rolling. Then there were the non-workers: Lydia in her high chair, wearing both her crown and her lamb bib, her new pink rabbit beside her; Jane sitting cross-legged on the floor, in everyone's way; Ben, strutting around, showing off his new Celtics T-shirt; and Asimov, sticking close to Jeffrey, hoping for falling cheese.”
― Jeanne Birdsall, The Penderwicks in Spring

“It wasn't a rock. It was a dog's rubber bone, left behind months ago to be buried first under autumn leaves, then winter snow. Just an old rubber bone, but Batty was already braced for what she knew would come—the rushing in her ears, the stab in her stomach, and the seeping away of the colors from her world. The soft blue spring sky, the yellow forsythia hedge, even Ben's bright red hair—all dulled, all gray and wretched.”
― Jeanne Birdsall, The Penderwicks in Spring

“If you want to get out of that crib, stand up and be an American.”
― Jeanne Birdsall, The Penderwicks in Spring

“Sometimes he and Batty talked about their dead parents, but not often and usually not with sadness. It’s hard to be sad about people you’ve never met, especially when the parents you ended up with are so good at being parents.”
― Jeanne Birdsall, The Penderwicks in Spring

“Iantha was a calm mother who didn't believe in adding to the chaos of woe....It was one of Iantha's many skills that she could listen to lots of people speaking at the same time and still get hold of the important parts." (Chapter 2)”
― Jeanne Birdsall, The Penderwicks in Spring

“irresistible Geiger grin broke out.”
― Jeanne Birdsall, The Penderwicks in Spring

“Jane breaking Jérôme’s heart”
― Jeanne Birdsall, The Penderwicks in Spring

“They discussed several other options, including sending it to the president to help him run the government. But they didn’t think he would want money meant for a bribe, either. In the end, they snuck upstairs to the bathroom, where they ripped up the five-dollar bill and flushed the pieces down the toilet, laughing so hard they almost woke up Lydia.”
― Jeanne Birdsall, The Penderwicks in Spring