The Penderwicks (The Penderwicks, 1)

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A sentence was written to imply language that I personally don't use, such as, " Your Daddy can go to____," spat Mrs. Tifton.

I’ll admit I approach award-winning children’s books with some trepidation. All too often, children’s literature awards denote books that appeal to adult librarians and book critics rather than to children. The books are like brussel sprouts on the literary table. We are told to read them because they are supposedly good for us, not because we will enjoy them. I mean. . . those are all FABULOUS books, and great inspiration, but they were already written, by someone else. I like to see what current authors manifest in their own minds.

Also—I find it difficult to believe that children this young would casually use words like “morrow,” “hither” and “yon.” I understand that their father is a professor who casually uses Latin with his English speaking children, but when the kids talk like this, regularly, I'm not convinced. But over all, it's a really sweet story about family and sisterhood and friendship, and it filled my heart with rainbows. I'm excited to read the other books in the series.

Jeffery’s situation of living in a grand house that feels unwelcoming to him is certainly like Laurie’s situation. And, also similarly, all four sisters feel comfortable around Jeffery/Laurie, not just the ones who are better friends with that character (Skye/Jo, Batty/Amy). Melissa Patenaude- Skye's archenemy at school. She is the captain of Skye's rival soccer team. She crushes Pearson and is jealous of Skye. But in the end, it seems like that both become friends. Fast forward to 2018, and I decided to give it another chance. I was curious to read the book because I had just read Edward Eager’s The Time Garden, a witty story in which the contemporary characters time-travel to the world of Alcott’s characters in 1860s Concord. (I appreciated the allusions in fuller context after I’d read Little Women.) But, to be honest, she's given every book we've read recently a five star rating. When I asked her why she was giving everything five stars, she said, “It's just so much fun, to take these adventures.” Pearson- Skye's school buddy. He sits next to her at school and loves racing with her. He plays Coyote in Jane's school play and is so much impressed that he wants to date Skye afterwards, assuming Skye as the author, but Skye turns him down. Jane calls him a good actor and he seems to like the philosophical, romantic thoughts of the play.

As much as I love the film, it still doesn’t quite capture the nuances of the story and characters that I love best. The March sisters are extraordinarily multidimensional, a fact that tends to get lost in adaptations that have to compress the story to adhere to a shorter length. In the second half of the book, the chapters about Meg feel disconnected from the rest of plot. Jo’s, Beth’s, and Amy’s stories weave seamlessly together, but Meg’s do not. I wish Meg’s subplots had been more vital to the overall plot. Ah. Yes. That's why we read, right? Or, it's at least one of the reasons. Adventures. Escapism. Entertainment. Borrowed Joy. I just found myself wishing it was more original, rather than feeling as though the author borrowed from Pride and Prejudice, The Hound of the Baskervilles, Wuthering Heights, As You Like It and the Nancy Drew series. Mrs. Tifton can’t really be compared to Mr. Lawrence because she is so awful, but at first, they are scared of Mr. Lawrence too. I see a parallel when Lydia says that she doesn’t dislike Mrs. Tifton and when Beth goes to thank Mr. Lawrence for the piano.

Then, another negative aspect of the book: the name-calling from the children. Skye, the 11 years old, has a bad temper and is the worst culprit, saying bad things like: “Darn that Dexter. Double darn that lousy rotten no-good creep.” She also calls her littlest sister a stupid idiot and midget. However, there is a character development about her learning she needs self-control: “She sat up and swung her arms around wildly. This controlling her temper wasn’t going to be easy.” The 10 years old, Jane, calls names such as “fish head” and “silly git” playfully while practicing soccer. This is portrayed as meant merely in fun. The National Book Award citation compares the novel to Louisa May Alcott's Little Women and E. Nesbit's The Story of the Treasure Seekers. [3] Bird, Elizabeth (July 7, 2012). "Top 100 Chapter Book Poll Results". A Fuse #8 Production. Blog. School Library Journal (blog.schoollibraryjournal.com). Lastly, the oldest sibling is 12 years old and throughout the story she begins to have "feelings" for a teenage boy. It explores her emotions of maybe falling in love with him. Then, there is a chapter where Mrs. Tifton even goes as far as saying that if the eldest daughter doesn't be careful, someday she will "loose her innocence" to some boy. Regardless, it looks like I'll be reading ALL of these books, so I might as well make my peace with them.The fictional setting is more modern than Alcott's or Nesbit's, although not clearly contemporary with Birdsall's writing. The style is similar to Alcott's books, like Little Women, Little Men, Jo's Boys, Under the Lilacs and Rose in Bloom. There are different leading characters throughout the series, like in the Sarah, Plain and Tall or Narnia series. Birdsall often refers to elements from classic literature, such as Emily of New Moon by Lucy Maud Montgomery. My youngest child has had a very difficult month. I won't be getting into the details here, but suffice it to say that no 12-year-old should ever face the trials that she has. Jane is a writer, also like Jo, and a good soccer player. She is imaginative and has a tendency to "live in her own world."

The girls have many adventures, some planned, many accidental. The plot is fairly predictable-- in a book this sweet we know it will all turn out OK in the end. But it is Birdsall's characters that make this book something special.Books like Little Women don’t come along every day, and I am endlessly glad now that I didn’t read it until I was old enough to truly appreciate the story. I'm not sure why, but I don't seem to be as won over by this series as my youngest daughter and so many others on Goodreads. I liked this one, book #2, better than the first offering. I found it a lot more original and I think the characters were far more developed.