The Penderwicks, and The Penderwicks on Gardam Street: By Jeanne Birdsall

I enjoyed this wholesome family friendly book so much! The Penderwicks is a story about four sisters named Rosalind, Skye, Jane, and Batty. These four girls go with their father to spend the summer at an estate called Arundel on Cape Cod. They spend their stay in a small cottage on the property and simply cannot wait to explore the grounds and see what they can uncover. In the process, they meet a boy called Jeffery who is the son of the owner of Arundel. Unfortunately for the sisters, Jeffery’s Mother does not approve of these outspoken, adventurous girls and their dog, Hound.

One of the very best parts about this book is how well the author gives each of the girls an individual personality and voice. They are so different, but each share a very special bond that reminded me very much of my sister and brothers. The way they get along, fight, and often appreciate one another, albeit grudgingly, rang vey true for me.

All in all, I think this was a fun, happy reading sort-of a book. Unfortunately, the sequel The Penderwicks on Gardam Street did not feel the same for me. This is a classic example of a sequel falling short of the first installment. That’s not to say that this book was bad. In fact, I liked it alright. It was great to revisit the characters and see them grow up a little. It was fun reading about their new adventures as well. But, this book lacked the charm and whimsy of Jeanne Birdsall’s first book.

The Penderwicks on Gardam Street is a story about the four sisters dealing with the fact that their father has started to date again. It had been a long time since the death of their mother and the girls’ Aunt encourages Mr. Penderwick to move on with his life and start dating again. When the girls find out, they develop the Save-Daddy-Plan. Unfortunately, their own problems and individual concerns seem to be getting in the way of them putting a stop to their Father’s new social agenda.

This book sounded so great to me, but I couldn’t help but be a bit disappointed with it. I enjoyed the original book, The Penderwicks so much that I may have set my expectations too high. Often, I judge a book by whether or not I’d read the book again. I would most definitely read The Penderwicks again, but I can’t say the same for the squeal. The story was sweet enough and it even had a happy ending, which I’m usually a fan of. Yet, when I finished Gardam Street, all I said was, “Huh. That was cute.”