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4.36 AVERAGE
4.36 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
relaxing
medium-paced
The Penderwicks at Point Mouette is the third book in the Penderwick series. These books are destined to be classics. They will be as relevant and fun in fifty years as they are today.
If you're not familiar with The Penderwicks series, here's a run-down. The books follow the four Penderwick sisters, Rosalind, Skye, Jane, and Batty. They live with their widowed father (who gets married in book #2) in New England. The sisters range in age from 5 to 13 (give a take a year for each book). Rosalind is the oldest. She's mature for her age, functioning as a quasi-mother to her younger siblings. Skye is tomboy. Jane is full of melo-drama and an aspiring writer. Batty is the youngest - a cute little girl who loves animals. The sisters are extremely close and have turned themselves into a team - even with official meetings.
In this third installment of The Penderwicks, their father and stepmother are in England for a conference, Rosalind is spending a few weeks with a friend, and Skye, Jane, and Batty are staying with their aunt on the beach in Maine. Skye is the designated OAP (oldest available Penderwick) and is terrified of the responsibility. Dreamy Jane is obsessed with the idea of love - for a story arc. And little Batty becomes obsessed with music. They're lucky to have their bosom friend Jeffrey staying with them for most of the trip.
While the story has a definite plot, that's not why you should read The Penderwicks. You should read it because you will travel back in time. To an era where children were innocent, kind, and all about having adventures. Life was simpler. The Penderwicks books are set in present day, but they feel classic. If you read them fifty years from now, it won't feel at all dated. There is nary a mention of technology. Not that it's not there, but it doesn't play a role in the characters' day to day lives. The Penderwicks will remind you of Anne of Green Gables, Little Women, Betsy-Tacy...every classical children's book. You'll smile at almost every page.
These books are definitely innocent, but that doesn't mean they're unrealistic. Birdsall has done a wonderful job of capturing children's emotions. Things that seem laughably minor to us, like the responsibility of being the oldest sister for a few weeks, may be a huge deal to a kid and Birdsall describes it as such. Similarly, there is one more serious storyline toward the end of the book. I loved how Birdsall captured the mixture of anger, fear, hope, resentment, and happiness that any child in this character's situation would feel. The children's emotions and personalities are layered and complex.
The Penderwicks at Point Mouette, like all the Penderwicks novels, has a whimsical feel. The book is slow and there's nothing that will keep you glued to the page. Instead, you will meander along with a group of characters you'll grow to love and be happy that the book doesn't speed by.
Rating: 4 / 5
If you're not familiar with The Penderwicks series, here's a run-down. The books follow the four Penderwick sisters, Rosalind, Skye, Jane, and Batty. They live with their widowed father (who gets married in book #2) in New England. The sisters range in age from 5 to 13 (give a take a year for each book). Rosalind is the oldest. She's mature for her age, functioning as a quasi-mother to her younger siblings. Skye is tomboy. Jane is full of melo-drama and an aspiring writer. Batty is the youngest - a cute little girl who loves animals. The sisters are extremely close and have turned themselves into a team - even with official meetings.
In this third installment of The Penderwicks, their father and stepmother are in England for a conference, Rosalind is spending a few weeks with a friend, and Skye, Jane, and Batty are staying with their aunt on the beach in Maine. Skye is the designated OAP (oldest available Penderwick) and is terrified of the responsibility. Dreamy Jane is obsessed with the idea of love - for a story arc. And little Batty becomes obsessed with music. They're lucky to have their bosom friend Jeffrey staying with them for most of the trip.
While the story has a definite plot, that's not why you should read The Penderwicks. You should read it because you will travel back in time. To an era where children were innocent, kind, and all about having adventures. Life was simpler. The Penderwicks books are set in present day, but they feel classic. If you read them fifty years from now, it won't feel at all dated. There is nary a mention of technology. Not that it's not there, but it doesn't play a role in the characters' day to day lives. The Penderwicks will remind you of Anne of Green Gables, Little Women, Betsy-Tacy...every classical children's book. You'll smile at almost every page.
