Shelly's Book Blog

I loved the first two Penderwicks books, so I picked up The Penderwicks at Point Mouette expecting a great read. I was not disappointed. Jeanne Birdsall's third book in this warmhearted series finds the family on vacation again, but this time they are not all together. Mr. Penderwick and his new wife, Iantha, are out of the picture in England, and Rosalind, the OAP (oldest available Penderwick) is in New Jersey vacationing with a friend. The story centers, then, on the younger three sisters, Skye, Jane and Batty, as well as the girls' very good friend, Jeffrey Tifton, who joins them for the two-week stay at a small cottage in Point Mouette, Maine. Rosalind's absence necessitates Skye's appointment as acting OAP, a role she feels herself ill-equipped to handle. It turns out that Skye does still need some practice being in charge, but her mistakes are harmless and quite funny.  Jane, the budding author of the family, suffers from writer's block while she attempts to write a new Sabrina Starr book. She also develops a very dramatic crush on a local boy named Dominic, who inspires her to write (pretty bad) poetry instead.  The man who lives next door to the Penderwick's rented cottage, Alec, becomes a good friend, and there is a surprise twist at the end of the story which involves him. This book is full of interesting, well-developed characters and humor. I loved it!