Bound To Stay Bound

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School Library Journal - 04/01/2018 Gr 4–6—Lydia, the youngest Penderwick sibling, is now 11 and takes center stage in this fifth and final entry in the National Book Award—winning series. And what a stage she has: the story is set at Arundel, the legendary estate which, for Lydia, has previously existed only in her sisters' stories. The last time the entire family was at the estate was 15 years ago; now they are gathered for Rosalind and Skye's double wedding. Lydia is eager to explore the place "where the possibilities for adventure are endless." She finds a kindred spirit in Alice Pelletier, who lives in the cottage where the Penderwicks stayed and whose father is Cagney, the object of Rosalind's preteen crush, now a history teacher and the estate's caretaker. Lydia and her siblings are less pleased to see another Arundel native: Mrs. Tifton, who remains a rigid and humorless foil for the Penderwicks' exuberance. The wedding serves as a seamless device to bring back more characters from previous books who arrive at the ceremony with pleasant surprises. Birdsall's writing, effervescent as ever, turns routine moments into delightful vignettes: Lydia finds an abandoned chair leg under a couch, "stoically waiting for the rest of its chair to come back." While Birdsall provides enough backstory for this entry to stand on its own, she rewards fans of the series with a meeting that brings the saga full circle and a closing image reassuring readers that the Penderwicks, like imagination and adventure, will live forever. VERDICT A richly satisfying curtain call for a beloved series.—Marybeth Kozikowski, Sachem Public Library, Holbrook, NY - Copyright 2018 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 05/01/2018 *Starred Review* Our 2005 review of The Penderwicks (which went on to win the National Book Award) ended with the words, “it would be nice to see more of the Penderwicks.” Now, in this fifth volume, we see the last of them. Lydia, who wasn’t born when the first book began, takes center stage. Her oldest half-sister is getting married at the Arundel estate, where the series began. As in previous volumes, events occur—the wedding being most important and reading to new friend Alice’s sheep possibly the least—but it is the warm familial interplay and the bright uniqueness of the characters that continues to make these books stand out. In the case of Lydia, born to dance, the focus is on her ability to maintain her sense of self amid the many strong, delightful characters surrounding her. Fans of previous books will also be excited to learn the fates of Rosalind, Skye, Jane, and Batty—especially Batty—whose tangled romances might point the way to a forever love. Beautifully crafted, both in descriptions and characterizations, this makes for a fitting end to a much-praised series. One note: Lydia is only 11, and Alice is a real hoot. So it’s not difficult to imagine a spin-off. Hint, hint. - Copyright 2018 Booklist.

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