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The Penderwicks at Last
The Penderwicks at Last | Jeanne Birdsall
26 posts | 18 read | 11 to read
The finale you've all been waiting for: The Penderwicks at Last is the final, flawless installment in the modern classic series from National Book Award winner and New York Times bestselling author Jeanne Birdsall! Nine years, five older siblings, a few beloved dogs, and an endless array of adventures--these are the things that have shaped Lydia's journey since readers first met her in The Penderwicks in Spring. Now it's summertime, and eleven-year-old Lydia is dancing at the bus stop, waiting for big sister Batty to get home from college. This is a very important dance and a very important wait because the two youngest sisters are about to arrive home to find out that the Penderwicks will all be returning to Arundel this summer, the place where it all began. And better still is the occasion: a good old-fashioned, homemade-by-Penderwicks wedding. Bursting with heart and brimming with charm, this is a joyful, hilarious ode to the family we love best. And oh my MOPS--Meeting of Penderwick Siblings--does Jeanne Birdsall's The Penderwicks at Last crescendo to one perfect Penderwick finale.
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PurpleyPumpkin
The Penderwicks at Last | Jeanne Birdsall
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Pickpick

And that‘s a wrap on this series! I so enjoyed watching the Penderwick kids grow up. The last 2 books were told from the POVs of the youngest sisters. While I enjoyed them, I think I enjoyed the first few books more because they felt like more of an ensemble. Having said that, these were all fun books. Listening to the audiobooks was particularly satisfying as the narrator was quite talented. I‘m sad to say goodbye…🥹 3.5⭐️
(March 24, 2024)

mcctrish I‘ve put the first on hold 7mo
PurpleyPumpkin @mcctrish Yay! They really are a lovely distraction from our more serious reads. And I thought the author did a good job of aging the kids through the years. Hope you enjoy!☺️ 7mo
48 likes2 comments
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Caryl
The Penderwicks at Last | Jeanne Birdsall
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Pickpick

My oldest & I read the Penderwicks #1 & #2 when they first came out years ago; they were big hits with our mother-daughter book club! I‘d always intended to finish the series, and made it a goal for this year. I did it! The last was as lovely as the first, with the story/setting coming full circle. 💞This was my December #DoubleSpin pick.

#BookSpinBINGO

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! I've been meaning to read this series, it sounds so delightful. 3y
Caryl @TheAromaofBooks - Oh, do read them! I think you‘d love these books. 💖 3y
27 likes2 comments
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mjtwo
The Penderwicks at Last | Jeanne Birdsall
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Pickpick

15 Aug-4 Sep 2021 (audiobook)
And we are done. Not much really happened in this last instalment: two weddings, more dogs, and maybe Batty (is she really supposed to be Amy?) will one day marry Jeffrey (her Laurie). I hope so. Batty was by far my favourite and really nothing like the detestable Amy. I am glad the series is over and we can move on to something new and maybe a little more exciting.

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IamIamIam
The Penderwicks at Last | Jeanne Birdsall
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Pickpick

I'm not crying, you're crying!!! 😭😭 We see Arendelle through Lydia's eyes, meet Alice, still have a crush on Cagney, find out about a wedding, maybe a double wedding, maybe future weddings... and ex boyfriends! And what level Mrs. Tifton is on the Pickle Scale. I adored this series and while I'm sad it's over, I'll definitely be revisiting soon!!!

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IamIamIam
The Penderwicks at Last | Jeanne Birdsall
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I'm not emotionally prepared for this to be my last MOPS!!! 😭😭😭😭

ravenlee I put it off for so long because I just couldn‘t face it! But it was a really satisfying conclusion. 5y
IamIamIam @ravenlee Thanks for that!! I needed some moral support!! 😁🤗 5y
ravenlee Plus, then it‘s time to start all over again! 5y
IamIamIam @ravenlee LOL, that's true!! I was thinking about reading them out loud to my daughter! 5y
41 likes4 comments
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ravenlee
The Penderwicks at Last | Jeanne Birdsall
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Pickpick

A solid, believable ending to one of my favorite series. It‘s nice to see what the original sisters are up to, and to see Lydia coming into her own. I like that Birdsall doesn‘t tie everything up too nearly, but the hints are clear about what happens later (ahem, Harry Potter series epilogue). Not the best book but a very good one. 4/5⭐️

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ElizabethAndino
The Penderwicks at Last | Jeanne Birdsall

I‘ve been thinking so much about this series since I finished the last novel. The reason I love it so much is that, even though I read the series as an adult, it immediately takes me back to my happiest days as an 8 year old...quietly whiling away the hours in my cozy attic bedroom. It‘s “instant happy childhood memories” on the page.

