The Penderwicks on Gardam Street

Consistent with the family stories tradition in children’s literature, The Penderwicks series concludes its narratives with moral lessons. This sequel gives particular attention to the virtues of honesty and loyalty. From Jane’s play, Sisters and Sacrifice, to Rosalind’s Save-Daddy Plan, Birdsall fills the novel with moments to help teach her young readers the importance of telling the truth and showing loyalty to their loved ones. 

The novel’s central plot—Martin’s attempts at dating and the girls’ attempts to sabotage him—lays the groundwork for Birdsall’s thematic examination of honesty. The girls breach the family’s code of honor by going behind Martin’s back to implement the Save-Daddy Plan—a choice that causes them immense guilt. Jane laments that they are “caught in a web of lies and deceit” when they arrange his date with Lara (84). At the same time, Martin’s fear of reentering the dating pool and his shame about contradicting his late wife’s wishes lead him down his own path of deception. The more he lies about “the mysterious Marianne” (190), the more strained his relationships with his daughters, especially Rosalind, become.

Birdsall uses the Sisters and Sacrifice sublot to demonstrate the sisters’ loyalty to each other and teach them the virtues of honesty. The middle sisters have completed each other’s homework before, but this time the effects of their deception spiral far beyond their expectations when Skye’s teacher decides to stage the play Jane wrote and casts Skye as the lead. Like the other members of the Penderwick family, Skye and Jane have a strong sense of ethics. The escalating deception needed to maintain their original lie troubles their consciences, as Skye notes when she sees herself listed as the author on the play’s programs: “Deceit multiplied by the number of people who read this program. How much deceit does that make altogether? My honor will be lower than nothing” (236). Skye’s distress at their breach of ethics intensifies to the point when she faints in the bathroom prior to the performance. 

Throughout the ordeal, the sisters remain staunchly loyal to each other—Jane tirelessly helps Skye rehearse for the performance, and she refuses to let her sister shoulder all the blame when Skye offers to “say [she] stole the play from a book” (251). The girls’ decision to tell their family and teachers the truth evidences their moral character. The girls resolve to make things right by completing their original assignments themselves. Their honesty inspires similar transparency and vulnerability in Rosalind, who confesses her attempts to sabotage their father’s dates, and Martin, who reveals his fabricated relationship with a fictional literary heroine. The family members’ many confessions act as the novel’s emotional climax, reinforcing the story’s moral lesson.

Martin’s confession in Chapter 19 allows Birdsall to demonstrate that adults also make mistakes and that the important thing is taking responsibility for one’s actions. Martin’s honesty heals the distance that developed between him and his daughters over the course of the story and mends the family’s bruised trust by affirming their absolute loyalty to one another: “I solemnly swear on the Penderwick Family Honor—sullied, but not irreparably—that I’ll never choose a woman you girls don’t like and approve of” (262). Martin’s confession also facilitates the novel’s happy ending, motivating his daughters to encourage his budding feelings for Iantha. By showing how important honesty is to the loving and loyal Penderwicks, Birdsall encourages her young audience to remain true to their values.