Review: The Penderwicks at Point Mouette by Jeanne Birdsall

The Penderwicks at Point Mouette by Jeanne Birdsall. A Penderwick Adventure.

Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: May 2011
List Price: $16.99
ISBN-13: 9780375858512

Review: Imagine that you are carefree and have only a little responsibility, but it changes all in a few days. You now are in charge of two little sisters and anything can happen. They can fall onto sharp rocks, drown, fall in love, or even blow up! Skye is worried about all of these things happening in The Penderwicks at Point Mouette by Jeanne Birdsall. This is the third book in the Penderwicks series.

Ever since their mother died, Rosalind, being the older sister, has been in charge. While their dad and his new wife go on a honeymoon and Rosalind goes on a vacation to New Jersey, Skye is left in charge of her two younger sisters, Jane and, Batty. When they go on a trip to Maine with their Aunt Claire, and best friend Jeffery, they are prepared for the worst. As Skye tries to keep order, Jane is having her own problems with a writer's block. This all changes when she falls in love with a boy named Dominic. Meanwhile, Batty is making new friends and learning how she can trust Skye as the OAP (Oldest, Available Penderwick). The girls are trying their hardest to have fun in Maine, even though their family is so far apart.

One of my favorite things about this book are the characters. All of the Penderwick's have strong personalities, and none of them are the same. What I also like is how the accidents happen unpredictably, which makes the book more exciting. The author uses very descriptive figurative language, making it feel as if the reader is in Maine with the Penderwicks. Another thing I like is seeing a different side of Skye, who usually is not as caring or as thoughtful of her family and sisters. The genre of this book is realistic fiction, even though the girls' adventures don't happen to everybody. The ending almost wrapped up the entire story, but there may be a fourth book coming out in the series. Since I read the first two books in the series, I was hooked right away and finished it in about three days. The book goes at a medium pace with a little bit of suspense at certain parts of the book. I rate this book a 10/10 because I never became tired of it. If you have not read the first two books you do not need to read them first, but I suggest you do because they are also very well-written and you gain background knowledge on the family. If you are looking for a book about love, friends, family and a little adventure, I recommend you read The Penderwicks at Point Mouette.

Review written by Shannon (6th grade student).

We would like to thank Random House for providing a copy of The Penderwicks at Point Mouette for this review.

Have you read The Penderwicks at Point Mouette? How would you rate it?