So this summer I met the Penderwick Sisters; four bright, rambunctious girls who believe in adventure, honor, and freedom. From the top, we have Rosalind, the eldest and most practical Penderwick; Sky, who enjoys doing math in her spare time, and the Penderwick with the most attitude and spunk; Jane, who spends most of her time in her head, and is set to be a famous author someday; and our littlest Penderwick, Batty, sporting her fab butterfly wings and an effervescent verve to keep up with her older sisters.

With personality reminiscent of the long beloved Anne of Green Gables, Jeanne Birdsall does an excellent job weaving a tale of youth and young life, creating strong likable characters and conveys wonderfully the challenges of being a kid. This book took me back to my childhood, a childhood where I was babysat by my older sister and cousins, where I spent my summers outdoors running all around the neighborhood and delving in the woods, getting into trouble, making secrets and making memories, and meeting new people and making friends, and also losing them, in the winding passage of time.

I’d very much recommend this “Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy”. The ending was so wonderful I almost wooted aloud in the bookstore.

Five stars and cheers for The Penderwick Sisters! Hurrah!