The Saturdays by Elizabeth Enright was one of the titles mentioned in the Excellent Books for Early and Eager Readers that I reviewed not too long ago and one of the first from my holds list that I picked up to read. Firstly, even though this book was written in the 1940s it's still very readable for a contemporary middle grade (or adult in my case) audience. The book follows the 4 Melendy children (Mona, Rush, Randy, and Oliver) who are described (and drawn) with loving detail by the author along with their father, Cuffy the housekeeper, and Willy Sloper the handyman. The basic premise of the book (which is the first in a 4 part series by the way) is that the four children form a club to stave off their boredom wherein they pool their weekly allowances so that every Saturday they can each afford to go on solo adventures and do something that they really want to do (but which will likely not appeal to anyone else). Their interests much like their personalities were realistic for the time period in which the book was written although they feel somewhat far-fetched in comparison to today's children (one of the kids is obsessed with opera). Each of their Saturday adventures comes complete with peril (of the lightest variety) and life lessons learned so that there are built-in morals (sometimes heavy-handed) built into the narrative. I liked it but it's probably not going to be the first book I think of to recommend...unless the kid really digs the opera in which case I am ready. 6/10

 

What I'm Currently Reading: The Umbrella Academy, Volume 1: Apocalypse Suite by Gerard Way & Gabriel Ba

My favorite Melendy book! And I loved all of them.

Borrowed Summer and Other Stories - Eliz... Moving this back to the to-read shelf as I am saving it for emergencies.

I've been listening to this gem while working in the garden, and I must say that Enright and gardens are a simply brilliant pairing. Nothing like being eyeball deep in daffodils and hearing Randy explain that flowers in the woods are white, while flowers in the fields are generally yellow. This is perhaps my fourth visit to this book, and I'm still bemused that I dismissed it so thoroughly as a kid, when all the other Enrights were read to tatters. I think it's because of the clue/mystery format (see also my failure to like [b:The Westing Game|902|The Westing Game|Ellen Raskin|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1356850909s/902.jpg|869832]). Once I was through all the Nancy Drew books, I figured I knew all there was to know about mysteries which was that they were mostly annoying, sometimes boring and every now and then way too suspenseful to read in order. So I cheated myself of this book, probably flouncing a little in a superior manner as I left it on the library shelf. It's a mercy and a gift that I got over that attitude, and now I can't read the Melendy books without including this one.

Beautifully narrated, which is such a relief. One worries, especially when old favorites are at stake. I love this book best of any of Enright's work, which is saying a lot. It's a perfectly splendid book, full of botany (gentians!), fauna (luna moth! bats!), the best children ever, the most congenial adults, and most of all, Enright's tender, lyrical, transcendent prose. Do yourself a favor- read, re-read or listen to this one right away."Used-to doesn't mean anything any more, Randy. The used-to-world is all cut away from us now; floating away in the distance like a balloon or a bubble. It isn't real any longer. Perhaps it's a good thing that it's gone. I hope so."