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The Saturdays (Melendy Quartet) [Paperback]

Elizabeth Enright
4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (49 customer reviews)

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Book Description

January 22, 2008 8 and up Melendy Quartet (Book 1)820L (What's this?)
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.

Frequently Bought Together

The Saturdays (Melendy Quartet) + The Four-Story Mistake (Melendy Quartet) + Then There Were Five (Melendy Quartet)
Price for all three: $21.57

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Welcome Back! Old favorites are being reissued in force this fall. Elizabeth Enright's Melendy Quartet follows siblings Mona, Rush, Miranda (Randy, for short) and Oliver. First published in 1941, The Saturdays kicks off the series and centers on the foursome's Independent Saturday Afternoon Adventure Club (I.S.A.A.C.), an allowance-endowed venture formed so one lucky Melendy can enjoy a solo sojourn each week. In The Four-Story Mistake (1942) the family moves from their city brownstone to the country; Then There Were Five (1944) describes what happens when the siblings befriend an orphan; and in Spiderweb forTwo: A Melendy Maze (1951), when everyone else leaves for school, Randy and Oliver are left to solve a mystery. The author's charming pen-and-inks punctuate all four volumes. (Sept.)
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

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

Product Details

  • Age Range: 8 and up
  • Paperback: 192 pages
  • Publisher: Square Fish; Reissue edition (January 22, 2008)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0312375980
  • ISBN-13: 978-0312375980
  • Product Dimensions: 5.3 x 0.5 x 7.6 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (49 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #15,584 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
(49)
4.8 out of 5 stars
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
46 of 46 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A Classic! October 8, 2002
Format:Hardcover
"The Saturdays" has been among my favorite juveniles since I discovered it in the library 40 years ago. I'm now in my 50's and can't count how many times I've gone back and reread it. What a treat to see that, at last, some astute editor has had the savvy to bring it back into print so modern audiences can enjoy it--and in a durable hardcover at that. This is a perfect read-aloud for families, in part perhaps because of the age-spread of the four children: preschoolers will envy six-year-old Oliver his lone excursion to the circus, young teens will identify with 13-year-old Mona's stirrings of adolescent rebellion as exemplified by her decision to have her "long butter-colored braids" cut off, and middlers will like 10-year-old Randy's creation of the Independent Saturday Afternoon Adventure Club and the unique situations that befall her (like befriending the formidable and exotic Mrs. Oliphant or tumbling out of a rowboat on Central Park Lake). Each child is a real human being and an individual character whom Enright draws to perfection. And the setting (New York in, probably, early 1940 or '41) will intrigue the younger generations and bring a glow of nostalgia to the older ones. This book should be in every household library in the land!
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32 of 33 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Explaining Dumb Crambo July 23, 2000
Format:Paperback
My original review was written 14 July 1998. This is an addition for readers (and potential readers) who are (or would be) as puzzled as I once was when the book said the Melendy children played a noisy game of "Dumb Crambo". Over 20 years after I first read THE SATURDAYS, I was lucky enough to get a copy of VICTORIAN PARLOUR GAMES by Patrick Beaver that includes it.

To paraphrase, in Dumb Crambo, the players are split evenly into two teams. One team leaves the room while the remaining team chooses a verb. When the first team comes back in, the second team tells them another verb that rhymes with the first verb. The first team must guess the secret verb by acting it out. For example [not the one given], if the secret verb is "fly", the first team might be told "try". If they guess it's "spy", they act out someone spying on someone else. If they're wrong, the second team hisses them. The first team keeps trying until they act out the right verb.

It's called "dumb crambo" because it's a variation of a game called "crambo." In the original, only one person leaves the room and any kind of word may be chosen. The guesser is still told a word that rhymes with the secret word. The trick is that you have to ask questions that might get you the secret word WITHOUT naming the word you're guessing. For instance, if you think the secret word is "bus", you might ask "Is it a big ground vehicle that carries a lot of passengers?"

I think it shows something of the personalities and intelligence of the Melendy children that they would enjoy Dumb Crambo.

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26 of 26 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Thoroughly enjoyable family fun July 14, 1999
By A Customer
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
My daughter, age 9 and I both read The Saturdays over the past few months along with Four-Story Mistake. We loved this family and found each character fun. I loved their adventures and wish I had read these books as a child. I recommend this book to anyone who values their child's mind and wants to protect them from the abundance of nonsense in some children's literature.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect for a rainy afternoon
What would you do if you had a Saturday afternoon to yourself and enough money to spend on one entertainment? The Melendy kids know the best ways to have fun! Great read.
Published 1 month ago by Deborah Lim
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
Great chapter book to have. Love the way the kids, in the book think, very imaginative. Treasured part of our library.
Published 5 months ago by Jennifer M. Brock
5.0 out of 5 stars The Saturdays
Was a gift for a young reader. Fair price with prompt service. Child enjoyed the book and wants more from same author. Very satisfied,and will most likely be purchasing more soon.
Published 12 months ago by L.Lechler
5.0 out of 5 stars A Mom's review: Exceptionally Good
The stories contained in each chapter of this book show children as they are, as they try to be, as they succeed, and as they fail. It's not only a fun read, but very worthwhile. Read more
Published 15 months ago by M. Heiss
5.0 out of 5 stars Happy Memories on Skype!
I just read this to my grandson, eight-years-old-almost-nine, on Skype. He loved it and couldn't believe it when we reached the last page. Read more
Published 18 months ago by Susan G. Beck
5.0 out of 5 stars Get This Book!
The Saturdays is about the Melendys and the kids make a little club. When the club finally stops they all have great adventures. Read more
Published 18 months ago by Andrew Schulkind
5.0 out of 5 stars The Saturdays
The Saturdays is a lovely read about the four Melendy siblings, their father, and their housekeeper, Cuffy. Read more
Published 19 months ago by KaceyReviews
4.0 out of 5 stars Circuses and sub-deb haircuts - the Saturday Club
The Saturdays is the first book in the Melendy series by Elizabeth Enright. This series of books concerns the Melendy children in NYC and the Independent Saturday Afternoon... Read more
Published 20 months ago by E. Reeher
5.0 out of 5 stars Kids exploring post-WWII Manhattan!
I loved this book as a child, and gave it to my first grade daughter to read over our week-long vacation. Read more
Published 20 months ago by MCG
5.0 out of 5 stars what a thrill
to find my FAVORITE book series from when I was a child! Back then, in 1969, all the books were included in one large volume. I felt so grown up reading such a big book! Read more
Published 23 months ago by sylvan
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