As a child, Birdsall loved stories about families. She particularly enjoyed books in a series because she loved becoming immersed in a cast of characters and knowing that she could stay with the same characters across multiple books. When she began working on her first novel, she knew two things: One, she’d write a series of books, and two, the series would be a heartfelt tribute to all the stories she loved as a child. Birdsall didn’t have an easy childhood or a good relationship with her siblings, and when life became difficult, books provided adventures into which she could escape. As she began composing her novel, she wanted to capture the same sense of innocent adventure she remembered from the classic works of children’s literature she loved. Consequently, The Penderwicks series contains references to several of Birdsall’s favorite books, including Edward Eager’s Half Magic, Magic by the Lake, and Knight’s Castle; E. Nesbit’s The Railway Children; and Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women (Garner, Hank. “Episode 390. Jeanne Birdsall: The Penderwicks at Last.” Youtube, 4 Jun. 2018). In addition, this first novel in the series references or alludes to other children’s novels—including C.