A PARADE BEST KIDS BOOK OF ALL TIME
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.
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Creators
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Series
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Publisher
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Awards
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Release date
January 24, 2006 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9780739345184
- File size: 194283 KB
- Duration: 06:44:45
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Languages
- English
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Levels
- ATOS Level: 4.7
- Lexile® Measure: 800
- Interest Level: 4-8(MG)
- Text Difficulty: 3-4
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Reviews
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AudioFile Magazine
Susan Denaker evokes memories of childhood summers of freedom, adventure, and new friends. The four Penderwick sisters, with their father and dog Hound, are spending a three-week vacation at a cottage on the Arundel estate. Beautiful gardens for romping, pet rabbits, a lonely boy to befriend, and attic treasures to uncover all weave into a story of a vacation made for memories. Denaker uses her voice well to communicate the unique personalities of each character. You hear the change in Jeffrey Tifton, the timid, unhappy young son of the estate. Rosalind's maturity and practicality, Skye's feistiness, Jane's dreaminess, and little Batty's compassion are all painted with a perfect meld of language and voice. N.E.M. (c) AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine -
Publisher's Weekly
Starred review from July 25, 2005
This timeless tale from a first-time author introduces the thoroughly likable Penderwicks, on vacation in a rental cottage on Arundel, a sprawling Massachusetts estate. Their spirited family dynamics and repartee call to mind those in Hilary McKay's novels, and the sisters' delightfully diverse personalities propel the plot. For instance, when they pull up to the estate's mansion, 10-year-old Jane feels certain she has spied a "lonely boy" in a window and promptly begins a novel about him once they reach their cottage. Skye, 11, elated to have her own room with two beds (she plans to use both), immediately "wrote the bed schedule next to her favorite word problem about trains traveling in different directions." Batty, a shy four-year-old, faithfully wears her butterfly wings and is devoted to her dog, Hound (who "insisted on licking faces in the middle of the night"). The girls' loving, amusingly distracted father is a botany professor with a fondness for spouting Latin phrases. Rosalind, the oldest at 12, has looked after the others since their mother's death (shortly after Batty's birth), and when she meets gentle Cagney, the estate's teenage gardener, he captures her heart. The "lonely boy" turns out to be sensitive, sincere Jeffrey, a talented musician. Tension arises when Jeffrey's pretentious mother and her fiancé decide to send the boy to military school. Certain to be as sorry as the sisters are when it's time to leave Arundel, readers will hope for a return visit from this memorable cast. Ages 8-12. -
Publisher's Weekly
February 27, 2006
Ah, summertime and the living is easy—even if it's off to a rough start—in this sprightly audio edition of Birdsall's debut novel, which won the National Book Award. The Penderwick family, consisting of four daughters, their widower dad and family pet Hound, are at a loss when the cottage they routinely rent on Cape Cod each summer is sold. They luck into a new situation, however, staying at a cottage on the grounds of a mansion in the Berkshires, and their adventurous holiday provides the plot here. Mrs. Tifton, owner of the manse is rather chilly to the Penderwick clan, but her son Jeffrey proves to be an ideal playmate. Listeners fond of gentle stories of closely-knit families and innocent fun will flock to this recording. Denaker is perfect in the role of kindly narrator, though she's less so in the sometimes grating voices of little sister Batty and Latin-spouting Mr. Penderwick. Nonetheless, her performance captures the appealing, timeless nature of the tale. Ages 8-12.
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Formats
- OverDrive Listen audiobook
subjects
Languages
- English
Levels
- ATOS Level:4.7
- Lexile® Measure:800
- Interest Level:4-8(MG)
- Text Difficulty:3-4
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