BOOK NAME: The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy
AUTHOR: Jeanne Birdsall

While reading The Penderwicks, I was wishing I could be as lucky as these girls in the book. Four sisters get to spend their summer vacation at a new rental cottage that turns out to be a large estate called Arundel. It is home to many amazing and strange finds. While living there, they meet a boy named Jeffery Tifton who is the son of the owners. He becomes their friend and guide. They also have a cook who makes the best gingerbread in the state of Massachusetts and a house with an attic full of treasures. Finding these treasures provides endless entertainment and fights any days of boredom for the Penderwicks and their new friend.

But all is not rosy at Arundel. Mrs Tifton has a keen sense of knowing when trouble is going on and she thinks that all children should be in military school ASAP. She is not a lady to mess with! When the girls find out about Jeffery’s miserable military school future, they are determined to make this the best summer ever because it may be his last. Where the Penderwick sisters will get themselves they don’t know, but you can be sure they bring trouble with them.

This is a very carefree book that captures the simple things in life that give us many fond memories. My favorite character was the youngest daughter, Batty, who wears fake butterfly wings almost all the time. When I read this book I especially loved the special bond between the sisters despite all their differences. I can’t wait to read their next adventure!