The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy

The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy

By Jeanne Birdsall

134 ratings 184 reviews 96 followers
Book 1 of 4 in the  The Penderwicks Series
Interest LevelReading LevelReading A-ZATOSWord Count
Grades 4 - 8Grades 3 - 5T4.754550
With over one million copies sold, this series of modern classics about the charming Penderwick family from National Book Award winner and New York Times bestseller Jeanne Birdsall is perfect for fans of Noel Streatfeild and Edward Eager.

This summer the Penderwick sisters have a wonderful surprise: a holiday on the grounds of a beautiful estate called Arundel. Soon they are busy discovering the summertime magic of Arundel’s sprawling gardens, treasure-filled attic, tame rabbits, and the cook who makes the best gingerbread in Massachusetts. But the best discovery of all is Jeffrey Tifton, son of Arundel’s owner, who quickly proves to be the perfect companion for their adventures.

The icy-hearted Mrs. Tifton is not as pleased with the Penderwicks as Jeffrey is, though, and warns the new friends to stay out of trouble. Which, of course, they will—won’t they? One thing’s for sure: it will be a summer the Penderwicks will never forget.

Deliciously nostalgic and quaintly witty, this is a story as breezy and carefree as a summer day.
Publisher: Yearling
ISBN-13: 9780440420477
ISBN-10: 0440420474
Published on 3/13/2007
Binding: Paperback
Number of pages: 288

Book Reviews (179)

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The Penderwicks is one of the best books I've read. Satire, danger, adventure dance through this intriguing tale of the Little Women of today. Thank you Jeanne Birdsall!

I love to read this!!!!!!!!!

Itis so adventure packed, ad the author really describes the scenarios well. It is also funny, fast, and about a big family. I recommend it.

The Penderwicks...what an amazing story! I am used to reading high fantasy, but a little mix of magic and adventure in the real world (with a twist of historical fiction), makes a great story...It is amazing! It deservers to be a classic. There is a family of 6 called the Penderwicks, they have 4 female children (Jane, Skye, Rosalind and Batty) they are coming to a small town to live in a cottege, with their dog. They find a boy with a mean mom who is getting married, so they help him. Don't wanna spoil the book, so I will stop there. All in all, I think lots of people should read this, no matter what genre they love.

The Penderwicks is a great book, but the reason that I'm not rating it all 5 stars is because there is a bad word in it, but otherwise this is a great book! The sisters have wonderful adventures including activities with animals, and they meet a very interesting boy (in contrast to his horrid mother) 👍 😃

The Penderwicks was a very interesting book. It is not the type of material I usually read, but I still loved it. Usually I read books about adventure, mystery, magic, etc. This story was more classical, and in earlier times. The Penderwicks was about a family of four girls who go on vacation for three weeks and meet a boy, who needs help. He is about to be sent off to military school, and his mother is being married to a horrid man. Nothing is going his way, and the Penderwicks decide to help. There isn't really breath-taking scenes, and it is not an action-packed book. However I recommend this book to everyone. Especially those who love classics such as Little Women and the Secret Garden.

This book is the first adventure in a trilogy about four sisters - Rosalind, Skye, Jane and Batty - and their families. In this book, the six Penderwicks family members (the sisters, their dad and their dog) spend their holiday in a cottage on the grounds of a beautiful estate called Arundel. This sets the stage for secrets, danger, emotion, adventure and fun. It's a very good read and really hard to put down once you get started. This book has a very unique charm about it. **Note: I updated this before but for some reason it disappeared and I put it back after finding it agains somewhere else lol. Sorry if it caused any trouble...

I loved this book! The Penderwicks are always having amazing adventures! The characters really come alive in this book! I love the way this book was written. It feels like you are really there with the Penderwicks!

I love The Penderwicks! I have read all the books in the series! The Penderwicks are always looking for some fun and adventure! I highly recommend this book!

Anyone who has ever longed to sneak through a hedge into a forbidden estate will enjoy these four loving sisters, their widowed father and their poor-little-rich-boy friend

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