The book Penny Dreadful is about a girl named Penelope Grey, she comes from a wealthy family that lives in a mansion, has a tutor, and many other pleasures. While Penelope enjoys her life she often longs for something unexpected to happen, much like the things that occur in the books she reads. One day she decides to make a wish that something exciting will happen. Little did she know that the wish she made would give her more than she bargained for. About a week later, Penelope's father, Dirk, came home from his work and exclaimed some very shocking news: he had quit his job so he could write a book! Over next few weeks the Grey family started to lose money. The house turned into a pit of despair, the house employees started leaving, the lights were left off, the laundry wasn't done and Delia, Penelope's mother spent hours up in her room crying. Then a telegram came announcing that Delia Grey had inherited a house far away from the city. So the Grey's decided to rent out the mansion they owned and move to the country. They arrive to find the house, named the Whippoorwillows, is divided into apartments, and they will only have one apartment to live in. Penelope meets many kids her age and changes her name to Penny. She likes her new life as a country girl and has lots of fun. Then she hears her parents discussing the lack of money. If they can't find enough money they will lose the house and have to move back to the city. Can Penelope find the hidden treasure and save the Whippoorwillows, or will her family and the others find themselves without houses?
I found this book very interesting, because I could relate to Penny and her desire for something new and adventurous to happen. The characters in this book were very interesting and very well described. I also enjoyed the fact that the author used a lot of dialogue, since it helped me visualize the story more accurately. I would recommend this books to readers between 8-10 years old. The book as a whole was very good but I liked the ending better than the beginning because the beginning seemed to talk about the same things for a long time and continued to mention them to frequently.
Reviewer Age:11
Reviewer City, State and Country: Boothwyn, PA USA
