Just finished The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall. As a whole, I enjoyed it. This wouldn't be the first book I'd pick up though, largely because of content area. I prefer books with more humor or action. Why in the world did I pick it up? Well, I owe it to my kids to read some of the books that they like. Whether it is Charlie Bone, Percy Jackson, or the Penderwicks, I need to have familiarity with books of interest. Secondly, it was a National Book Award Winner... and I like award winners, largely because someone else has judged it to be good literature (so it is, right?).General plot: 4 sisters and their father summer at a cottage not unlike the Kennedy compound (or so it seemed). The girls befriend the young boy who lives at the house (Arundel), and trouble brews because the rich mother is not pleased with who the boy is associating with. The chapters are almost like vignettes of mini-adventures.
I appreciated how the issue of class was woven into the story. My kids could certainly appreciate the notion that background doesn't determine who you associate with. Jeffrey, the boy, enjoyed being with the girls because of their sense of adventure. His mother had a vastly different opinion, entrenching the notion of the rich being pretentious.
I enjoyed it, and many of the girls in my classroom would as well. They can relate to the story, and the various characters. But I likely wouldn't read it again, as I wasn't captivated by the action or storyline.
Next up: Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan
After reading this blog entry, and another by "The Book Whisperer," (Donalyn Miller), I decided to challenge myself to read a book a day this summer.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the inspiration!
Suzanne
Suzanne, more power to ya. I don't read all that quickly. Case in point is my wife and I are both reading the Sea of Monsters. We started at the same time, and I am about halfway through while she is done. Granted she reads a bit more than I do, but she is also just quicker.
ReplyDeleteFor me, making a list works well. I can just work my way through books (and obtain any as needed). Otherwise it loses the joy that I so want it to have.