The Penderwicks (The Penderwicks, 1)

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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. After getting to the cottage, Skye goes exploring on the grounds, and meets Cagney in the garden. They talk until Mrs. Tifton, the owner of Arundel, comes looking for Cagney, and he hides Skye in an urn. Mrs. Tifton tells Cagney that he needs to get rid of the Fimbriata rosebush that his uncle kept alive for 30 years, but Skye and Cagney decide to move the bush to a place near the cottage. When Skye leaves, she runs into Mrs. Tifton's son Jeffrey, and, not knowing who he is, warns him to stay out of the garden and insults Mrs. Tifton. i love these four sisters, and their friend Jeffrey, and their dad and their dog Hound. i love this setting and this summer. i could read this book again and again (and in about an hour. it is very short. so on top of everything, my reading challenge loves it too). That said, I'm an adult now, not 12, so there were things that I just couldn't blow past. For instance, many of the kids felt oddly aged. Rosalind felt much older than 12, especially crushing on the much older Cagney. Now yes, when I was 12, I was more than capable of crushes, but coupled with the way she acted like the Mom (even more than the Dad acted like a dad), it just felt weird. Speaking of Dad, he was barely present in the book, unless to give encouragement or to be called upon when the girls acted like, well, brats. (Because, yes, some of what they did was truly bratty and wouldn't have happened if there was even a modicum of parental attention.) He was in this so little, I almost wondered why bother writing his character at all (which was, of course, goofy, eccentric dad - yawn!).

It's a middle grades read, so my daughter is the intended audience. She LOVED it, and she has rated it five stars. Even though that are some bad or negative aspect from this book, but this book still has positive messages. Some of them are about being courageous, pursuing your dreams, loyalty to family and friends, kindness, and forgiveness. In this book tell about the four sisters each of them have a unique, strong personality to which tween girls will easily relate. Rosalind is kind and responsible. Skye is independent, hot tempered, and smart. Jane is a creative, aspiring writer. Batty is a dreamy animal lover. I just found myself wishing it was more original, rather than feeling as though the author borrowed from Pride and Prejudice, The Hound of the Baskervilles, Wuthering Heights, As You Like It and the Nancy Drew series.I found this book a fun read, though at times, it sent my eyes a'twitchin'. Don't get me wrong; this was a fun, light-hearted read, and it felt like those books I would read as a child - a classic "any time period" feel where kids acted goofy and silly and sometimes dumb, where summer was full of adventure and possibility. Lastly, the oldest sibling is 12 years old and throughout the story she begins to have "feelings" for a teenage boy. It explores her emotions of maybe falling in love with him. Then, there is a chapter where Mrs. Tifton even goes as far as saying that if the eldest daughter doesn't be careful, someday she will "loose her innocence" to some boy. Fast forward to 2018, and I decided to give it another chance. I was curious to read the book because I had just read Edward Eager’s The Time Garden, a witty story in which the contemporary characters time-travel to the world of Alcott’s characters in 1860s Concord. (I appreciated the allusions in fuller context after I’d read Little Women.) There are four sisters, and while you can tell that they are devoted and loyal to each other, they don't always act lovingly. Some of the things they say to each other are a bit sarcastic (to be funny), other times it's rude. I recently reread Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women. When I first read this book two years ago, in February 2018, I immediately added it to my list of treasured favorite novels. I couldn’t put the book down once I started it, and I found the same to be true even in rereading. There’s something so compelling about this age-old classic, something that has clearly transcended the decades and continues to delight generations of readers.

Nonetheless, my daughter loved the story, and, after we finished it, she reminded me that reading can be ADVENTUROUS. I think it would have been a great touch if Ms. Birdsall had had Jane’s great inspiration for her story be her and her sister’s life story like it was for Jo. But that’s okay, I love the story as it is.

But over all, it's a really sweet story about family and sisterhood and friendship, and it filled my heart with rainbows. I'm excited to read the other books in the series.