The Penderwicks
Acceptable with guidance. Age: 9+. A Catholic review of this book for parents.
Our review
A warm, old-fashioned summer story with a kind, attentive father and sisters who stick up for a lonely boy. The sisters learn courage, loyalty and how to say sorry. The reservation is real: two girls lie to cover up a near accident with a bull, and the story never corrects them. A twelve-year-old's crush on a nineteen-year-old gardener also needs a word.
For parents
Read aloud from 7, independent reading from 9. Common Sense Media says 9 and up. Ask whether Skye and Jane should have told their father the truth about the bull, and why the truth matters even when we are scared (CCC 2468). Ask what Mr. Penderwick does well as a father.