We Love the Penderwicks

The Penderwicks
by Jeanne Birdsall
pub. David Fickling Books
ISBN: 0385610343
234 pages



We love The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall!



After our last bedtime read, I for one was ready for something easy and fun and so picked up this attractive new hardback from the library (I am easily influenced by a cover and always attracted to a crisp new copy). It looked like it would be light and fast paced, as it was subtitled " A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits and a Very Interesting Boy." Well it certainly moved along quickly but it was too well written for 'light' to do it justice. When Mum is volunteering to read an extra chapter, even though it looks a bit long, you know you're onto a winner.



At the core of this books' success are the four Penderwick sisters with their well defined characters; Rosalind: the eldest and most responsible, though at an age to have her head turned romantically; Skye: headstrong, outspoken and mathematically inclined; Jane - future novelist and romantic in the literary sense and Batty, the adorable youngest who wears wings and is devoted to Hound the family pet.



This novel has so many of the age old devices that can contribute to a successful children's story. Dad is widowed and though very loving and caring towards his girls he is distracted by his work and interest in the plants on the estate, leaving Rosalind to do much of the practical nurturing of her sisters, especially Batty who needs bedtime stories and special toys in her bed. There is a resident meany in the big house, Mrs Tifton, who plans to marry the slimy Dexter and send her son Jeffrey away to a military academy against his will. She is also obsessed with the perfection of her garden, thereby creating out of bounds areas for the children to transgress. Will the girls be able to save Jeffrey from this fate worse than death or will they be evicted before they get the chance? So far so Enid Blyton, potentially.



The other side which could have been played up is the emotional landscape of the story. The girls are motherless, Jeffrey is fatherless, Rosalind is on the edge of romantic angst and seems alot older than her twelve years. She also shoulders alot of the day to day responsibility for her siblings. Jeffrey's potential step-father is cold and disinterested in him, yet a bit slimy round the girls. I hear Jaqueline Wilson waiting in the wings, issues at the ready. Yet in Birdsalls' book these 'issues' sit comfortably within the more exciting elements of the story such as Batty in a field with a bull or Skye and Jane's three storey descent from Jeffrey's bedroom window.



As in all satisfying novels the central characters show signs of development. Rosalind comes down to earth in regard to Cagney the likeable gardener, yet still with a thumping heart; Skye begins to control her temper; Jane values her writing without needing the approval of a jumped up magazine publisher and Batty is getting old enough to think of others and give away precious possessions. Even Jeffrey learns bravery and his mother learns to listen. All of this without a drop of saccharine or moralising.

To be honest the two rabbits don't play a very big part in the story and Jeffrey isn't exactly 'very interesting' he's just a nice boy that's fun to play soccer with and is having a hard time from his mum but this is very much 'A Summer Tale of Four Sisters' and has the energy and excitement of a memorable summer holiday. Also, according to one daughter, it has "a good baddy", what more do you need?

The Valley of Secrets

The Valley of Secrets by Charmian Hussey

Simon & Schuster ISBN: 0689878621 400 pages

The opening chapters of this novel excited me with their tantalisingly Dickensian style. It was heavy on the description but this was offset by eccentric characters such as Postlewaite the lawyer, surrounded by lush undergrowth in a tucked away office. There was a level of intrigue as the central character, Stephen, had no idea what awaited him, firstly as he was summoned to the lawyers' rooms, subsequently as he travelled to the Cornish coast to discover the nature of his inheritance. The mysterious atmosphere was maintained as Stephen encountered gates that locked and unlocked at his convenience, obscure objects placed as if waiting for him, hammocks slung in unlikely places and the constant sense of being watched.

At around this point the writing became bogged down and I felt as though I needed a machete myself to cut through the undergrowth of description. Stephens' discovery of his great-uncles' journal is an effective device for recounting past adventures in the Amazonian rainforest and introduced a new voice. It's always challenging to have one character without anyone else to bounce ideas / conversations off but many of the linkages seemed self-conscious.

Another plus was the introduction of Tig, whom we later learn is a Bugwomp, the species a souvenir from Uncle Theodore's South American adventures. Tigs' arrival gives Stephen someone else to talk to and care for, backing up his ecologically aware credentials with practical nursing. As we meet more of the creatures they provide some comic relief and a few 'aaah' moments.

Stephens' concern for the environment, both Amazonian and closer to home, is worthy and certainly topical but veers towards the preachy at times. It would have been interesting to see some other aspects of his character.

As the reading moved on I became increasingly irritated by the repetition of words within paragraphs and even sentences that didn't seem to be used to any conscious purpose, rather simply a matter of poor editing. I wonder if this was due to the book being written many years before it was published. Perhaps it was difficult to revisit and rework 400 pages.

The Valley of Secrets had so much potential and I guess I just wanted more - more excitement, more conflict. Stephens' practical concerns for the financial future of his property and it's inhabitants are understandable and realistic but given the unusual nature of Lansbury Hall it's surprising that the local community didn't pay it more active attention. Some local kids could have tried to get over the wall or perhaps a small boat could have paid Stephens' beach too much attention.

Having said all this my children were keen for every installment and gave the following opinions once we'd finished. "It was great - every aspect" and " It was brilliant, apart from the sad ending." What do I know.