The Penderwicks at Last

The Penderwicks at Last
By Jeanne Birdsall
Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, 2018. Realistic Fiction, 294 p.

I love the Penderwick family! This is the last book in the series—so if you haven’t read the others make sure you start with The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy (which is amazing as well).

Basically the whole series talks about how the various Penderwick sisters interact with each other (the good, the bad, and the loveable). In this installment the very youngest Penderwick sister is the focus of the book. The two oldest Penderwick sisters are getting married—and Lydia is trying to explore the wonderful site for the wedding (which is the setting for the first Penderwick book) all while helping to get other wedding things done and avoid Jeffrey’s mother.

There isn’t a large list of adventurous drama or strong “I hate this” emotions. Instead it is a calm, stead look at what it is like to be the youngest sister of a family who dearly loves each other—and would do anything for each other. Lydia longs to make friends and have adventures but she is also a little frightened of the idea of ghosts or insistent grownups. In fact, the love and adoration that this family has for each other often reminds me of the feeling I get when I read Little Women. Sweet vignettes that show just how much the sisters love each other—with Lydia trying to figure out her place in the wedding and vacation mayhem.

If you are looking for a good audio series for family to listen to, this series is a good choice—the narrator is great at capturing the Penderwick’s story.

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