Quotes from The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy

“And I don't know if Batty's gotten over it yet,' said Skye.

Mr. Penderwick looked out the window to where Batty was playing vampires with Hound. Hound was on his back, trying to wiggle out of the black towel Batty had tied around his neck. Batty was leaping over Hound's water bowl, shrieking, 'Blood, blood!'

'She looks all right,' he said.”
― Jeanne Birdsall, quote from The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy

“People sometimes make unexpected choices when they're lonely”
― Jeanne Birdsall, quote from The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy

“Donit kill her now, just when we've gone to all that trouble to rescue her," said Jeffrey.”
― Jeanne Birdsall, quote from The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy

“The cuter the boy, the mushier your brain.”
― Jeanne Birdsall, quote from The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy

“Am I odd?Is there something wrong with me,like Mrs.Tifton Said?"

Skye knelt down on the wet grass and looked straight into Batty's eyes. "No you stupid idiot,there's nothing wrong. with you.”
― Jeanne Birdsall, quote from The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy

“Parents almost always want what's best for their children. They just don't always know what that is.”
― Jeanne Birdsall, quote from The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy

“This is what made a book great, she thought, that you could read it over and over and never get tired of it.”
― Jeanne Birdsall, quote from The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy

“It was all a cottage is supposed to be, small and snug, with a front porch, pink climbing roses, and lots of trees for shade.”
― Jeanne Birdsall, quote from The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy

“quidquid agas prudenter agas et respice finem...Skye was used to hearing this phrase, which Mr. Penderwick translated loosely as look before you leap and please don't do anything crazy.”
― Jeanne Birdsall, quote from The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy

“You have a rare and marvelous gift with words.”
― Jeanne Birdsall, quote from The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy

“It's not right to shoot someone because they're not intelligent.”
― Jeanne Birdsall, quote from The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy

“If there could be anything worse than having a parent die, it would be having a parent who never bothered to meet you.”
― Jeanne Birdsall, quote from The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy

“Skye's always saying exactly the wrong thing to people-it wasn't just special for you.”
― Jeanne Birdsall, quote from The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy

“The moonlight had turned the gardens into a fairyland, magnificent and mysterious.”
― Jeanne Birdsall, quote from The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy

“Her father had been forced to cancel her clarinet lessons after the neighbors complained about the practicing.”
― Jeanne Birdsall, quote from The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy

“Maybe I can drown him in the lily pond.”
― Jeanne Birdsall, quote from The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy

“And depression settled over the kitchen like a wet fog.”
― Jeanne Birdsall, quote from The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy

“She didn't like being stuck indoors because of a bully.”
― Jeanne Birdsall, quote from The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy

“Why does everybody think I argue? I never argue." Skye hesitated. "Or at least, I'm not going to argue as much anymore."
"That would be a miracle."
Skye chose to pretend she hadn't heard.”
― Jeanne Birdsall, quote from The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy

“I do have an important question, but I can ask it from out here. Are you dry?
Of course I'm dry. Why do you ask that?
So many daughters have come home wet lately.”
― Jeanne Birdsall, quote from The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy

“He was the least scary adult present, besides being English and therefore fascinating.”
― Jeanne Birdsall, quote from The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy

“She had to defend the people she loved the best.”
― Jeanne Birdsall, quote from The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy

“No, you stupid idiot, there's nothing wrong with you. You're perfect.”
― Jeanne Birdsall, quote from The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy

“Will each of my daughters be delivered to me, one at a time, as from the briny deep?”
― Jeanne Birdsall, quote from The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy

“A whole extra bed without a sister to go along with it!”
― Jeanne Birdsall, quote from The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy

“Jane circled the mansion, passing door after door, all too la-di-da for comfort.”
― Jeanne Birdsall, quote from The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy

“It seemed that the closer the girls got to Mrs. Tifton, the louder Skye squished, like a monster jellyfish with feet.”
― Jeanne Birdsall, quote from The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy

“All was at peace while Batty picked flowers and hummed a song about kangaroos.”
― Jeanne Birdsall, quote from The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy

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About BookQuoters

BookQuoters is a community of passionate readers who enjoy sharing the most meaningful, memorable and interesting quotes from great books. As the world communicates more and more via texts, memes and sound bytes, short but profound quotes from books have become more relevant and important. For some of us a quote becomes a mantra, a goal or a philosophy by which we live. For all of us, quotes are a great way to remember a book and to carry with us the author’s best ideas.

We thoughtfully gather quotes from our favorite books, both classic and current, and choose the ones that are most thought-provoking. Each quote represents a book that is interesting, well written and has potential to enhance the reader’s life. We also accept submissions from our visitors and will select the quotes we feel are most appealing to the BookQuoters community.

Founded in 2023, BookQuoters has quickly become a large and vibrant community of people who share an affinity for books. Books are seen by some as a throwback to a previous world; conversely, gleaning the main ideas of a book via a quote or a quick summary is typical of the Information Age but is a habit disdained by some diehard readers. We feel that we have the best of both worlds at BookQuoters; we read books cover-to-cover but offer you some of the highlights. We hope you’ll join us.