If you haven’t read this charming series, correct that now. I won’t say more since this is getting pretty late in the series and I don’t want to give away more spoilers. I laughed and cheered and mourned with them, as you should in the very best books.Īs always, Susan Denaker’s narration is perfect. It felt like I was checking in with some dear friends. Whew! It was so nice to see the girls a little older. That said, it is still the Penderwicks and all does come right in the end. These are things that kids are experiencing nowadays, it just took me by surprise in a series that’s been fairly light-hearted to this point. Even their beloved neighbor, Nick, has gone off to war. Little four-year-old Batty! With her butterfly wings! I was upset by the loss she’d experienced and it didn’t get better from there. I had a hard time thinking of her as a big ten-year-old. She’s always been the baby of the family, so I guess I’m used to thinking of her that way.

This book got a little dark! I was surprised! The Penderwicks have always had their childhood troubles but as an adult listening, they don’t seem insurmountable to me. Then she overhears a conversation between Skye and Jeffrey that leaves her questioning everything she knew about her family, and especially her mother’s death. She lost someone important to her over the winter, and she feels responsible.

The focus has shifted to the younger Penderwick siblings, especially Batty. Rosalind is now a freshman in college, Skye is a high school senior, Jane’s driving, Batty’s in fifth grade, Ben’s in second, and there’s a new sister, Lydia, who’s only two. Quite a few years have passed since we last checked in with the Penderwicks.

The penderwicks in spring