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

My friend recommended this book, otherwise I never would have found it as it's not on any of the reading lists I look to for book recommendations. This is a children's novel that my three oldest really enjoyed. As the title suggests, it is about four sisters and their adventures while on summer vacation with their father. I was a little nervous that Jared would not like a book that has four sisters in it since he often has his hands full with three, but he loved it. The setting is a quaint cottage that is owned by the heartless Mrs. Tifton and shares the same land as her mansion, Arundel. Thank goodness for Jared, the "Very Interesting Boy" is introduced in the first chapter and plays an integral part in the story. While talking about this book to a friend, she asked me what genre it was and my answer was, "It's like Family Fun and Values". While I'm positive that's not an official literary genre, maybe it should be, because I've found that books that fit into this category are often the ones my children enjoy the most. Although there are some hints at fairy-taleish comparisons like: the prince, the wicked step-parent, the witch, and the impoverished townsfolk who eventually find themselves in the castle - this is a modern day story filled with things kids can relate to. My kids especially enjoyed the adventure with the bull, not that they have ever had a close encounter with a bull themselves, they just liked the suspense. A bonus for me is that I only got choked up once toward the end. It's so difficult to do a read-aloud when you're crying all the time. I recommend this as a fun summer read, or maybe a good winter read to chase away the blues. Oh, and as for the "Two Rabbits" mentioned in the title, I barely even noticed they were there, but it makes for a fun title.