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SeaStar
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| Posted: June 22 2015 at 6:05am | IP Logged
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We just finished up listening to the newest Penderwick novel- The Penderwicks in Spring- on cd. Well... in honor of the new book we went back to book 1 and listened to them all again, finishing up with book 4.
Wow- I had read that the newest book was the saddest of them all but
SPOILER ahead
when we got into it a little way I started to have a real fear that Nick was going to go back to the war and be killed  .
Thankfully, that did not happen- sheesh, losing Hound was sad enough.
We loved Lydia- "Goldy put Frank in a box" and Ben with his rocks and FlashVan. And is it just me, or does a romance between Jeffrey and Batty sometime in years ahead seem entirely possible? If the author writes more books, it will be interesting to see how Sky develops... so many issues to work through.
Anyway, it was indeed a book with sad and serious topics- but also lots of humor. The only thing that didn't ring true to me was the mother of the twins not calling the Penderwick parents when Batty showed up in the yard in such a state of distress.
Watch out for Donovans... 
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Melinda, mom to ds ('02) and dd ('04)
SQUILT Music Appreciation
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guitarnan
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| Posted: June 22 2015 at 8:41am | IP Logged
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SPOILER ALERT! 
I loved the Donovans and thought Oliver was the perfect annoying boyfriend. I laughed until I cried over the still lifes. What a poser!
Lydia cracked me up. Her refusal to give up her crib reminded me of a similar battle I fought many years ago...
I worried about Nick, too, but decided to be optimistic. I loved how he wrote things on the Penderwicks.
I had the same thought about Jeffrey and Batty. I read somewhere that the author is only going to write one more Penderwick book, though! 
At any rate, I did enjoy the book, and I hope the folks at the allergist's office weren't too confused by my giggling.
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Nancy in MD. Mom of ds (24) & dd (18); 31-year Navy wife, move coordinator and keeper of home fires. Writer and dance mom.
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Booksnbabes
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| Posted: June 22 2015 at 10:25am | IP Logged
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We enjoyed it, but all of the kids agreed they preferred the first three. They missed the previous sister dynamic and felt this book was a bit "off," perhaps because it was a lot less carefree than the previous books and because it is very Batty-centric? There are a lot of laugh-out-loud moments, in true Penderwick fashion, but it isn't our favorite of the series.
SPOILERS!!!
I had a difficult time with the Rosalind/Oliver relationship. From all the other books we believed her too mature to have fallen for a guy's cheekbones.
The kids felt Lydia sounded too old for 2. This really bothered them throughout the book.
Dh was disappointed that the sacrifice Elizabeth made in carrying Batty to term was glossed over and made a non-sacrifice by the way Mr. Penderwick explained the decision to receive treatment later. Dh wanted Skye to be told she should honor that kind of sacrifice, that there is no greater love than to give one's life for another, and that the only selfishness was on Skye's part. Instead he felt the message was, "yes, she would have been selfish had she chosen that, but really we didn't think sacrifice would be required, and we made the decision together, so it was ok."
He also had a difficult time with Nick not including the Penderwick parents in what was going on with Batty.
We all got a kick out of Batty's first few times of walking Duchess. Rolling her into the wagon--hilarous! We enjoyed Ben's flights of fantasy with his miscellaneous action figures too.
Overall, we liked it, but did not feel it was on par with the previous three.
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SeaStar
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| Posted: June 23 2015 at 6:47am | IP Logged
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So which was your favorite overall?
I liked the Gardam Street book best... all sports training going on, the Sisters and Sacrifice play, the Save Daddy Plan 
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Melinda, mom to ds ('02) and dd ('04)
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guitarnan
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| Posted: June 23 2015 at 7:56am | IP Logged
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I actually had no issues believing that Rosalind would (temporarily) fall for Oliver, even though he's a poser. She was on the rebound from Tommy and was trying to do the grownup college thing (foolishly, I agree). At least she had the sense to ask her family whether they liked him. Or maybe she just couldn't imagine a future home filled with bird's nest still lifes!
I still like the first book best. I guess it comes from growing up in a place where people like Mrs. Tifton and Dexter really exist - thankfully not in my own family!
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Nancy in MD. Mom of ds (24) & dd (18); 31-year Navy wife, move coordinator and keeper of home fires. Writer and dance mom.
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Booksnbabes
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| Posted: June 24 2015 at 12:27pm | IP Logged
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I would say my favorite is the first one. I tend to like the first in the series though--I like the initial contact with the characters. I liked how the Penderwicks brought fun into Jeffrey's life. I liked their soccer drills and their archery targets.
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Booksnbabes
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| Posted: June 24 2015 at 12:28pm | IP Logged
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guitarnan wrote:
| Or maybe she just couldn't imagine a future home filled with bird's nest still lifes! |
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Erin
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| Posted: June 30 2015 at 5:54pm | IP Logged
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First book is my fav of the first three too
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Erin
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Forum Locked) 
4Real Forums : Living Literature
Topic: Anyone want to talk latest Penderwicks?
