This is such a delightful book! My siblings and I needed something to listen to on a recent trip, and found this story engaging—a wonderful traveling companion. Somewhat reminiscent of Carol Ryrie Brink’s books or All-of-a-Kind Family, I thoroughly enjoyed the family aspects of the story. This isn’t a family on the verge of falling apart; each member is dedicated to everyone else, and they all work together toward a common goal (most of the time, anyway). This book is very character-driven, which I loved. There is a plot as well, but the highlight for me was how lifelike each character was—whether it was Rosalind, trying to take the place of their dead mother, impetuous Skye, distractible writer Jane, or excitable Batty. And Hound. You can’t forget him! Each character felt well-rounded, and though they got into their fair share of scrapes, the children weren’t deliberately naughty (most of the time, anyway).

It’s hard to know how to summarize my thoughts about the book because I loved it so much. There’s something about it—its whimsical fun, the fact that although it’s a modern story, the characters and events feel timeless (and the children aren’t stuck on phones or other devices!), or maybe just that this is generally a portrait of a family doing well—I loved it. It was good. If you enjoy stories about family and friendship, with a few high-jinks along the way, I’d highly recommend you check this book out. ( )

A few scary parts jumping around but it's fun anyways. ( )

The sort of book I would have loved as a kid. Happy summer adventures with some conflict thrown in. The ending felt slightly abrubt and not quite as satisfying as I would have liked. ( )

El señor Penderwick y sus cuatro hijas llegan a una mansión campestre de Massachusetts para pasar las vacaciones estivales, un lugar rodeado de hermosos jardines donde les tocará vivir aventuras inolvidables. La hermana mayor, Rosalind, tiene doce años, y tras la muerte de su madre ha asumido la responsabilidad de cuidar de las pequeñas: Skye, de once, tan inteligente como impulsiva; Jane, de diez, soñadora y aspirante a convertirse en una gran escritora; y Risitas, de cuatro, tímida y amante de los animales. Sin olvidar a Hound, el perro de la familia y fiel compañero de juegos. Todos ellos disfrutan de la naturaleza bajo la benévola mirada del adorable señor Penderwick, un tranquilo profesor de botánica que educa a sus hijas en la confianza y el respeto. Todo lo contrario que la señora Tifton, la antipática y severa propietaria de la finca, a quien no le agrada nada la presencia de unas niñas que considera vulgares y una mala influencia para su hijo Jeffrey. Sin embargo, no sabe que las cuatro hermanas han decidido unir sus fuerzas para salvar a quien consideran su nuevo amigo, y que además cuentan con la complicidad de Churchie, la cocinera de la casa…

Despite being about a family of girls, this book is a favorite with my sons! We laughed our way through this book and eagerly continued on with the rest of the series. Then, we started over and read the whole series again.
The characters are so relatable, both to kids and to me as an adult. I still encounter people who make me feel powerless or lose my temper.

This has great themes of children who pursue their own interests and have self-confidence, children who get along but also have disagreements, and generally are resilient in the face of their realistic troubles. This book defintely has an honored place on my family's bookshelf and will be recommended to everyone. ( )