The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2005

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-5

Chapters 6-12

Chapters 13-18

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

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Discussion Questions

Themes

The Importance of Family

The novel establishes the theme of family from the opening scene, as Mr. Penderwick, lost without his map, navigates a car full of grumpy kids and one queasy dog, immediately conveying this endearingly familiar family dynamic. In her portrait of one three-week family vacation, Birdsall highlights the beauty of family through the Penderwick sisters and their father. Each member of the family has a distinct personality, yet the individuals remain close to each other and hold a strong loyalty to their family name.

Their mother’s absence looms over the narrative, but the story doesn’t focus on their grief. Instead, the author elevates the bonds among the sisters as they fill in the gaps left by the loss of a parent and work together to keep their family strong. An important part of their success as a family is cooperation and holding meetings to discuss how to manage sticky situations: “A MOOPS was a Meeting Of Older Penderwick Sisters. Rosalind, Skye, and Jane called it MOOPS to keep Mr. Penderwick from knowing what they were talking about” (30). Although the sisters often hide information from their father and sometimes argue with one another, they prioritize unity when it matters, like in caring for Batty and defending their family.

The Penderwick family vacation introduces them to a family completely different from their own. The Tifton family consists only of Jeffrey and his mother, and though she has a partner, she raises Jeffrey on her own. Hailing from a distinguished family, Mrs. Tifton values class and manners, and she focuses her attention on a person’s outward appearance rather than internal character. Her loyalty to her family goes only as far as her name and the trust fund it grants her. The Penderwicks fail to understand how the Tifton family works, and though they have endured the loss of their mother, they see Jeffrey’s plight as far worse: “[…] if there could be anything worse than having a parent die, it would be having a parent who never bothered to meet you” (93).

While Mrs. Tifton is quick to judge the Penderwicks as ill-suited for her son’s companionship, the sisters and Mr. Penderwick welcome Jeffrey with open arms into their circle. After he rescues Batty twice from danger, she initiates him into the family: “He saved my life […] He’s an honory Penderwick” (64). Jane’s story suggests that the Penderwicks’ role is to save Jeffrey, but the true story is less about rescue and more about the beauty of found family and expanding a family tree to include someone who may live in a castle but needs a home of the heart.

A Child’s Sense of Adventure

Birdsall’s novel celebrates the innocence of childhood, and through the events in the narrative, the author highlights the importance of unstructured, imaginative play, creativity, wonder, and curiosity. Within moments of arriving at their summer cottage, the Penderwick sisters transform the humble structure into their amusement park. Jane commandeers the attic as her writer’s library, Skye revels in her spartan room yet finds a way to creatively use the two beds, and Batty sees her closet as a portal to another world: “It is a secret passage. And you can’t use it” (19). Even Rosalind, though on the cusp of adolescence, finds a way to reconnect to her childlike nature in Arundel’s bucolic gardens: “It was pleasantly wicked to be outside at midnight without anyone knowing where she was. Rosalind skipped through the still-wet grass, her face raised to the moon” (199). Birdsall conveys the thoughts of children basking in the joy of summer freedom in a new place where the world feels full of excitement and possibility.

Kids and animals are a natural pairing for fantastical adventures, and the antics of the Penderwicks’ oversized dog, Hound, add to the fun and humor of the youthful experiences. Anthropomorphized as a giant, hairy child, Hound’s frequent escapes from his enclosure add another layer to the frenetic, childlike adventure of the story: “Hound wagged his tail cheerfully. Just thinking about trouble made him happy” (260). A colorful bug distracts Batty, and she’s almost attacked by a notoriously grumpy bull, while Cagney’s rabbit, Yaz, sends all the sisters on a frenzied chase through the gardens, which ends with a heroic rescue. The idyllic setting, combined with the addition of animal characters, creates the perfect place for a child’s imagination to flourish.

Although Birdsall doesn’t shy aware from having her characters face adversity like managing self-doubt and losing a parent, the storyline focuses on the joy of childhood innocence and the resilience of young people in the face of challenging circumstances—including how children are naturally inclined to find ways to use imaginative play as an antidote to their pain. Batty wears butterfly wings to make her feel safe, Jeffrey and Skye use the rubber-tipped arrows and Dexter-shaped targets to exorcise their frustration, and Jane creates an alter-ego to help her find tenacity on the soccer field. Spending the summer at Arundel doesn’t erase the pain in their life, but it does give the children a chance to briefly escape the burdens of real life in a new, exciting place and meet new people. Through her characters’ interactions with nature, animals, and each other, Birdsall underscores the importance of cultivating an adventurous spirit in children by encouraging free play and exploration of the outdoors.

Different Kinds of Friendship

Through her characters, Birdsall explores various types of friendship and how each type is important to healthy development in children. Birdsall begins by primarily highlighting the friendships among the sisters. Sibling relationships are the first friendships most people have, and the Penderwick sisters are fiercely loyal to their familial bond but also find companionship with one another. Rosalind gives up the best room in the cottage because she knows it’s perfect for Skye. Although Jane and Skye are quite different from each other, they find a common bond through soccer and treat each other with respect and kindness. Developing a kinship with siblings is important for healthy dynamics, but the sisters also create meaningful relationships outside their family unit that bring joy and contentment to their lives.

Hound is Batty’s best friend, and the fluffy canine not only serves as her playmate but also provides her with comfort at night while sleeping in an unfamiliar place. Hound seems to understand Batty better than anyone in her family and Birdsall’s image of Batty and Hound’s relationship reflects many endearing child-and-dog relationships in literature. While Batty leans on Hound for companionship, Rosalind stores up all the details of her adventures at Arundel for her letters home to her best friend, Anna. Rosalind is the only character to mention having friendships back home and thinks often of Anna, especially all her advice about boys: When Rosalind becomes acquainted with Cagney, she uses “Anna’s First Rule of Conversation with a Boy—Ask lots of questions […]” (95). Although Rosalind has romantic feelings for him, by the end of the novel she realizes that he sees her as a friend. Cagney affirms that Rosalind is a good listener: “Hold onto that skill, Rosy, for when you’re old enough to care about boys. They’ll appreciate it” (255). Thus, Rosalind realizes that the first step to finding a romantic partner is being a good friend.

Harry offers friendship through free tomatoes and Churchie through gingerbread and hand-me-down dresses, but Birdsall’s purest exploration of friendship comes through Jeffrey and the bond he develops with the three youngest Penderwicks. After only a few days, even Harry and Churchie can see what a positive influence they have on Jeffrey: “I hear you’ve got a wild new bunch of friends here. Cagney’s been telling me all about girls sneaking through hedges and hiding in urns and getting stuck in trees” (83). Whether chasing off a bull, engaging in an intense game of soccer, or descending into a tickle fight, Jeffrey’s friendship with the Penderwicks opens up a new world of the joys of friendship to him. Jane, Skye, and Batty not only bring a much-needed sense of adventure and fun into Jeffrey’s life, but they earnestly care for him. With Cagney’s help, they rig a rope ladder for easy access to his room and check on him when his mother grounds him. The sisters offer him a safe place to stay when he runs away from home, and they help him find the words to stand up to his mother. Despite coming from vastly different social classes and overcoming the obstacle of Mrs. Tifton’s disapproval of their friendship, the companions create a genuine friendship that changes them all for the better.