Jun 17, 2011 ARCHIVES | Entertainment | COLUMNS Jeanne Birdsall
Knopf
ISBN 978-0375858512
NA pages
$16.99
Reviewed by Mary Quattlebaum
A Maine vacation proves anything but restful for Skye, 12, in the third novel about the lively Penderwick girls and their friend Jeffrey. Changing family dynamics bring out new facets of the sisters' personalities and freshen the plot. With Dad and oldest sister Rosalind away, prickly Skye worries about her ability to care for Jane, 11, Batty, 5, and their exuberant pet, Hound. When Aunt Claire sprains her ankle, Skye marshals the others to cook and clean. But her patience is tried by Jane's crush on a silly (in Skye's opinion) young skateboarder and Batty and Jeffrey's growing fondness for the piano (and its adult owner) next door. After stumbling upon a secret that affects Jeffrey, Skye wonders how she can ever keep her loved ones safe from the "perilous world of grown-ups." This jolly tale of sibling support and shenanigans ranks with the classics of family life -- "Little Women," "Five Little Peppers and How They Grew" -- and with Hilary McKay's witty contemporary Casson Family series.
Mary Quattlebaum teaches in the Vermont College MFA program in Writing for Children and Young Adults. Her most recent children's book is "Pirate vs. Pirate."
Copyright 2011 Washington Post Writers Group
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