The Penderwicks on Gardam Street
by Jeanne Birdsall
|
List Price: Our Price: $4.84 You Save: $11.15 (70%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $0.01 (click here) Category: Book See more book details and other editions |
|---|
Book Reviews of The Penderwicks on Gardam Street
Book Review: As with summer holidays, the book ends too quickly but will continue to be just as memorable as the years go by.
Summary: 5 Stars
When the Penderwick family's summer holiday plans are changed, the widowed Mr. Penderwick decides to take his four young daughters --- ages 4 through 12 --- to a cottage in the Berkshire Mountains of Massachusetts. Instead, though, they find themselves on a beautiful grand estate called Arundel. For the close sisters, Arundel gives them a realm of possibility and each their own treasure-trove of memories and discoveries.
There's practical Rosalind, who, while gladly looking after her three younger sisters, develops a crush on an older teen gardener named Cagney, much to her surprise.
Next there's spirited, loudmouthed Skye, who refuses to back down against far bigger challenges than completing algebra problems.
Then there's the imaginative Jane, whose artistic skills are put to the test as she writes her most important Sabrina Starr adventure yet.
And last but not least, there's shy little Batty, who always wears her butterfly wings as she and her loyal Hound explore the magical gardens and surrounding lands together.
Meanwhile, the Penderwick sisters also find a great companion in Jeffrey Tifton, the owner's son. Jeffrey --- along with the kind housekeeper Churchie, Harry the Tomato Man, and Cagney --- helps the holiday to be a wonderful one that includes tame rabbits and the best gingerbread they ever had. Unfortunately, the terrible, snobbish Mrs. Tifton and her smirky boyfriend Dexter Dupree look down on the children and their adventures. When the Penderwick sisters discover the miserable future that lies in store for their new friend, they realize they must help him --- or else this could be his last happy summer forever!
This is a lighthearted children's book that is also somewhat realistic. Readers won't like how Mrs. Tifton treats the girls, but they will enjoy the sisters' special bond, such as when they have their secret MOOPS. As with summer holidays, the book ends too quickly but will continue to be just as memorable as the years go by.
THE PENDERWICKS is Jeanne Birdsall's first novel and the winner of the 2005 National Book Award.
--- Reviewed by Sarah Sawtelle
Book Review: Gardam Street
Summary: 3 Stars
A lot of the magic of the original book was the setting. The Berkshires in the summertime, the cozy vacation home, the grand estate. All these elements gave the original novel a feel of magic, and it was fun to see it in a contemporary book for young readers.
The setting of "Gardam Street" is, as the title states, the street where the family lives. The characters are back, but this time the story didn't work as well for me. Putting the girls and their father back into the everyday contrasts with the the author's writing style. What worked for the airy, summertime in Arundel seems overly flowery when dealing with contemporary girls in contemporary situations. Even the last name -Penderwick - seems a bit too "twee." I don't think I am too off the mark when I assume that the author wants to make her girls as memorable as the Marches or the family in "Swallows and Amazons" but those authors were using colloquial language of their era. This book would have been just as good of a read if the girls (and author) had dispensed with speaking like characters from an Alcott novel. Besides the soccer, are these girls all that real? (And it's probably not a good idea to turn a four year old over on her head if she's feeling faint.) Are Beverly Cleary's characters any less endearing because they were contemporary?
I didn't "believe" the story as much in "Gardam," from the slightly overwrought prologue to the widow next door, who may as well have had a neon sign pointing at her house that says, "Plot device."
Good things about the book is that Birdsall manages to carry plotlines over multiple chapters, which saves the book from being episodic. She is able to build tension and mystery, which will keep all the kids reading to see what happens in the end.
I hope that in another book, they'll all return to Arundel, because that's where I feel the heart of the family - and mine as well - reside.
Book Review: Delightful!
