The Penderwicks on Gardam Street
by Jeanne Birdsall
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Book Reviews of The Penderwicks on Gardam Street
Book Review: Another heartwarming Penderwick tale!
Summary: 4 Stars
Birdsall manages, yet again, to write a charming, timeless tale about family, honesty, friendship, and love.
The four Penderwick sisters each have their own plots and arcs throughout the book, but must always come together to deal with the main plot of this sequel - that their father has started to date (which, I think it's only fair to point out that the dating is not the father's idea. He is, in fact, quite reluctant, and it is only because of a letter that his wife wrote for him before her death that he agrees to it).
The only downsides were that I didn't feel that this book had quite the same endearing charm and fanciful feeling as the first, and a few of the plot points were pretty predictable. However, I did find my self intrigued by the story and the storytelling. And just as the first book, it is so wonderful to have a story where siblings not only get along, but love each other and help each other, and where parents and children talk to each other like equals and honestly respect and care about each other.
I hope Birdsall will delight us with even more stories - Penderwick and otherwise.
Book Review: A review for adults who like kids' lit
Summary: 4 Stars
I really enjoyed the first Penderwicks book so when I saw this at the local bookstore, I snapped it up. Now, I haven't read the first one since it came out, and I had only vague memories of the girls and their exploits. This one is good in that "low-key adventures" type of way; it could almost have been one of the kids' books written in the '60s, when I grew up, because there are no references at all to technology except at the end when someone is holding a computer.
Because of Mr. Penderwick's tendency to fling out Latin blurbs, which tendency I don't remember from the first book, early in this sequel we are treated to definitions of "Bellatrix" and "cruciatus." This made me worry that the author would spend the entire book translating some of J.K. Rowling's terms for those Harry Potter readers who don't have an etymological background. However, after those two (which occured pretty early on), there were no more instances of that.
So, all in all I'd say it was a pretty good book.
Book Review: Jeanne Birdsall Does It Again
Summary: 5 Stars
As a follow-on to the much loved Penderwicks, Jeanne Birdsall's new adventure for the family retains the engaging, laugh-quietly-out-loud endearing qualities of the first book while keeping the Penderwicks from stagnating in time. As a parent of three, I remain amazed at how easily both my tween girl who normally reads in the fantasy/myth genre, and 2nd grade son (chronicles of ancient darkness fan...) both gravitate towards these books and love reading them and most of all having them read aloud (to which even our 4 year old listens). This book allows for the "read together a chapter-a-night" parent time with kids that have long outgrown the "need" to be read to, who whip through new percy jackson books in an afternoon, making this one a particular treasure. Of course they may race upstairs to finish it on their own, but to get to laugh over family life in a book with your kids...what more can you ask?Book Review: The Penderwicks Are Back
Summary: 4 Stars
The Penderwick sisters are back, but this time readers get to see them on their home turf. The relative calm of their cozy home on Gardam Street is thrown into uproar by the idea that their widowed father should start dating. Their beloved Aunt brings a letter from their late mother reminding their father that she doesn't want him to be lonely. The specter of a strange woman in their lives (and home) drives the girls to develop a Save Daddy Plan. Meanwhile, there's school trouble, boy trouble, and neighbor trouble for the four girls. The pacing of this sequel is stronger than the original, and all four girls' perspectives are represented in Birdsall's third-person narration. A sweet, slightly old-fashioned family adventure and a great pick for fans of Beverly Cleary's Beezus and Ramona.Book Review: I didn't think it could get better than the first, but. . .
Summary: 5 Stars
Wow,
I loved the first Penderwicks book, but this one is even better. What I most liked was the way that the characters all changed so much over the course of the book. Each is growing in their own way, making it a pleasure to read. Also, the ploy holds together more tightly than the first book. By the last page, I didn't want it to end, but thankfully, it says on Birdsall's website that she is already working on the next one. Can't wait!
As a middle school teacher myself, I also think this book is far more useable in a classroom than the first. I know my students loved the first one, but this second one, especially since each character experiences their own mini-conflicts and resolutions, would be perfect for an English Language Arts class.