#1: The Saturdays

Name: #1: The Saturdays
Price: 6.85 USD
Availability: BackOrder
ISBN: 9780312375980

By: Elizabeth Enright

Product Description

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The first novel in Elizabeth Enright's classic children's series The Melendy Quartet, The Saturdays is the work that kicks off the adventures of siblings Mona (13), Rush (12), Randy (10-and-a-half), and Oliver (6).

Each sibling gets only $0.50 a week allowance--hardly enough for anything. But on a rainy day, Randy comes up with the idea that they'll pool their allowances, each taking a Saturday to experience the expensive things they want to do.

And so begins a summer of adventures: Randy goes to visit an art museum, Rush goes to hear Siegfried at the opera house, Mona (who wants to be a stage actress and is always quoting Shakespeare) visits a salon, Oliver has his own adventure just wanting to be independent like his older siblings, and all of them have numerous adventures and return with stories to tell and lessons learned along the way.

Written over half a century ago, The Saturdays is simultaneously a winning portrait of the mid-20th century, as well as a timeless tale of childhood fun. 177 pages, softcover.

Product Information

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Title: #1: The Saturdays
By: Elizabeth Enright
Format: Paperback
Number of Pages: 192
Vendor: Square Fish
Dimensions: 7.63 X 5.19 (inches)
Weight: 5 ounces

ISBN: 0312375980
ISBN-13: 9780312375980
UPC: 9780312375980
Ages: 8-12
Series: Melendy Quartet
Stock No: WW375980

Publisher's Description

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Meet the Melendys! The four Melendy children live with their father and Cuffy, their beloved housekeeper, in a worn but comfortable brownstone in New York City. There's thirteen-year-old Mona, who has decided to become an actress; twelve-year-old mischievous Rush; ten-and-a-half-year-old Randy, who loves to dance and paint; and thoughtful Oliver, who is just six.

Tired of wasting Saturdays doing nothing but wishing for larger allowances, the four Melendys jump at Randy's idea to start the Independent Saturday Afternoon Adventure Club (I.S.A.A.C.). If they pool their resources and take turns spending the whole amount, they can each have at least one memorable Saturday afternoon of their own. Before long, I.S.A.A.C. is in operation and every Saturday is definitely one to remember.

Written more than half a century ago, The Saturdays unfolds with all the ripe details of a specific place and period but remains, just the same, a winning, timeless tale. The Saturdays is the first installment of Enright's Melendy Quartet, an engaging and warm series about the close-knit Melendy family and their surprising adventures.

Author Bio

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Elizabeth Enright (1909-1968) was born in Oak Park, Illinois, but spent most of her life in or near New York City. Her mother was a magazine illustrator, while her father was a political cartoonist. Illustration was Enright's original career choice and she studied art in Greenwich, Connecticut; Paris, France; and the Parson's School of Design in New York City. After creating her first book in 1937, she developed a taste, and quickly demonstrated a talent, for writing.

Throughout her life, she won many awards, including the 1939 John Newbery Medal for Thimble Summer and a 1958 Newbery Honor for Gone-Away Lake. Among her other beloved titles are her books about the Melendy family, starting with The Saturdays, published in 1941. Enright also wrote short stories for adults, and her work was published in The New Yorker, The Ladies Home Journal, Cosmopolitan, The Yale Review, Harper's, and The Saturday Evening Post. She taught creative writing at Barnard College. Translated into many languages throughout the world, Elizabeth Enright's stories are for both the young and the young at heart.

Editorial Reviews

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Enright has a quick eye for the unexpected, the amusing and the beautiful in what might be just ordinary experiences.
The Melendys are the quintessential storybook family...[their] ardent approach to living is eternally relevant.