I'm two down and three to go with this award-winning, twenty-first century middle grade series.
MY THOUGHTS:
Timewise, we're barely any further on from Book One. The Penderwick sisters are back in their routine of school and neighborhood goings-on. Then their favorite aunt drops a bombshell. Before her death, their mother made Aunt Claire promise to encourage their father to start dating again. Now that four years have lapsed since that sad time, she decides to set the ball rolling.
However, the girls aren't crazy about the idea, and neither is Martin Penderwick himself. His daughters conduct top secret 'Save Daddy' meetings. They agree that the best way to achieve their goal will be to set him up with horrible enough first dates that their aunt's scheme can't possibly launch.
(Despite the name of their committee, it's themselves they really want to save from the prospect of having a stepmother. Their ignoble ulterior motive extends to wanting to squelch potential 'good' dates.)
Meanwhile, having got over her unrequited crush on Cagney, Rosalind tries not to notice the sudden appeal of her friend, Tommy. Skye and Jane decide to switch homework assignments with unexpectedly alarming consequences. Their plight shines a light on the school system's way of keeping us distracted from our true passions to focus on what bores us. And little Batty notices a furtive, bug-like man loitering around their cul-de-sac, although everyone else thinks she's invented him.
The main premise makes me question how much power the hand of the dead should wield. Because Aunt Claire is doing her heavy-handed meddling on Elizabeth's behalf, it's meant to be fine. Yet Martin is adamant that he definitely doesn't want to begin dating again. Does Claire really have the right to boss her brother around and override his wishes simply because she considers herself the ambassador of her dead sister-in-law? Implying that the pressure comes from beyond the grave seems particularly manipulative, however well meant. Who says dead loved-one's wishes should always be fulfilled anyway? What if they're as off-the-mark as any living person's?
Of course the outcome of the 'Save Daddy' thread is predictable from the very start.
Two books in, I still find the Penderwick series to be nothing like the vintage counterparts I've seen it compared with. Goodreads calls them 'modern classics.' This novel reminds me more of a sentimental nineties sitcom. Either that or an overdrawn movie with a PG rating. There's a sudden ridiculous Home Alone style twist near the end. I find there's a fine line between charming and cheesy, and this book keeps crossing it.
I can't blame poor Martin Penderwick for wanting to escape from this book he's written in for a far better one! His third daughter, Jane, hates coming to the end of a favorite book because she'll have to wait a few months before reading it over again. Same with me, Jane, but rest assured, this isn't one of those!
🌟🌟½
Note: I've borrowed the third installment from the library. Not sure what keeps me going, but I'm in this far, so why not see what happens next? Stay tuned for The Penderwicks at Point Mouette.
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