The Penderwicks on Gardam Street Quotes

“...even a tiny bit of deceit is dishonorable when it's used for selfish or cowardly reasons.

- Mr. Penderwick”
― Jeanne Birdsall, The Penderwicks on Gardam Street

“Jane,' she said, climbing down from the chair. 'Remember last year when I built that model wind tower for you and you wrote those poems for me?'

And you said you'd never switch homework assignments with me again.'

For good reason. My teacher had a hard time believing I wrote 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. When I finally convinced her that I had, she asked me if I needed to talk to the school counselor.”
― Jeanne Birdsall, The Penderwicks on Gardam Street

“The referee told me this league has never had a brawl of that magnitude," said Mr. Penderwick after a long, painful silence. "Of course, at the time I was pretending to be a casual passerby and not a father at all.”
― Jeanne Birdsall, The Penderwicks on Gardam Street

“I've been going insane reading my students' papers. Apparently several of them think the Hubble Space Telescope is used to search the universe for hubbles."
~ Ithana Aaronson”
― Jeanne Birdsall, The Penderwicks on Gardam Street

“[The kitchen] was also messy--delightfully so, thought Jane--and it didn't look as though lots of cooking went on there. There was a laptop computer on the counter with duck stickers on it, the spice cabinet was full of Ben's toy trucks, and Jane couldn't spot a cookbook anywhere. This is the kitchen of a Thinker, she decided, and promised herself that she'd never bother with cooking, either.”
― Jeanne Birdsall, The Penderwicks on Gardam Street

“The sky was a rich cloudless blue, the air still and dry, the maple trees glowing with glorious reds and oranges and yellows, and everywhere on Gardam Street squirrels bustled about with self-importance, burying their nuts in the most unlikely places.”
― Jeanne Birdsall, The Penderwicks on Gardam Street

“Mere children, ha!" said Jane. "I say we tie up the knave and then discuss his fate."
Since everyone thought this a good idea, Batty and Hound donated Jeffrey's neckties, and soon Bug Man, aka Sock or Spock, aka Norman Birnbaum, was bound hand and foot. Jane, Batty, and Hound then took a few minutes to be Aztec priests calling for blood, until Rosalind quieted them down. Norman was slime, but that was no reason to terrify him.
Then came a long discussion about what they should do next... Jane's suggestion of throwing Norman into their basement so that he could dwell on his sins was rejected outright.”
― Jeanne Birdsall, The Penderwicks on Gardam Street

“This is truly a sad comedown for a man and a Geiger. Please say you’ll talk some sense into him.”
― Jeanne Birdsall, The Penderwicks on Gardam Street

“Even the rest of the cast would feel sorry for her.”
― Jeanne Birdsall, The Penderwicks on Gardam Street

“This set off a series of additional questions from Batty, which Iantha gracefully took on, giving Rosalind the chance to slip away unnoticed. She crossed the street to the Geigers’ house, headed round to the back, and knocked on the kitchen door, just as she’d done a thousand times before.”
― Jeanne Birdsall, The Penderwicks on Gardam Street

“Penderwick took off his glasses and cleaned them on his sleeve.”
― Jeanne Birdsall, The Penderwicks on Gardam Street

“Not the kind of passionate, thrilling happy that can quickly turn into disappointment, but the calm happy that comes when life is steadily going along just the way it should.”
― Jeanne Birdsall, The Penderwicks on Gardam Street

“I got a C because she has no imagination. Who cares about writing essays, anyway, when you can write stories?”
― Jeanne Birdsall, The Penderwicks on Gardam Street

“Aunt Claire, I apologize to you too, since you probably had to pretend you weren't my aunt."
"Apology accepted." Aunt Claire smiled, which did much to lighten Skye's heart. "I must say your mad charge at Melissa was impressive. Perhaps you should switch to ice hockey or professional wrestling."
"Claire, please be serious," said Mr. Penderwick.
"I am being serious.”
― Jeanne Birdsall, The Penderwicks on Gardam Street

“measure, she brushed off Batty, too, and then Hound, and then herself, and only then did she ring the doorbell. When Iantha opened the door, she was holding a red pen and had several more stuck behind her ears and in the pocket of her shirt. “Are we interrupting?” asked Rosalind. She’d taken the little ones away to give Iantha a break, and to make up for all the afternoons Batty spent at her house, causing who knew how much chaos. “Did we come back too soon?” “No, your timing is just right. I keep getting”
― Jeanne Birdsall, The Penderwicks on Gardam Street

“Jeffrey, Jeffrey, I’m so happy to be with you at last,” said Skye. “Thank you.” Jeffrey turned away to hide his sorrow. “But what is this? Aren’t you glad to see me?” “Of course I am, dear Skye.” He turned back to her, his face ablaze with honesty. “But it is your beautiful and talented sister, Jane, whom I prefer.”
― Jeanne Birdsall, The Penderwicks on Gardam Street

“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. When I finally convinced her that I had, she asked me if I needed to talk to the school counselor.”
― Jeanne Birdsall, The Penderwicks on Gardam Street

“reconsider Valaria—the former Mary”
― Jeanne Birdsall, The Penderwicks on Gardam Street

“That you don’t have to worry because you have tantum amorem scribendi.” Skye said the last three words slowly and carefully, for they were Latin.”
― Jeanne Birdsall, The Penderwicks on Gardam Street

“What good is my stupid life, now that I know stupid Coyote loves you, even stupider Grass Flower?”
― Jeanne Birdsall, The Penderwicks on Gardam Street

“she’d forgotten all about Tommy and his nonsense. Blah, blah, blah, indeed.”
― Jeanne Birdsall, The Penderwicks on Gardam Street

“when”
― Jeanne Birdsall, The Penderwicks on Gardam Street

“But”
― Jeanne Birdsall, The Penderwicks on Gardam Street

“matter.”
― Jeanne Birdsall, The Penderwicks on Gardam Street

“I can read. I read Little Brown Bear Won’t Take a Nap! to Rosalind last night.”
― Jeanne Birdsall, The Penderwicks on Gardam Street

“twelve years and eight months”
― Jeanne Birdsall, The Penderwicks on Gardam Street

“and this was absolutely, totally true—that she could have Pearson, because I don’t want him, and besides, I’d already told him to go soak his head, so I was sure he didn’t like me anymore. And then she thanked me over and over, and so I hugged her to get her to shut up.” “That was very kind of you,” said Mr. Penderwick when it was clear that she was done. He sounded like he was choking.”
― Jeanne Birdsall, The Penderwicks on Gardam Street

“A history lesson disguised as a story,”
― Jeanne Birdsall, The Penderwicks on Gardam Street

“papers. Apparently several of them think the Hubble Space Telescope is used to search the universe for hubbles.”
― Jeanne Birdsall, The Penderwicks on Gardam Street

“I have spoken,”
― Jeanne Birdsall, The Penderwicks on Gardam Street