Advanced Children's Literature: Realistic Fiction

Birdsall, Jeanne. THE PENDERWICKS. New York: Yearling, 2005.

I believe Birdsall's first adventure in writing will become a modern children's classic. The Penderwicks relates the story of 4 spirited girls, Rosalind, Jane, Skye, and Batty, and their father the botanist who often speaks in Latin. The family lost their mother when Batty was an infant and she spends her days with fairy wings on her back, and a protective dog named Hound, in the style of Nana in PETER PAN. Rosalind the oldest serves as the matriarch of the brood in many ways. The family is enjoying a 3 week summer vacation on the grounds of an estate not too far from their home in Massachusetts. The story is one of constant adventure and a fast moving plot as the girls become friends with the upper crust maiden's lonely son, an only child, and the housekeeper of the estate and her son. The girls are loyal and supportive of each other but have very unique personalities that Birdsall has fleshed out with great care and detail. Their activities and behaviors are spot on, burning the cookies, sneaking out of the house at night to ramble in the garden and think pre-pubescent romantic thoughts, playing soccer, making new friends, enjoying pets, sharing well most of the time, but not always, bonding with their new friends in an us against the adults type of manner. Particularly satisfying is how the girls encourage Jeffrey to learn to communicate with his mother and stand up for himself. He dreams of going to the Boston Conservatory of Music but his mother and her boyfriend atempt to push him into going to the military academy that his grandfather attended when the boy has no desire or aptitude for that type of study or career. The conclusion satisfyingly ties up the loose ends but leave the possiblity of more books. Young readers and their parents will be glad to learn this wholesome, but totally appealing title has spurned a series. THE PENDERWICKS is reminicent of LITTLE WOMEN but set in modern society and for a younger audience. A must buy title for all elementary collections!