Here is the fourth instalment of a five part series about a family of girls which has been likened to modern classics. This follows The Penderwicks, The Penderwicks on Gardam Street, and The Penderwicks on Point Mouette.
MY THOUGHTS:
The first three books in this series cover a fairly short time span, but this fourth skips ahead six years, which I welcomed because of the potentially changed dynamics. Batty, now 11 years old, takes center stage. She's the same age as her elder sisters during most of their earlier escapades. So rather than spreading the focus around, it now seems more concentrated on one specific Penderwick.
Still, I find it refreshing to have a shy and sensitive heroine, when feisty, bold young girl protagonists seem so popular with readers and publishers alike. Batty is such a private person that she hates writing book reports for school because a person's opinions are her own business. It's ironic, in a way, that she proves to be endowed with such an up-front talent as singing.
But at the heart of the story is 'The Conversation'! Batty accidentally overhears a devastating revelation Skye makes to Jeffrey. The news sheds a horrifying light on Batty's position within the Penderwick clan, making her consider herself as 'The Girl who Brought Death.'
Grief is a major theme of this book. At the very start, we learn that beloved old Hound died six months earlier, and Batty still struggles to cope with his loss. One song her music teacher coincidentally chooses for her to practice is 'Not a Day Goes By' with that very motif. Even Lydia, the smallest sister, is aware that her kindergarten teacher had to bury Frank the guinea pig in a box. Perhaps this book should come with a warning for middle-graders who simply expect a bright, comical read. Even the title gives the impression that this is exactly what we'll get, but it's not the case.
Meanwhile, Rosalind has split up with Tommy and currently dates Oliver, a crashing bore with a gorgeous face. Skye, who still doesn't do emotions well, tries her hardest to keep Jeffrey at arm's length now that he extends romantic feelers toward her. Jane keeps her notebook of story ideas, still keen on becoming a published fiction author. I would've liked even more of Jane's bookworm antics now that she's sixteen, although there is one fun incident in which she tries to embellish Batty's dreaded book reports.
This book starts off fairly slow. We're nudging the halfway point with still nothing more than a young girl walking dogs to save up some money for singing lessons. Sweet as that is, it could've been condensed. The second half is when all the real action starts. In all honestly, these Penderwick books tend to drag in spots.
But characterization is their saving grace. I love Batty, even though she does a ton of crying. Even Skye has grown on me a bit, in her prickly way. (Surely these two sisters' relationship must always be fraught and awkward from now on. A sensitive soul like Batty will surely never forget how Skye expressed what she said.)
Skye, as we know, is Jane's opposite, and she is also Batty's, but in an entirely different way. Rosalind still does the eldest sister role in the style of Meg March, and Ben adds a bit of brotherly spice which does the story no harm. Now a free-thinking eight-year-old, he provides dashes of comic relief with his passion for digging up rocks. And we have a brand new baby sister, Lydia, who brings a fairy princess vibe. I have a hunch that Lydia will assume the pivotal role in the fifth and final book.
But I can't believe there's no lock on the bathroom door, with all those teenage sisters floating around! I agree with Ben, what the heck?
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