The Melendy Family Quartet

by Jennifer Krieger
(Los Angeles, CA)

The Melendy Family is actually a combination of four books by Elizabeth Enright about a family of four children in the 1940s. Although they mention influences on the children, the war, etc., these stories are about the kids themselves, what they do, think, react to. They are utterly normal and lead lives any child would envy. I read it over and over as a child and recommend it without reservation.

What publisher MacMillan has to say:

This classic series, written over half a century ago, follows the myriad adventures of an American family as they move from a Manhattan brownstone to the wonderful, ramshackle “Four-Story-Mistake” in the countryside. Mona, Rush, Randy and Oliver, who perform plays, uncover mysteries, and raise money (for war bonds), are children of a particular historical moment—but as characters, they are truly timeless.

Four books in The Meldendy Quartet:

- The Saturdays
- The Four Story Mistake
- Then There Were Five
- Spiderweb for Two