A few months ago I made a big reading confession. I had stopped reading aloud to Caroline because we struggled to find read aloud books that both girls liked.

And then we were finally saved by The Penderwicks, the most amazing middle grade series I have read in a long, long time.

The other night, I was reminded again of why it is so lovely to find time to read as a family. The Penderwicks, a family of girls, Rosalind, Skye, Jane and Batty, have become real to us. We talk about them as if they live down the street instead of between the pages of books. We use their problems as a way to talk through our own. We laugh at their jokes and wonder if our vacation to Maine will be like theirs.

I guess then it makes sense that their joys would become ours. I won’t spoil it for any of you who haven’t read the series yet but there is a big reveal in the third book. I must admit to reading ahead because I just couldn’t stand the suspense. And Caroline saw the surprise coming long before Katherine did but she kept the secret. Therefore, when Katherine understood what was happening, she was free to jump up and down, scream and hug us both in complete joy. It was absolutely as if this wonderful thing had happened to a ‘real’ person.

And in some ways I guess it had.