Title: The Penderwicks on Gardam Street
Author: Jeanne Birdsall
Series: The Penderwicks, book 2
Major Themes: Family, Adventures, Siblings, Friendships
Synopsis: When Aunt Claire announces that it is time for Daddy to start dating again, the girls are aghast and decide to do whatever it takes to save him from himself.
A few months ago, I read The Penderwicks aloud to my children. I listened to a podcast talking about the series and decided it was time to read the first book, which I’d had on our shelf for quite some time already. Then, when some of my children were traveling, they downloaded the audiobook and listened to it. I heard rave reviews, so that pushed it up even higher on the reading list. About that same time, a friend bought the entire series. So, after we finished the first book, and read something else in between, I borrowed the second book, The Penderwicks on Gardam Street. What fun!
Publisher’s description:
The Penderwick sisters are home on Gardam Street and ready for an adventure! But the adventure they get isn’t quite what they had in mind. Mr. Penderwick’s sister, Aunt Claire, has decided it’s time for him to start dating—and the girls know that can only mean one thing: disaster. Enter an emergency MOPS (Meeting of Penderwick Sisters) and the Save-Daddy Plan—a plot so brilliant, so bold, so funny, and so filled with horrible dates that only the Penderwick girls could have come up with it. But will it be enough to show their father that he already has all the love he needs? It’s high jinks, big laughs, and loads of family warmth as the Penderwicks triumphantly return.
My thoughts:
My friend was quite disappointed with the second book; in her opinion, The Penderwicks on Gardam Street was not nearly as good as the first book. I would say that it’s not quite as good, but still one we wouldn’t want to miss. There are some truly hilarious bits in it. The girls’ Save-Daddy Plan is spectacular. Yes, there is some deception that goes on, both with the Save-Daddy Plan, and when two of the girls swap homework. The results of that swap were, if you ask Skye, disastrous; if you ask Jane, it was wonderful—until her conscience got to her. All the deception was confessed to, and repented of in the end, including the dates that Daddy was supposedly going on. I don’t know when I’ve laughed as hard as I did when I realized what he was doing! Brilliant. Jeanne Birdsall created the funniest scenario imaginable with it for Daddy’s dates. As far as the ending of the story goes, most of us predicted it from early on in the book, but that in no way detracted from the fun of reading about it. All of us loved the baby that walked into the story, and Batty and her obsession with Bug Man was really funny too.
WARNING: Chapter 5: Jane prays to mythical creatures, what the heck, this blasted date. Chapter 6: swearing to keep a secret. Chapter 7: mention of someone who believes in reincarnation, someone thinks another person is a cannibal. Chapter 8: human sacrifice in an ancient Aztec setting. Chapter 9: blast the woman. Chapter 12: what the heck, a 12-year-old talking about being a girlfriend. Chapter 13: 12-year-old girlfriend. Chapter 16: to heck, she swore it. Chapter 17: Halloween. Chapter 18: to heck, swear. Chapter 20: calling on Aztec gods, sixth graders talking about boyfriends and girlfriends, holy bananas, swearing by the family honor. Chapter 21: Macbeth’s witches, a woman is compared to a goddess, 12-year-olds broke up with each other, could’ve sworn, gosh, talking about dating at 13, kissing
Age levels:
Listening Level—Ages 5 – 8, 8 – 12, Family Friendly
Reading Independently—Ages 8 – 12, 10 – 12, 12 – 15
Links to buy this book:
Amazon: Paperback | Kindle | Hardcover | Audible Audiobook (unabridged) | Audio CD (unabridged)
AbeBooks: View Choices on AbeBooks.com
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