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ElizabethAndino
The Penderwicks at Last | Jeanne Birdsall
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Pickpick

I am so sad this is the end of an incredible series that has brought me so much joy. These are as close to my heart as Ramona. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

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bell7
The Penderwicks at Last | Jeanne Birdsall
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Pickpick

Rosalind is getting married - and the family is returning to Arundel for the wedding. Well, most of the Penderwicks are returning. For Lydia, age 11 and the youngest, this is the first time going to that magical place that figures so much in her older siblings' stories and memories. A delightful end to a lovely series that fans of the Moffats or Ramona will enjoy. It wasn't my favorite of the series, but still fun.

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Athenazeus2005
The Penderwicks at Last | Jeanne Birdsall
Mehso-so

This book was good, however not my favorite of the Penderwicks, Penderwicks at Point Mouette. I loved how they showed a bit into the sisters‘s life, but I wish there was a epilogue.

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BarbaraJean
The Penderwicks at Last | Jeanne Birdsall
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Pickpick

I needn‘t have worried about this being good, after my initial scare from low Goodreads reviews. It was a wonderful wrap-up of the series, with parallels back to the first book, as well as some nice foreshadowing of where the sisters will go in the future. It didn‘t unseat the Penderwicks in Spring as my favorite, and I‘m not as fond of Lydia‘s perspective as those of the other sisters in previous books, but this was lovely nonetheless.

54 likes3 stack adds
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BarbaraJean
The Penderwicks at Last | Jeanne Birdsall
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Switching gears from Homegoing to pick back up with the Penderwicks. I went to add this to my currently-reading list on Goodreads and saw a bunch of disappointed one- and two-star reviews, and now I‘m worried... 😟 I mean, the back of the book promises a three-legged dog in a sidecar, so it can‘t be a total loss, right?!

MommyWantsToReadHerBook I'm pretty sure the one-- and two-star reviews didn't used to be at the top, but now they're all I see! I ignore them, though, as they tend to be ridiculous. 6y
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BarbaraJean
The Penderwicks at Last | Jeanne Birdsall
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I know how I‘m spending my lunch today... #impendinglibraryhaul

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smilingshelves
The Penderwicks at Last | Jeanne Birdsall
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This is way more reading than I thought I would get in during this #reversereadathon! My husband took down our chimney today, so I spent most of the day hiding with the baby in the bedroom where it was clean. That translated to a surprising amount of reading time! I read the tagged book, as well as 70 pages of Royal Assassin. It's been a great day!

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smilingshelves
The Penderwicks at Last | Jeanne Birdsall
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My library hold came in! I'm so excited for this next Penderwicks book, although sad that it's the last one. I love these characters so much!

BucklingBookshelves Can‘t wait to hear what you think!! 6y
smilingshelves @Bucklingbkshelf I loved that this one took place at Arundel! It was like coming home. Batty and Jeffrey surprised me, but it makes sense. I definitely wasn't expecting that, though. What did you think of the book? 6y
BucklingBookshelves @smilingshelves I liked it, but didn‘t love it as much as I expected! I have a bunch of rambling spoiler-y thoughts in comments of a prior post — I‘ll tag you so you can find it 😊 6y
27 likes3 comments
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BookNAround
The Penderwicks at Last | Jeanne Birdsall
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Picked up this handful of books and the adorable bag at the #mittenlittens meetup with @CrowCAH @Kelican17 and @VioletCavalier yesterday. So much fun!

tammysue Glad you all had a wonderful time! And left with some great books! 💜😊 6y
rubyslippersreads ❤️❤️❤️ the cover of that cat book! 😻 6y
81 likes2 comments
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BucklingBookshelves
The Penderwicks at Last | Jeanne Birdsall
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Pickpick

I need someone to talk to about this series finale! It was good, but only 🌟🌟🌟 for me when I fully expected it to be another 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟installment. Maybe my expectations were too high? I guess I just wanted something more in places. Please chat with me in the comments if you‘ve finished this one!

