The Penderwicks at Point Mouette

Starred review from April 11, 2011
The Penderwick sisters' third adventure brings them back in full entertaining force, despite the absence of their father, who is honeymooning in England, and Rosalind, who's vacationing with a friend in New Jersey. Birdsall fills the gaps in the family ranks with several new characters that the three remaining sisters meet while on a seaside Maine vacation with good-natured Aunt Claire and their beloved friend, Jeffrey. Friendly next-door neighbor Alec, an accomplished musician, takes musical prodigy Jeffrey under his wing, and the children also meet two siblings who are visiting their innkeeper grandparents: Dominic becomes the amusingly ill-fated love interest of aspiring romance writer Jane, and Mercedes is a suitably feisty friend for irrepressible Batty. With Rosalind away, Skye agonizes over her role as OAP (Oldest Available Penderwick), fretting that she won't be able "to keep Batty alive and undamaged for two weeks." Balancing the novel's comedy is an affecting, neatly crafted subplot that builds up to the emotionally charged revelation involving Jeffrey. From start to finish, this is a summer holiday to savor. Ages 8â12.

July 1, 2011

Gr 5-8-With Father and Iantha and little stepbrother Ben off to England for a honeymoon, and Rosalind away at the Jersey shore, Skye is feeling the heavy responsibility of being the OAP (Oldest Available Penderwick) as she, Jane, Batty, and their friend Jeffrey head to Maine with Aunt Claire for two weeks. Disaster strikes early on when Aunt Claire severely sprains her ankle. Fortunately, a kindly and interesting neighbor, Alec McGrath, and his friend Turron Asabere, both musicians, step in to help. Nevertheless, Skye is still feeling stressed and inadequate, concerned about Batty's safety near the water and exasperated by Jane, who is struggling with her latest Sabrina Starr novel, intended to be a love story requiring a survey on the subject from everyone she meets. Jane's own first love is an annoying skateboarder, Dominic, whose only saving grace is his endearing little sister, Mercedes. But, as Jeffrey is drawn to Alec and his piano, and Batty, too, discovers her own budding musical talent, the vacation is progressing nicely until Jane's chopping off her hair in response to Dominic's rejection sets off a chain of events with dramatic and heart-wrenching consequences. The plot pivots on an almost incredible coincidence, but Birdsall's skillful handling so engulfs readers that it comes across as entirely possible, and the resolution is totally satisfying. This continuation of the Penderwick family saga has all the fine qualities of the previous books: well-drawn, distinctive characters; humor, both subtle and hilarious; rich language; and an engrossing, well-paced narrative. While it stands alone, readers will eagerly look forward to the next installment.-Marie Orlando, formerly at Suffolk Cooperative Library System, Bellport, NY

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2011

Music and melodrama waft on the ocean breezes as the Penderwicks spend time on the Maine coast, in the third installment about this charming family.

Well, most of the Penderwicks. Dad's on his honeymoon; eldest sister Rosalind is away at the Jersey shore. Joining the three remaining sisters and their beloved aunt is dear friend Jeffrey, introduced in the first novel. Skye, second eldest, is now overseer of her sisters and isn't happy about it, especially when the third, Jane, develops a crush on a most unworthy boy. Then Batty, the youngest, confounds everyone by discovering musical talent that no Penderwick has ever displayed. Most dramatic of all is the startling revelation that slowly reveals itself in the musician living next door. Readers who enjoyed the previous books (The Penderwicks, 2005; The Penderwicks on Gardam Street, 2008) will like this one, too, because of its cozy familiarity, and Birdsall writes with a warm, sure hand. The girls are, as usual, kind, endearing, self-possessed, self-aware and comforting. Readers will also be happy, though wary, about the surprise disclosure but will likely see it coming. That's OK. Penderwick fans like their stories old-fashioned, replete with coincidences and gently soap-opera-esque elements.

Somewhere, there are families like the Penderwicks. Lucky them. The rest of us just get to read about them. Lucky us. (Fiction. 9-12)

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

Starred review from May 15, 2011
Grades 4-7 *Starred Review* In this third installment of the saga, the Penderwick family is off to Point Mouette, Maine, for a summer vacation. But not all of themand therein lies the rub. Mr. Penderwick, his new wife, and her toddler are honeymooning in England, while Rosalind, getting some much-deserved time off as the OAP (oldest available Penderwick), hands that duty over to a nervous Skye. As in the previous books, its not so much what happens here (though unrequited love, a discovery of a breathtaking talent, and a few close calls do play roles) as the way Birdsall tells it. Drawing readers right into the vacation, she enlivens everyday happenings with excitement and her characters with so much individuality its as though shes erased the word generic from the dictionary. Particularly outstanding are her descriptions: the tiny Maine town of Point Mouette, with its rocky shores and heaven-kissed sunsets, is so lovingly portrayed that readers will be longing to vacation there themselves. A plot twist for Jeffrey, the girls honorary brother introduced in the first book, is magnificently soap operaish and might bring a tear to the eyes of readers, just as it does to the sisters. At the books conclusion, the newly blended family is together once more. This new configuration has many possibilities and, happily, should lead to many more Penderwick moments.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)