Today, in this Best Of Read Aloud Revival episode, we’re revisiting a conversation about a series I absolutely adore: The Penderwicks, by Jeanne Birdsall.

The Penderwicks books follow the escapades of four spirited sisters, Rosalind, Skye, Jane, and Batty. The books are a modern nod to Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women, and they’ve won tons of awards including the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature, several ALA Notable Children’s Book Awards, and the Massachusetts Children’s Book Award.

Since recording this interview for RAR episode 100, Jeanne unknowingly planted the seed for my own book, A Little More Beautiful, the Story of a Garden when I visited her and her Northampton, Massachusetts, home. So now, we like to call A Little More Beautiful “our book.”

The first book in the Penderwicks series, The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy, is our RAR Premium Family Book Club pick for this summer.

That means we’ve got a full Family Book Club Guide with all the trimmings available now for members AND if you and your kids sign up for RAR Premium, they will have a chance to meet Jeanne Birdsall live on Zoom on August 25th.

In this episode, you’ll hear: 

  • How Jeanne got her start writing in her 40s and why it’s never too late to follow a dream
  • About Jeanne’s character-driven writing process and why she always envisioned the Penderwicks as a series
  • Where Jeanne gets her inspiration

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Learn more about Jeanne Birdsall:

Books and Resources Mentioned in This Episode:

The Secret Garden
100 Cupboards
Anne of Green Gables
Little Women
The Penderwicks
Jo’s Boys (Bantam Classics)
Flora’s Very Windy Day
The Penderwicks at Point Mouette
The Penderwicks on Gardam Street
The Penderwicks at Last
The Story of the Treasure Seekers
Outlaws of Time: The Legend of Sam Miracle
The Chronicles of Narnia Box Set: Full-Color Collector’s Edition
The Penderwicks in Spring
My Favorite Pets: by Gus W. for Ms. Smolinski’s Class
Lucky and Squash
Moods: (Louisa May Alcott Classics Collection)
Little Men

More free resources and booklists

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