The sisters, their father, and Hound, the Penderwicks' dog, travel to Arundel Cottage in Massachusetts for a summer vacation.

Skye, Jane, and Jeffrey save Batty from the bull, and swear not to tell Mr. Penderwick or Rosalind about the incident.

Later, the sisters and Jeffery discover that Mrs. Tifton and Dexter plan to get married and send Jeffrey to Pencey, a military academy.

After the party, Skye, Jane, and Jeffrey spend their days playing soccer and practicing archery, while Rosalind and Batty visit Cagney's apartment to feed his pet rabbits.

Mrs. Tifton listens to Jeffery and agrees to let him take piano lessons at the Boston Music Conservatory instead.

Skye is a tomboy with a quick temper like Jo, and is considered the most intelligent sister because she excels at math.

Jane is a writer and enjoys writing fictional stories for her family to read, which is also similar to Jo.

She is imaginative and describes the world around her as if she is the main character from her books, Sabrina Starr, which is something that her sisters do not always understand.

She shares a special bond with Hound, the Penderwick's dog, who often sleeps in Batty's room and plays with her.

[2] The judges compared the novel to Louisa May Alcott's Little Women and E. Nesbit's The Story of the Treasure Seekers.

In 2012, it was ranked number 29 on a list of the top 100 children's novels published by School Library Journal.