The Penderwicks are back home after their summer adventure, and there's always adventure with four girls and a dog. Aunt Claire comes to visit and tells her brother, the girls' father, it's time for him to start dating. Rosalind is unwilling to accept the idea and initiates the Save-Daddy Plan. Rosalind's friend Tommy is jealous of Jeffrey, from summer vacation, and she seems to be losing his friendship. Skye and Jane are having trouble with school work. They decide to switch work to suit their interests better, with terrible results. Batty and Hound are spying on the new next-door neighbor, plus the mysterious Bug Man. All of the family befriends their new neighbors, Iantha, Ben and Asimov (the cat).

Birdsall's 2nd Penderwick book is a heartwarming and emotional romp. The girls are smart, lively, and real. A force to be reckoned with, as Skye's rival at school and on the soccer field can attest.

related-sisters, family life, single-parent families, dating, Massachusetts, writing and writers/authors, theatrical performances, transition to reading
RL=5th & up