The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy

“Rosalind always said, It’s too bad Mommy never saw Arundel—she would have loved the gardens.”

The narrative doesn’t prominently feature Mrs. Penderwick’s death or dwell on its sadness. However, the author creates moments that subtly convey how her untimely death affected each sister differently.

“The exhausted travelers saw before them a dwelling fit for kings. Cair Paravel! El Dorado! Camelot!’ said Jane.”

Building on her love of classic literature, the author alludes to classic texts throughout the story. Upon seeing Arundel’s magnificence for the first time, Jane compares it to mythical locations like the citadel of Cair Paravel from C. S. Lewis’s The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe; El Dorado, the storied city of gold; and Camelot, King Arthur’s iconic seat of power.

“The feeling is so strong. I’m sure that some famous writer has been here before me. Like Louisa May Alcott or Patricia MacLachlan.”

The author draws on two classic pieces of children’s literature. Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women and Patricia MacLachlan’s Sarah, Plain and Tall are both classic novels that feature strong young women who must overcome many obstacles. Alcott’s Jo March was an aspiring writer like Jane, and all the March sisters enjoyed using the attic as their secret hideaway.

“[…] I’d ask you to have pity on motherless girls brought up without a woman’s gentle influence, which doesn’t really count, because our father is gentle […].”

Jane’s overly dramatic statement, while humorous, reveals the truth of their situation. It also reveals their father’s character. He’s a kind man who adores his daughters, and though he’s not a strong disciplinarian, he teaches his daughters important life lessons in unique ways.

“Skye wished that the cottage had burnt down and she was at the bottom of a pile of charred rubble.”

The author uses figurative language to convey Skye’s regret over her sharp tongue. She can’t help her spirited nature and struggles to control her words. Her thoughts are hyperbolic, characteristic of most kids her age.

“You have our undying gratitude for rescuing us from a fate worse than death.”

This quote exemplifies Jane’s melodramatic and theatrical character. She turns every moment into a scene from her book and never misses a chance to deliver an impassioned monologue or pithy statement. Her overly dramatic personality often draws ire from her more practical sisters.

“Stacks and stacks, in row after row—carpets, mirrors, brass and silver trays, painted screens, bookcases stuffed full of books, dolls of all shapes and sizes, bureaus, toy soldiers, cradles, walking sticks and umbrellas, sleds, painters’ easels, vases train sets, old cameras, brocade curtains, and much more […].”

The author uses the literary technique of including a lengthy list of physical items for rhetorical effect. The list conveys a sense of how cluttered the attic is, and the unique items add character to Arundel and its former inhabitants. The attic is a veritable treasure trove for the creative and adventurous Penderwick sisters.

“Churchie plucked a red dress off a hanger and vigorously shook out some imaginary wrinkles, as though by doing so she could straighten up Jeffrey’s life.”

Churchie is a classic example of the “upstairs/downstairs” trope in literature and film: The staff of wealthy families knows all the juicy details about the family’s personal lives. The author uses Churchie’s voice to succinctly provide the backstory of Mrs. Tifton and Jeffrey. As a domestic worker, Churchie routinely straightens things, but she can’t remove all the wrinkles from the family’s checkered past.

“She was just like the Queen of Narnia, not Queen Susan or Queen Lucy, but the mean one that turned everything into winter.”

In another allusion to Lewis’s The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, the author compares Mrs. Tifton to the White Witch who seizes power in Narnia and casts a spell to invoke a permanent winter with no Christmas, freezing Narnia’s residents as punishment. It’s a scathing comparison and an indictment of the depth of Mrs. Tifton’s cold, unpleasant personality.

“Satis eloquentiae, sapientiae parum.”

After Mrs. Tifton insults his family, Mr. Penderwick says in Latin, “Plenty of elegance, but not much wisdom.” He uses Latin to deliver wisdom to his daughters, but in this instance, it’s a way for him to respond to her rudeness without further angering her. His statement is an apropos definition of her as a person.

“People sometimes make unexpected choices when they’re lonely […].”

Although Mrs. Tifton has been unkind to his children, Mr. Penderwick empathizes with her plight as a single parent and her loss of a partner. The statement has an air of foreshadowing because Mr. Penderwick is leaving open the possibility that he too may date or marry again in the future.

