Official Rating: G
"For a long time after that summer, the four Penderwick sisters still talked of Arundel." When their summer vacation plans are forced to change, four sisters—Rosalind, Skye, Jane, and Batty Penderwick, their Latin-speaking botanist father, and their big, black, clumsy lovable dog Hound travel to a new vacation spot—Arundel. During their stay they encounter wonderful new places, adventures, and most importantly, people. Everyone there quickly becomes a friend to the family, from the staff of the estate to the local owner of a tomato business. One person, in particular, becomes especially favored: Jeffrey, the son of the landlady, who is a great musician and a very nice fellow. However, Mrs. Tifton, the landlady in question, is an unpleasant and snooty character who seems convinced that the Penderwicks are bound to be a bad influence on her son, ruin her gardens, and get into trouble. Which they won't. Won't they?
Good Parts: The Penderwicks is a charming novel! Filling the book with scenes of warm family life, friendship, and an ideal summer vacation, Jeanne Birdsall paints a lovely picture of the Penderwick family. Throughout the story, every reader will find something to love. There are lots of animals, Arundel is an absolute dream house, and even some action and suspense play out. All the characters are marvelously drawn and sound like very interesting people that it would be great to know!
Religion: It is mentioned that the Penderwicks' mother is in Heaven.
Violence: Some non-serious threats of murder are suggested by various characters at various times. Jeffrey tells them a tall tale about a local bull goring a tourist, and one sister accidentally enters its pen, requiring a rescue mission. General friendly roughhousing occurs.
Sexual Content: Rosalind develops an enormous crush on Cagney, a teenage boy that tends the garden. Mrs. Tifton makes some nasty comments about that in an overheard conversation. That same lady has a boyfriend, and at one point the characters overhear them kissing and planning to marry. Her previous marriage that produced Jeffrey is referred to as a Big Mistake. Mr. Dupree refers to the Penderwicks as Jeffrey's girlfriends once.
Language: Some very mild insults are pronounced. Mrs. Tifton takes the name of God in vain.
Supernatural: Mr. Penderwick once refers to Hound as a "demon dog," but it is used as humorous hyperbole.
Other: Sibling disagreement occurs throughout. Skye is occasionally sarcastic and savage of speech in general. Some secrets are kept from parental figures. Mrs. Tifton is domineering, inconsiderate of others(including her son; she doesn't respect his wishes much, which leads to much conflict), and generally antagonistic. However, given the sad backstory we are given by the housekeeper, her villainy is rather sympathetic. Some misunderstandings make things unpleasant for an uncomfortably long time(for the characters). Rosalind's friend Anna seems to have a low opinion of boys. Occasionally, Hound the dog is known to throw up; an instance of this is depicted and several more are referred to. The Penderwicks eavesdrop quite a lot, sometimes by accident, sometimes intentionally, with the usual negative results. There is a very awkward party wherein they somehow manage to make a rather negative impression on Mrs. Tifton, which never alters no matter how much the sisters try to be nice.
Summary: The Penderwicks and Jeffrey are terrifically amiable characters that make readers glad there are now sequels! A wonderful ode to perfect vacations, adventure, family, and friendship, this first of Ms. Birdsall's books is a wonderful work of literature. Believe it or not, she wanted to write at the age of ten, but did not start writing until she was forty-one, and this was published when she was fifty-four! You're never too old, folks. Her work is a true contemporary classic, a masterpiece of our time. "For a long time after that summer, the four Penderwick sisters still talked of Arundel." And readers will probably do the same.
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