Summary: 5 Stars
Maybe it's raining. Maybe everybody else is asleep and you're wide awake staring at the ceiling. Maybe it's a three hour drive to Grandma's and you're stuck in traffic. Maybe you had a very-bad-horrible-no-good day and you don't want to think about it anymore. You need a good, long, comforting read. Here it is. A few hours with the Penderwicks will make you feel good about the world. Is it full of nail-biting suspense and salacious gossip? Nah. It's warm. It's cozy. It's--dare we say it--wholesome! The kids are good kids who take good care of each other and their dad. They make some mistakes, but they learn from them and they do what they can to undo them. Their dialog sounds quite real and age appropriate without being trendy or coarse. The omniscient narrator leads us through the terrain of their lives with generous sentences, bestowing on us details that provide insight and clarity without tedium, not stinting in the use of the occasional five syllable word, sprinkling in some Latin just for the fun of it, showing us the how the world looks from the roof, from the secret rock, from under the forsythia bush. This beautifully paced meander feels like Swallows and Amazons (Godine Storyteller)or Five Little Peppers and How They Grew (Aladdin Classics)or Mary Poppins: Three Enchanting Classics: Mary Poppins, Mary Poppins Comes Back, and Mary Poppins Opens the Door, but it's not old and moldy. It's delightful!
Janet Gingold
author of Danger, Long Division
Book Review: As delightful as the first Penderwick saga....
Summary: 5 Stars
My kids and I absolutely loved the first book, so when I saw this at my local bookstore I paid full price to own this little gem immediately. I read it in one night, and it did not disappoint. I'm looking forward to reading it aloud to my kids, because I know they'll love it as much as the first.
The story begins with the Penderwicks' widowed father being urged to date by his sister (and deceased wife, via letter). The four Penderwick girls are aghast at the prospect of a stepmother, so they put a "Save Daddy" plan into action.
In addition to this, the Penderwicks must deal with new neighbors (a beautiful widowed professor and her toddler - yes, the book predictably goes there with the matchmaking, but it does so in such an engaging way that you won't mind, honestly), school projects, soccer matches, a visit to Jeffrey, Batty's mysterious "Bug Man", and changing friendships. Birdsall takes us through the Penderwick's adventures and mishaps with warmth, wit, and wisdom.
The colorful details really make this book shine. Like the complicated way they play Clue (not according to the rule book, that's for sure!), and they way they introduce Hound (the Penderwick's dog) to Asimov (the neighbor's cat), and Jane's conversation about chrysanthemums with Mrs. Geiger, and the cheerful kitchen chaos when the neighbor comes over for pizza. I also loved the stream of consciousness thoughts of the girls, especially Skye's.
My children, however, loved the Penderwicks in book one because their antics and thoughts made them laugh out loud. This sequel is sure to do the same.
Book Review: Courtesy of Teens Read Too
Summary: 4 Stars
Rosalind has been a fine mother to her sisters Jane, Skye, and Batty for four years, ever since their mother died. So when her Aunt Claire visits with a blue letter for her father, written by her mother, Rosalind can't chase away the sense of foreboding.
When she finds out that her mother's letter suggests her dad start dating again, Rosalind quickly calls the sisters together for an emergency MOPS - a Meeting of Penderwick Sisters. Together they hatch the Save Daddy Plan, designed to ensure that they will never have to endure a stepmother.
As their father begins to suffer through the torture of dating, the sisters become involved in complications of their own. Skye and Jane get tangled up with homework while playing soccer in perfect sync. Rosalind struggles with her own boy problems involving the Geiger brothers. And Batty spies on Bug Man with her dog, Hound, and the new neighbor's little boy, Ben.
Before long, not only are the sisters beginning to unravel, but they also realize that the Save Daddy Plan is making their father miserable. After a night of revelations and confessions, the sisters revise the plan with the help of Ben's mother, Iantha.
THE PENDERWICKS ON GARDAM STREET is a delightful book featuring laughter, pranks, bedtime stories, and the sweet emotions of family love. Jeanne Birdsall and the Penderwicks will capture your heart.
Reviewed by: Cana Rensberger