Dear Readers of Aunt Louise,
Madame L wants to share with you this passage from "The Penderwicks on Gardam Street" to show you the skill and brilliance of Ms. Birdsall's writing. You know how hard it is to convey in a few words, a few READABLE words, the feelings and behaviors of young teens? Here's how the master does it. In this passage, Rosalind is going to the neighbor's house to pick up a white toy duck for the little boy she's babysitting, when the neighbor's cat, Asimov, streaks out the front door, which worries Rosalind.
"...but a moment later she'd forgotten about Asimov, because all of her attention was being used up on pretending she didn't notice the Geiger brothers drivng up Gardam Street and pulling into their driveway. She pretended so well not to notice that she would have sworn it never happened, but all the pretending fell apart when Tommy ran across the street and stood in front of her. And looked at her, even.
"She looked back at him.
"Then he even talked to her.
"'I want to tell you something. You don't have to listen, but I'm going to tell you anyway.' He had a footbal with him, which he was anxiously tossing from one hand to the other---back and forth, and back and forth, and back and forth, until Rosalind tok it away from him.
"'I can't listen while you do that.' She tucked the football under her arm. 'Now what?'
"'What?'
"'Tommy!'
"'Oh, sorry.' He gulped a few times, then calmed himself by fixing his gaze on the football. 'Trilby and I broke up today. That is, I broke up with her, because --- never mind why.'
"'Why?'
"'I said never mind why.'
"'Fine. I don't care anyway.'
"'Because she was boring. Unfortunately, I couldn't tell her that, so she may have gotten the idea that I broke up with her because of you, even though I definitely told her that you're just my neighbor, and even though you're prettier now than you used to be, I hardly ever notice and---'
"Rosalind interrupted him. 'You think I'm pretty?'
"'I guess so. I mean, Nick says so. Actually, a lot of guys say so, and don't ask me what guys.'
"'All right. Good grief.'
"'So that's all I wanted to tell you. I'll leave now.'...
"[Finally Rosalind says,] 'I'm glad you broke up with her. I mean, not because I missed you or anything.'"
"'You didn't miss me.' It wasn't a question.
"'Gosh, no. Maybe a tiny bit, but no, probably not.'
"'Of course, I didn't expect you to miss me.'
"'No, of course you didn't'...I'm sorry, but I'd better go. I have to get a duck.'"