The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall

The Penderwicks is a great book!  It's officially on my (revised) favorite list!

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When the Penderwicks rent out Arundel Cottage instead of their usual summer house, they have no idea of the adventure their in for.  The trip to Arundel starts off by getting lost on the road because the dog ate the map.  And when they get directions from Harry the Tomato Guy, their first impression of the place is , "Are we lost again?  Because this is a mansion, not a cottage."  After speaking with the gardener and cleaning up the dog's barf, the five Penderwicks pull around the back of the mansion to the real cottage.  Rosalind at age 12 is the oldest Penderwick child and has curly brown hair and brown eyes, like her sisters Jane and Batty.  Blue eyes, blue Skye, is how you remember the second eldest Penderwick, Skye, who unlike her sisters is always getting into trouble.  Skye also has blue eyes and blond hair that differs from the other Penderwicks, except for the mother, who died of cancer after Batty was born.  Jane is an author, writing about a heroine named Sabrina Starr, based after herself.  Sabrina Starr rescues all sorts of things, from crickets to a groundhog!  But how can Sabrina Starr rescue the newest victim of crime?  A human boy!  Batty is the youngest Penderwick, and she's very shy.  When she becomes acquainted with the gardener at the mansion, she meets his bunnies, and accidentally lets one out.  What can Batty do?  She's only 4 years old and has no way of finding a little bunny in the mansion grounds!  Jeffrey is not a Penderwick, but the son of the lady renting out the cottage.  Skye and Jeffrey meet in a sticky spot, (as is usual for Skye), but quickly resolve the problem.  Jeffrey also saves Batty's life... twice!  But can the Penderwick girls help Jeffrey solve his problem before he leaves to military school?