These books are definitely innocent, but that doesn't mean they're unrealistic. Birdsall has done a wonderful job of capturing children's emotions. Things that seem laughably minor to us, like the responsibility of being the oldest sister for a few weeks, may be a huge deal to a kid and Birdsall describes it as such. Similarly, there is one more serious storyline toward the end of the book. I loved how Birdsall captured the mixture of anger, fear, hope, resentment, and happiness that any child in this character's situation would feel. The children's emotions and personalities are layered and complex.
The Penderwicks at Point Mouette, like all the Penderwicks novels, has a whimsical feel. The book is slow and there's nothing that will keep you glued to the page. Instead, you will meander along with a group of characters you'll grow to love and be happy that the book doesn't speed by.
Rating: 4 / 5
I love all of these books. Well-written, great characters, fun story!
This was a fun continuation of the Penderwick saga. I liked that Aunt Claire got some time with the girls and enjoyed Skye's reluctant OAP role. Listening to these makes me smile often and occasionally laugh out loud!
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Possibly my favorite of the Penderwick stories!
Review originally posted here.
There are some authors you can just always count on. You know that they will not disappoint or let you down. Even if they have in some way changed their style or grown, like an old friend, you know they are going to still fit you. For me Jeanne Birdsall is one such author. I have read many books I haven't enjoyed all that much in the past few weeks so when her latest novel, The Penderwicks at Point Mouette, arrived at my door yesterday I was positively gleeful. Because I knew that I was holding in my hands a book that I could wrap myself in and find comfort, a book I would love.
"The Penderwick Family was being torn apart."
With that dramatic line the next segment in the story of the Penderwick sisters and Jeffrey begins. The girls' father and stepmother are off to England for their honeymoon. Rosalind is going to New Jersey with her best friend for two weeks. Skye, Jane, and Batty are off to the beach in Maine with their Aunt Claire where they will be met by Jeffrey. This makes Skye the OAP (Oldest Available Penderwick). She is not at all happy about this and her sisters are a bit wary themselves. But the adults know what they are doing. They know that Rosalind needs a break, time to be just a 13 year old girl with no responsibility. They know that Skye needs the responsibility and the opportunity to prove to herself she can handle it. They know Batty needs to learn to function and be a person of her own without Rosalind to guide her.
And so a new summer of adventure begins. A summer that includes marshmallow roasts on the beach, soccer on the beach, music on the beach, searches for golf balls, Moose watches at dawn, and a naughty troublesome dog that introduces them to a new friend. Skye survives her stint as the OAP, barring one brief coup that gives the title to Jeffrey, with grace and new knowledge. Batty discovers she can defeat monsters without Rosalind ,and that she has a talent that no one expected that makes her unique from all her sisters. Jane learns a lesson about boys and romance that every girl needs to learn at some point. Jeffrey comes away from the summer with more new knowledge than he ever expected.
This third installment comes with everything I loved about the first two books. Birdsall knows how to write children well. She writes families and relationships well too. She can capture the magic in the world that is always there when you are young beautifully. The book, like the other two, is timeless in how any person of any generation could read it and identify. Anyone who has read the first two books will be in a familiar place within the pages of this one despite the change in setting. It is not just more of the same though. The girls and Jeffrey are growing and changing. I love this. Birdsall is not allowing them to stagnate. She is moving them forward and giving them experiences that will change them forever. Just as Rosalind was not the same person at the end of the second book, Skye and Batty are not the same at the end of this one. I liked watching Skye be a little unsure of herself and a little lost in her new role. It forced her to be less selfish and see all her sisters differently. Batty found her voice and place in this book in a way I was really not expecting. She has always been the cute little one, but now is becoming a defined character of her own.
