Customer Reviews

Pegeen (Bantry Bay)

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Pegeen is the third and final volume in Hilda van Stockum's delightful Bantry Bay series. Without a hint of pedantry or preachiness, all three books teach children virtues such as courage, self-sacrifice, and honesty. The whimsical and charming young heroine of the present volume gets into a few tight scrapes, learns to accept the blame for her own wrongdoings, and is rewarded in the end. I've read all three books to my three year old; he can listen to them for hours on end. They are quite appropriate for accomplished young readers ages ten to twelve. Pegeen can be read without any knowledge of the preceding volumes, but do your children (and yourself) a favor - buy all three; you will not be disappointed.

Pegeen is a half-wild little girl who was raised by an elderly grandmother. She loves the outdoors and living things, but has had no schooling and very little interaction with other people. When her grandmother dies, there is much consternation about where she will live. The parish priest learns of a relation in America, but arranges for Pegeen to live with the O'Sullivan family (first introduced in *The Cottage at Bantry Bay*) until arrangements can be made.

Here, Pegeen is all the trouble one might imagine for a little girl grieving over the loss of her beloved grandmother and adjusting to an entirely different life. Poor Mother O'Sullivan is nearly beside herself trying to deal with all the chaos.

Can't really tell you more lest I spoil the beautiful plot, but I'll just say that this is one of the most touching, heartwarming books I've ever read. It is sure to become a favorite of your children and you too.

Hilda Van Stockum was one of my favorite authors in elementary and middle school. My first book by this outstanding author was "The Winged Watchman," which was a historical look at a Dutch family during WWII. It was a lovely story replete with Dutch customs. "Pegeen" and the entire "Bantry Bay" series will not disappoint, either. The characters are lively, heart warming and full of fun and vigor. I am lucky in that I have several Hilda Van Stockum books as my library was having a sale some years ago. I have never read a bad Hilda Van Stockum -- there is no such thing. She is a keeper.

The Bantry Bay series by Hilda van Stockum wraps up with Pegeen, the story of an orphan girl who is taken in temporarily by the O'Sullivan family while awaiting word from her uncle in the United States. Full of spunk and mischief, Pegeen was introduced in the previous book in the series, Francie on the Run, when she met Francie O'Sullivan while chasing her run-away pig. In this book, her character is developed more fully. She is not an all together good girl at first. She has a tendency to cover her faults with outlandish fibs and to atone for her miscues by making them a thousand times worse. That said, she is presented as having a heart of gold and soon learns from her mistakes thanks to the kind guidance and understanding of the O'Sullivans.

My children absolutely loved this book--perhaps better than the first two books in the series, which is saying something. Several of Pegeen's misadventures had them laughing hysterically, particularly the incident with Patricia, the elder O'Sullivan girl's prized doll. The charming line art illustrations by the author were a great enhancement to the text and particularly helped bring to life the more humorous episodes. The book has a lovely though completely expected ending.

Having read all three books in the Bantry Bay series now, I can heartily recommend it. Van Stockum's books are especially well-suited for kids 7 through 10. My younger ones also enjoyed the series, and lurked around whenever we read out-loud. The writing flows well and is not overly simplified which made the series enjoyable reading for dad, too. A charming window into life in 1930s Ireland, the series is educational as well as entertaining. We will be moving on to Van Stockum's Mitchell series next, the first one of which is The Mitchells: Five for Victory.