BucklingBookshelves I skimmed some negative reviews and a lot if people are mad Skye & Jeffrey didn‘t end up together. That‘s not my issue. At all. I love Jeffrey & Batty together and Skye made it pretty clear in book 4 it wasn‘t going to happen and I respect that. I just wanted more! There was no chapter for the wedding! And I wanted to see more of Mr Penderwick, Iantha, Tommy & Nick. Lydia liking everyone & being homesick were repeated to death... 6y
BucklingBookshelves ... and I kept mixing up Alice and Lydia. They kind of melded together for me. Really glad we got to see Cagney again, I just kept hoping other previous characters would be more present like he was (a Churchie appearance would have been AMAZING!) I liked that there was a tiny bit of a change of heart with Mrs Tifton, but was hoping for a little bit more there too. 6y
BucklingBookshelves @smilingshelves this is the post I was talking about 😊 6y
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smilingshelves Thanks! I was mad that there wasn't a chapter for the wedding, too! I gave it five stars on Goodreads, but it was probably 4.5. A wedding chapter would have put it above five stars for sure for me. It would have been a great way to have some closure with all of the characters. It would also have been nice to have a bit more depth to Lydia's character, but I loved the parts with her and Mrs. Tifton. There's hope for her yet! ☺️ 6y
smilingshelves I think this book could have been 1,000 pages long, and I still would have wanted more. I love these characters! 😀 6y
BucklingBookshelves @smilingshelves! You have a point there! My 3 🌟 is probably more like 3.5 — I love the characters too — book 4 is just such a standout for me, that I was a bit let down by the follow-up. But it was still a very good book, of course — it‘s hard to compare when an author is so good. Can‘t help ranking, even when they‘re all good! 6y
5 likes6 comments
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brandymuses
The Penderwicks at Last | Jeanne Birdsall
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Pickpick

Not my favorite in the series, but it‘s a great way to wrap up the original story begun in the first book.

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BucklingBookshelves
The Penderwicks at Last | Jeanne Birdsall
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I don‘t want it to end!

smilingshelves I know how you feel! My decision to reread them before reading the last one may be partly a stalling tactic... 😀 6y
1 like1 comment
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TracyReadsBooks
The Penderwicks at Last | Jeanne Birdsall
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With the last book now out, it strikes me it‘s a good time to reread this fantastic series. Actually, I have to start at the beginning—as soon as I mentioned we had two copies in the library, there was a mad race to check them out. Love seeing young readers excited about a book!

ravenlee 😯 I had no idea there was another one coming! I haven't even read the previous one yet (I haven't been able to face no Hound). 6y
15 likes1 comment
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CSeydel
The Penderwicks at Last | Jeanne Birdsall
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I love our library! The newest Penderwicks book isn‘t even published yet, but I can already place my hold for when it arrives. 😍📖
#LitsyLovesLibraries

TheWordJar Fantastic! I wasn‘t aware there was a new one coming out. We are in the middle of The Penderwicks of Gardam Street, and the kids love it. And of course they loved the first one too! 7y
CSeydel @TheWordJar I just found out today via Goodreads email. I checked the library just in case and boom! There it was. Comes out May 15. (edited) 7y
58 likes1 stack add2 comments
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Spanish_Broom
The Penderwicks at Last | Jeanne Birdsall
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While the fourth was my favorite of the series, this one was a sweet note to end on. 💛

2 likes1 stack add
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brandymuses
The Penderwicks at Last | Jeanne Birdsall
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1. The Penderwicks at Last by Jeanne Birdsall
2. A Wrinkle in Time
3. Wine if that‘s my only choice. Bourbon if there‘s a full a bar.
4. My husband is a journalist so he reads/writes all day every day. He doesn‘t read much in his spare time as a result.

#friyayintro

BarbaraJean So excited about Wrinkle in Time! 7y
brandymuses @BarbaraJean I‘m also a little scared and nervous but what I‘ve seen of it has me mostly excited. 7y
LauraBeth Wait! There‘s a new Penderwicks coming out?! 7y
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BarbaraJean @brandymuses Me too—the trailer looks fantastic and the cast is awesome (though I feel a bit dubious about Chris Pine). I‘m excited but also a tiiiiny bit nervous, too! (edited) 7y
Chachic I'm really excited for A Wrinkle in Time too! 7y
brandymuses @LauraBeth Yep! The last one. And she‘s time jumping again do this will be Lydia‘s story, Batty is in college, and someone‘s getting married. 7y
12 likes6 comments
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quietjenn
The Penderwicks at Last | Jeanne Birdsall
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PENDERWICKS! I'm so excited. And a wee bit sad, but mostly so excited.

BookNAround The last one? Oh no! But I‘m excited to read it. 7y
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brandymuses
The Penderwicks at Last | Jeanne Birdsall
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1. My sister (the Marianne to my Elinor) made this for me.
2. Read more non-fiction.
3. No. But I think I‘m heading for reading glasses.
4. Mountains (You still get the start sky and there‘s no sand.)
5. Can‘t wait to read how this series wraps up.

#humpdaypost

Chachic Your sister gives you the best book-related gifts! 7y
brandymuses @Chachic She really does. She is thoughtful and excellent at crafts. 7y
rubyslippersreads I need to catch up with The Penderwicks. 😊 7y
99problemsbutabookaint1 Um I'm in love with your art!!!!😻😻😻😻😻 7y
brownekr I AM ALSO SO EXCITED for the upcoming Penderwicks book! 7y
12 likes5 comments