ok this is maybe an insane take, but to me, the Penderwicks series feels like someone saw one of those "when I was a kid we ate dirt and drank from the hose and had FUN and it was BETTER than these kids with their NINTENDO" Facebook memes and was like "let me make this my series' whole vibe"
further, and perhaps more insane a take, is that the whole thing is a conservative dog-whistle like, why is TV/Internet never mentioned? like, the Penderwicks seem like the kind of family not to have a TV (which is valid, don't get me wrong), and it's set in the 00s/10s, but it's never explained and it just feels weird, like Birdsall is trying to prove a point about kids' access to technology. Sure, Skye seems to know all these nerdy pop-culture references in Book 4, but we never figure out how she managed it.
It feels very conservative-homeschool-co-op-coded to avoid talking about it altogether rather than show how a modern family sets healthy boundaries around technology. idk, there are a lot of things about the characters and story of the Penderwicks that are objectively _fine_ (basically free-range kids who are very independent, managing household chores and meals, older siblings caring for younger siblings (and parentification is definitely a thing that happens), sense of social etiquette with adults (especially in the last two books), and strong sense of morality,) but also make me feel like the series was tailor-written to appeal to conservative parents looking for a piece of media that validates their reality, rather than kids.
maybe I'm just jumping at shadows, maybe it's just not that well-written and that's what's setting me off, but ????? idk ?????
