The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy by Jeanne Birdsall was published by Knopf in 2005. It won the National Book Award in 2005 and earned several other accolades, including ALA-ALSC Notable Children’s Book, School Library Journal Best Book of the Year, Booklist Editor’s Choice, Kirkus Reviews Editor’s Choice, and Publisher’s Weekly Best Book of the Year. The book sold 1.5 million copies and has been translated into 30 languages. The novel became a part of a five-book series that the author wrote as one story in three acts. Act I includes The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy, The Penderwicks on Gardam Street, and The Penderwicks at Point Mouette. Act II is The Penderwicks in Spring, and Act III concludes the series with The Penderwicks at Last.

This guide references the 2009 eBook edition of The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy from Knopf Books for Young Readers.

Plot Summary

The Penderwick family travels to the Berkshires for their annual summer vacation. Rosalind, Skye, Jane, and Batty Penderwick, along with their newly widowed father and family dog, Hound, look forward to a summer full of adventure, but as they arrive at the palatial Arundel Hall and see a mysterious boy watching them from a window, they realize that their summer might be far different than they imagined. The Penderwicks learn that Arundel is owned and run by a pretentious heiress, Mrs. Tifton, and that they’ll be staying in the cottage connected to her property, on which the buildings are surrounded by lush gardens. The girls are enchanted by the mystery of Arundel and its inhabitants—and when the tomato salesman, Harry, warns them to stay away from Mrs. Tifton and her prized gardens, their intrigue only increases.

Mr. Penderwick is a botanist and quickly bonds with Arundel’s groundskeeper, Cagney. Mrs. Tifton orders Cagney to remove the rosebush that his uncle planted, so Cagney moves it near the cottage and tends to it each day. Rosalind is drawn to the young and handsome Cagney, though not for his knowledge of plants; she finds opportunities to be near him, bakes him brownies, and immerses herself in Civil War history, one of his interests. Skye, the fiery middle child, hopes to spend most of her days working out intricate math problems in solitude, while Jane, a budding author, uses Arundel’s charm as fodder for her next novel about an adventurous young girl named Sabrina Starr. The youngest Penderwick, Batty, loves animals but is shy and often hides when she feels afraid or anxious, and her sisters must constantly watch her. Batty wears butterfly wings and loves playing with her best friend, Hound, but when she learns that Cagney has two pet rabbits, she begins making daily trips to his cottage to feed them carrots.

When Skye happens upon a secret tunnel through the hedges into Arundel’s gardens and meets the mysterious boy from the window, the Penderwick sisters’ vacation takes a turn. Jeffrey is Mrs. Tifton’s only son and spends his days alone at Arundel, so he jumps at the chance to join the sisters’ adventures. Although he bonds with Jane first, he soon becomes close to Skye as well since they share a love of soccer. In addition, Jeffrey becomes a backup guardian for Batty, who often tags along on their adventures. When she sneaks into a fenced area and finds herself cornered by a bull, Jeffrey—with Jane and Skye’s help—rescues Batty, instantly becoming her hero. As the children spend more time together, they become acquainted with the Tifton’s cook, Churchie, who feeds them delicious food and appreciates the Penderwicks’ loud and sometimes chaotic energy. Churchie invites the sisters to Jeffrey’s birthday party, lending them dresses to wear, and enlightens the sisters on the truth of Jeffrey’s sad life. His biological father abandoned his mother, and he was raised by Mrs. Tifton and his grandfather, a proud military man. Mrs. Tifton plans to send Jeffrey away to a military school instead of allowing him to pursue his passion for piano.

At Jeffrey’s formal birthday party, the Penderwick sisters meet Mrs. Tifton and her pompous boyfriend, Dexter Dupree. Both appear to harshly judge the quirky band of sisters, and Jeffrey later deems the birthday party an epic failure. He’s miserable living under his mother’s harsh rules and being held to the expectations established by the career of his dead grandfather, and he fears that Mrs. Tifton and Dexter plan to ship him off to boarding school a full year early so that they can marry and travel without him as a burden. The sisters do their best to cheer up their new friend and bring him along on all their adventures. However, as the annual Garden Club competition nears, the children must avoid Mrs. Tifton and her gardens lest they ruin her chances of winning the coveted prize. Things begin unraveling when Batty accidentally lets Yaz the rabbit loose on the grounds, sending Hound crashing through the gardens. Mrs. Tifton is enraged to find out the Penderwicks have a dog and bans them from Arundel. Batty feels awful for almost killing Yaz and tries to run away back home, but Skye, Jane, and Jeffrey send Hound to track her down and bring her back to the cottage.

The day of the Garden Club competition arrives, and Jeffrey, Skye, and Jane distract themselves with a game of soccer. When the ball sails over the hedge, they thoughtlessly bound through the gardens and draw the attention of the party guests. Their childish shenanigans amuse all the guests except Mrs. Tifton, who wins second prize in the competition. The sisters return to the cottage, worrying about Jeffrey’s fate. Jeffrey is grounded, but when his mother and Dexter leave for a day trip, he invites Skye over for a piano lesson. Batty tags along and makes a fort in the fancy music room while Skye and Jeffrey laugh and bang on the piano loudly. Mrs. Tifton arrives home early and is infuriated by the scene. Skye and Batty leave but eavesdrop as Mrs. Tifton excoriates Jeffery for hanging out with such reprobates. Skye barges back into the room and defends her family. Later, the sisters learn Jeffrey has gone to visit his military school, and they fear that they’ll never see him again. While Skye, Jane, and Batty venture around Arundel, Rosalind and Cagney become friends, and Rosalind experiences her first real crush. However, during a midnight walk in the gardens, she discovers that Cagney has a girlfriend. Seeing Cagney kissing another girl breaks Rosalind’s heart. She slips on a rock, falling into the pond, and Cagney rescues her.

Jeffrey appears at Skye’s window and claims that he’s running away from home. The sisters let him sleep in Batty’s room overnight before he takes the bus to Boston the next day. Mrs. Tifton collects him the next morning as he begs her to listen to his reasons for not wanting to attend Pencey. As the Penderwicks pack to leave for home, they wonder about Jeffrey’s fate and if they’ll ever see their friend again. The next morning, the Penderwicks leave Arundel, but Mr. Penderwick forgets his glasses, so they must return to the cottage. Cagney arrives and gifts Rosalind a rosebush, and Churchie and Jeffrey run through the hedges at the last minute to report the good news that Mrs. Tifton agreed to let Jeffrey go to the musical conservatory instead of military school. The children agree to visit each other soon, and Batty lends Jeffrey her trusty wings.