Rosalind is present in the story only in the first and last chapter. I thought I would miss her presence in the book more than I did. As an oldest sister myself, she has always been the Penderwick I understood the most. With her not there I really enjoyed the other three more than I had before. I am interested in going back and seeing if it changes my reading of the first two books any.
If you enjoyed The Penderwiicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy and The Penderwicks on Gardam Street, you will feel like you have been reunited with old friends. If you haven't read those books you should get on that. Right now.
There are some authors you can just always count on. You know that they will not disappoint or let you down. Even if they have in some way changed their style or grown, like an old friend, you know they are going to still fit you. For me Jeanne Birdsall is one such author. I have read many books I haven't enjoyed all that much in the past few weeks so when her latest novel, The Penderwicks at Point Mouette, arrived at my door yesterday I was positively gleeful. Because I knew that I was holding in my hands a book that I could wrap myself in and find comfort, a book I would love.
"The Penderwick Family was being torn apart."
With that dramatic line the next segment in the story of the Penderwick sisters and Jeffrey begins. The girls' father and stepmother are off to England for their honeymoon. Rosalind is going to New Jersey with her best friend for two weeks. Skye, Jane, and Batty are off to the beach in Maine with their Aunt Claire where they will be met by Jeffrey. This makes Skye the OAP (Oldest Available Penderwick). She is not at all happy about this and her sisters are a bit wary themselves. But the adults know what they are doing. They know that Rosalind needs a break, time to be just a 13 year old girl with no responsibility. They know that Skye needs the responsibility and the opportunity to prove to herself she can handle it. They know Batty needs to learn to function and be a person of her own without Rosalind to guide her.
And so a new summer of adventure begins. A summer that includes marshmallow roasts on the beach, soccer on the beach, music on the beach, searches for golf balls, Moose watches at dawn, and a naughty troublesome dog that introduces them to a new friend. Skye survives her stint as the OAP, barring one brief coup that gives the title to Jeffrey, with grace and new knowledge. Batty discovers she can defeat monsters without Rosalind ,and that she has a talent that no one expected that makes her unique from all her sisters. Jane learns a lesson about boys and romance that every girl needs to learn at some point. Jeffrey comes away from the summer with more new knowledge than he ever expected.
This third installment comes with everything I loved about the first two books. Birdsall knows how to write children well. She writes families and relationships well too. She can capture the magic in the world that is always there when you are young beautifully. The book, like the other two, is timeless in how any person of any generation could read it and identify. Anyone who has read the first two books will be in a familiar place within the pages of this one despite the change in setting. It is not just more of the same though. The girls and Jeffrey are growing and changing. I love this. Birdsall is not allowing them to stagnate. She is moving them forward and giving them experiences that will change them forever. Just as Rosalind was not the same person at the end of the second book, Skye and Batty are not the same at the end of this one. I liked watching Skye be a little unsure of herself and a little lost in her new role. It forced her to be less selfish and see all her sisters differently. Batty found her voice and place in this book in a way I was really not expecting. She has always been the cute little one, but now is becoming a defined character of her own.
Rosalind is present in the story only in the first and last chapter. I thought I would miss her presence in the book more than I did. As an oldest sister myself, she has always been the Penderwick I understood the most. With her not there I really enjoyed the other three more than I had before. I am interested in going back and seeing if it changes my reading of the first two books any.
If you enjoyed The Penderwiicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy and The Penderwicks on Gardam Street, you will feel like you have been reunited with old friends. If you haven't read those books you should get on that. Right now.
In The Penderwicks at Point Mouette, Skye, Jane, and Batty go on summer vacation with Aunt Claire, and Skye (taking on her responsibility as the Oldest Available Penderwick) nearly has a nervous breakdown as she tries to keep Batty safe and Jane free from romantic entanglements. The girls are joined by their friend Jeffrey from the first book, and surprises are in store for him as fate throws him into the path of someone from his past. This book explores the mixed emotions and confusion that comes in broken families and the pure joy that can be found in reunions.
I have read this series so many times and it never gets old.