Mother Daughter Book Club Meeting #18

Summary: This summer the Penderwick sisters have a wonderful surprise: a holiday on the grounds of a beautiful estate called Arundel. Soon they are busy discovering the summertime magic of Arundel’s sprawling gardens, treasure-filled attic, tame rabbits, and the cook who makes the best gingerbread in Massachusetts. But the best discovery of all is Jeffrey Tifton, son of Arundel’s owner, who quickly proves to be the perfect companion for their adventures.

The icy-hearted Mrs. Tifton is not as pleased with the Penderwicks as Jeffrey is, though, and warns the new friends to stay out of trouble. Which, of course, they will—won’t they? One thing’s for sure: it will be a summer the Penderwicks will never forget.

Deliciously nostalgic and quaintly witty, this is a story as breezy and carefree as a summer day. -- Yearling

Last Sunday, our Mother Daughter Book Club met to discuss THE PENDERWICKS: A SUMMER TALE OF FOUR SISTERS, TWO RABBITS, AND A VERY INTERESTING BOY by Jeanne Birdsall. Most of the girls and their mom enjoyed the book (and some even loved it!) You can read Booking Daughter's and my thoughts here. I had a feeling that it was going to be a terrific book to discuss, and I was right. I think we talked about the book for almost an hour and a half. That's a lot longer than my adult book club discusses some books!

Our meeting was exactly what I had envisioned when I started a mother-daughter book club. The moms and girls would sit around and discuss the book.; and we would get valuable input from all of the members. It was extremely interesting to see how the girls saw certain parts of the book and then how the moms interpreted the same scenes. I think everyone can say that they gained some insight into the story after hearing the entire discussion!

We also realized that next month will be the two year anniversary of our group. We've added lots of members and lost a few, but we are still going strong. We also decided that it's high time we found a better name than Mother Daughter Book Club. So after a group-wide vote, we came up with the "Tweeny Bookworms." Isn't that just adorable? As the girls get older and enter the teens, we can slightly adjust the name to the "Teeny Bookworms."

Next month, we will be reading HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE by J.K. Rowling. It will be a re-read for me, but it's been a very long time since I've read it! I'm looking forward to reading about Harry's adventures. Booking Daughter hasn't read any of the Harry Potter books yet, but she did set as one of her reading goals for the year to read a Harry Potter book.

Summary: Harry Potter knows no spells, has never helped to hatch a dragon, and has never worn a cloak of invisibility. All he knows is a miserable life with his horrible aunt and uncle, and their abominable son, Dudley.

But all that changes when a mysterious letter arrives with an invitation to a place that Harry finds unforgettable. For it's there that he finds the great destiny that's been awaiting him…if Harry can survive the encounter. -- Scholastic