What's the Name of That Book??? discussion
This topic is about
The Saturdays
SOLVED: Children's/YA
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SOLVED. Classic children's book about siblings. they would partake in wholesome activities, the eldest girl would tie her hair up in a kerchief and can fruit/veg. She made ice cream in the snow for the younger ones. No mother. [s]
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You said it felt like it took place in the mid 20th century. Do you think it was published then?
The Saturdays by Elizabeth Enright? It's part of a 5 book series and it has several elements you mentioned above scattered throughout the books.
The Saturdays is the first book of The Melendy Quartet. The other books are The Four Story Mistake, And Then There were Five, and A Spiderweb for Two.The kids are Mona, Rush, Randy and Oliver. They later adopt Mark, a boy who was neglected by his stepfather. The books are set in the 40s; the children's mother is dead and their father works for the government. The points you're remembering sound more like The Four Story Mistake.
You're right, it's definitely "The Four-Story Mistake" -- I just checked my copy and found the snow-ice-cream scene. The canning happens in the third book, "Then There Were Five", when their housekeeper Cuffy is away and Mona and Randy do it themselves. Mona wants to be an actress, Rush is the family musician, , Randy is good at dancing, and Oliver is interested in planes and (later) moths.
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Googlebooks reveals, "In The Saturdays, by Enright, the reader shares the wonderful day Rush Melendy spent at the opera. He learns what to expect and how people behave at the opera."
-the book (possibly series) is about a group of siblings. I don't think there were more than 4. The eldest was a girl, then a boy, then another boy, and maybe the last one was a girl?
- they didn't have a mother, and I don't think their father was around much either.
-there were always a lot of people around in the story. Neighbors and such.
- they would partake in wholesome activities, the eldest girl would tie her hair up in a kerchief and can fruit/veg. She made ice cream in the snow for the younger ones. Etc.
- one of the boys, the younger one I believe, was v into Opera. I remember this being a big deal.
-I'm pretty sure each child had their own interests-the one had opera, and I honestly don't remember much else.
-though I can't remember the exact year the book takes place, it definitely had a early-mid 20th century vibe. Hence the canning, the opera, the playing outside, etc.
Thanks!