“CRASH! BANG! DISCORD! BOOM!”

The author uses onomatopoeia to convey an auditory sense of how poorly Skye plays the piano. The literary device adds humor to the scene and contrasts with the formality of the music room. The noisy, chaotic way that Skye plays the piano is a contradiction to Mrs. Tifton’s stuffy, formal personality.

“This was like having a pail of slimy, rotten garbage dumped over your head.”

Hearing her family’s name disparaged by Mrs. Tifton makes Skye feel dirty. The author uses figurative language to describe Skye’s feelings. The simile conveys the level of shame she feels when she overhears Mrs. Tifton’s snobby insults.

“But those had been passages from her childhood, she thought. Kissing Cagney would be very, very different.”

Although Cagney is too old for her, Rosalind’s crush on him represents an important part of her coming-of-age journey. She recognizes that she may have harbored childish crushes before, but the way Cagney makes her feel is different.

“I don’t know, she’s just a kid.”

After Rosalind’s embarrassing fall, Cagney rushes to rescue her, but in her delirium, she overhears his words. Seeing Cagney with another girl is shocking, but hearing him state that he sees her as a child brings Rosalind back to reality, and she realizes that he doesn’t feel for her what she does for him. The moment illustrates how devastatingly heartbreaking adolescent crushes can be.

“Too much of water hast thou, poor Ophelia.”

Rosalind quotes from Shakespeare’s Hamlet as Cagney pulls her from the pond. In Shakespeare’s tragedy, Ophelia drowns in a pond, making the reference quite dark. Ophelia felt as though Hamlet made a fool of her in not returning her love, and Rosalind echoes the sentiment in realizing that Cagney likes someone else.

“For parents almost always want what’s best for their children. They just don’t always know what that is.”

After hearing Mrs. Tifton’s awful words about his children, Mr. Penderwick still empathizes with her plight as a single mother. In speaking these words about her choices for Jeffrey, he subtly alludes to his own struggle to make the right decisions for his children.

“I’m proud to be the wrong kind of people.”

After Skye tells the sisters of Mrs. Penderwick’s judgmental statements about them, Jane’s response reveals a wisdom beyond her years. Although Mrs. Penderwick is wealthy, Jane doesn’t desire her lifestyle, preferring her family’s goodness and integrity over riches and social status.

“She […] probed the sore place on her head. It was still painful—her father said it would be for a while […].”

Although the physical pain of Rosalind’s fall into the pond is fading, her reflection on her father’s comment reveals that the emotional scars will remain with her for longer. Her crush on Cagney may seem silly or childish, but to her, it’s a monumental event, and she’ll always remember how she felt when she realized the truth of the situation.

“Skye had said she was perfect. Well then, she would be perfect and protect the dog and people she loved.”

Batty, who is normally shy and often hides to escape tense situations, finds courage in her sister’s words. Mrs. Tifton sees Batty as a strange and annoying nuisance and doesn’t treat her as a human. Batty finds her voice and uses the opportunity to defend herself and her family.

“Good-bye dearest Jeffrey and Churchie and summer and magic and adventure and all that’s wonderful in life […].”

Jane is often overdramatic in her sentiments, but as she waves farewell to Arundel, she speaks the truth about their summer experience. The adventure and connection they found represent all that is good in life. The cottage, the new friendships, and the unique adventures the Penderwicks have on their vacation allow the sisters to experience the magic of a memorable childhood summer.

“Rosalind’s heart, whose beating had slowed down a bit, now swelled to twice its normal size with gratitude.”

This quote alludes to another childhood classic, How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss. After his life-changing experience with Whoville’s gratitude, the Grinch’s heart grew to three times its size. As the caretaker of her little sisters, Rosalind carries a heavy burden, and seeing another person love and show kindness to the youngest Penderwick warms her heart. Cagney’s tenderness toward Batty directly contrasts with Mrs. Tifton’s cruel dismissiveness of the shy little girl.

“The cheering was so loud and long that—as Churchie swore later—the Arundel birds fled and didn’t come back until the next spring.”

The author uses hyperbole, or exaggeration for rhetorical effect, to emphasize the joy the sisters feel when they see Churchie and Jeffrey. It’s a moment overflowing with love and affection. Churchie and Jeffrey have become part of the Penderwick family.