Module 7 - The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy

The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy by Jeanne Birdsall

Summary - The Penderwicks... is a wonderful tale of a summer adventure shared by four very different sisters in a beautiful and mysterious manor named Arundel. Rosalind, Skye, Jane, and Batty (Elizabeth), along with their widowed father and family dog Hound, meet new friends, experience the differences between families, the wonders of nature, and learn a little about the world and a lot about themselves during their summer vacation. The 'Very Interesting Boy' of the title is the son of Arundel, Jeffrey, and the rabbits are the pets, Yaz and Carla, of Arundel's teenage gardener, Cagney, all of whom play integral roles in the Penderwicks' summer of excitement.

Impressions - This book was a wonderful example of transition children's literature, moving kids from reading simplistic wording about idealized versions of childhood into the realm of realistic concerns, situations, and emotions told through (more) complex chapter text. Each Penderwick sister contains her own strengths and faults and represents a different aspect of girlhood with which a reader can identify. Jeffrey is both a strong and delicate boy, and the interactions between the children, and their personal thoughts as described by the narrator, are true to life and relatable. For the most part, the animal and adult characters are one-note personality descriptions (all good, all bad, etc) with the exception of Jeffrey's mother, Mrs. Tifton, who is allowed to show some varying personality aspects towards the end of the book (only slightly though). This separation between the adult and the young allows the child reader to delve into the children's problems without being distracted, or confused, by the adult world that impacts them. The adults are merely there to create issues for, or give solace to, the children characters, which is appropriate for the level of the child reader The Penderwicks... is aimed at.

Reviews - Publishers Weekly (1) describes The Penderwicks... as "sprightly" and "timeless" and emphasizes the relationships between the sisters and Jeffrey as the "ideal", and affirms that readers "fond of gentle stories of closely-knit families and innocent fun" will be drawn to this book, and the series it is sure to spawn, for generations to come.

Use - The Penderwicks... is a perfect example of mid-elementary transition fiction that can be used to draw young girls (and some boys) into chapter books and realistic literature, as it contains both the idealization and exuberance of books for young children and elements of the real world (death, separation, arrogance) for children to become accustomed to these more-adult themes. The natural manner of the language and the seeming simplicity of the situations within the text are inviting for readers who are not as comfortable with longer books, but contain enough subtext and drama for more advanced readers, although there is little (some, but little) to bring in boys who are looking for more adventurous tales. At its heart, this is a simple tale full of love and laughter for 8-11 year old girls.

(1) Unk. (2006). The Penderwicks: a summer tale of four sisters, two rabbits, and a very interesting boy. Publishers Weekly, 253 (9), 64.