A companion to The Penderwicks

Batty and the magic of "Emily of New Moon"

What I mean with Birdsall's literature references is that Birdsall does not copy. She rewrites and alludes. For example Anna's coach Laurie Jones..That's.Laurie + Jo...a sly reference (almost a funny one because Laurie is here female). Teddy Robinette (from book 1) is a reference to Jo's twins Teddy and Robby.

Another book that did inspire the Penderwicks is the Emily of New Moon series by Lucy Maud Montgomery and I claim it is as important as Little Women - it's even a key to understand Batty and Jeffrey!

In the Penderwicks on Gardam Street, Jane reads Emily of New Moon, and some pages later, she meets her friend Emily.
Emily Starr (--> Sabrina Starr!) is an aspiring, young writer with elvish look (Anna, Lydia, Alice). She has imaginary friends (like Jane) and loves rainbows (Rainbow). After some funny love incident, Emily cuts her hair and swears never to marry, like Jane at Point Mouette. Emily has purple eyes and this color follows the Penderwicks (Iantha, Lydia's love for this color: purple flower, lilac tutu), she has Bellatrix as favorite star --> Jane is called Bellatrix (female warrior) by Mr Penderwick  after the fight with Melissa.

Her friends are the blond tomboy Ilse, the young working boy Perry and the artist Teddy.
Teddy has a overprotective Mom, Mrs. Kent, who raised him alone, after her husband died after a quarrel with her. She is very jealous of every young girl.
Emily hides under a table, is rescued from a bull, like Batty, and most of all, she is saved from life danger on street by Dean Priest.
Dean is three times older than Emily, has brown hair and green eyes, and a musical voice. And he claims that he possesses now Emily's soul and she'll have to marry him later. Emily doesn't like the idea, but Birdsall apparently because Batty likes it. Anyway, they stay friends and Emily trusts him her sorrows. He "discovers" her talent, and calls her "morning star" (Okay, Like Dusek Skye!). Since they're talking about radiant stars in the sky, I understand why we have a Skye with passion for stars, who will be radiant in the ending.
Emily has a fever dream which solves the mysterious death of Ilse's mother. (Batty and Skye in spring).
Alec and Turron, they could be also inspired by the series...Dean has a dog called Tweet, but this is a completely different question. Apparently, Birdsall prefers literature characters with dogs!
I'll jump now to a comparison of Emily's Quest (book 3) and the Penderwicks at last.
(First, we see a moon on the cover).
Emily thinks because of a misunderstanding that Teddy is in love with Ilse. Teddy left on a ship called Flavian (Flashvan?). She keeps writing and Dean says that the book would be bad, and only cobwebs (think of Arundel in book 5!) and that's why she burns it (Dexter, book 1. Actually, the bad things are all put onto bad characters, like the physical disability onto Teddy). She gets hurt as a result and Dean cares for her, and she decides to marry him.
His relatives think that Emily would only marry him because of his money (Mrs. Tifton). But he buys for her her beloved Disappointed House. They go for ghost hunting, he shows her pictures of his past relatives and a Rembrandt painting ("I though of Rembrandt"...Jane's statement in the ending of The Penderwicks at last).
Meanwhile, Mrs. Kent threatens Emily and Emily says that she wouldn't be able to love Teddy because he loves Ilse (Mrs. Tifton and Jane). She describes Teddy as someone who likes to be adored (Wesley!) and is allowed to be selfish as artist (what Jane says). Mrs. Kent tells her that she burnt Teddy's love letter.
So Emily decides not to marry Dean. He says a sad goodbye at last (remember goodbye for now by Jeffrey in book 1!). And Emily forgives him. (Batty forgives Jeffrey in book 4)
Then Ilse returns, suddenly changed and relaxed, wearing an extraordinary costume, which she describes as her "gorgeousness" (Skye's return!!).
But then she decides to marry in the last minute Perry and throws down her wedding veil. Birdsall used somehow the last minute double wedding and that they don't want to wear veils. Anyway, Teddy leaves.
Well, Emily has a lot of ex-boyfriends, gets presents (like Batty and Jane), thinks that she would become an old maiden (like Jane), but then Teddy returns to her at last, and Dean gives her the house. By the way, Teddy whistles Emily's name then. This reminds me strongly of A-A-lice and Ly-di-a (like the Emily whistle! I think Birdsall is even mentioning the three syllables in comparison with "Philippa").