The Saturdays

May 10, 2004
Dillman's assured reading tone with notes of childlike humor and wonderment does justice to Enright's tale of four spirited siblings and their adventures in yesteryear New York City. When a particularly rainy and dreary Saturday dampens their spirits, the four Melendy children—Mona, Rush, Randy and Oliver—devise a plan to make the very most of Saturdays yet to come. The kids form the Independent Saturday Afternoon Adventure Club and declare that members of I.S.A.A.C. must contribute their allowance to a club kitty. The pooled resources allow each child to take a turn enjoying a special solo outing in the City doing something they've always dreamed of. The various excursions that the Melendys make (taking full advantage of New York's rich cultural offerings) bring rewards, surprises and even a touch of suspense. Though today's kids might scoff at a 50-cent-per-week allowance, Enright's copious period details (the book was first published in 1941) sound quaint and entertaining rather than out-of-date. Dillman's inviting performance makes this trip to the past a fine family listening experience. Ages 8-up. (Apr.)

FYI:
Listen & Live is releasing the three sequels to
The Saturdays: The Four-Story Mistake (Apr.)
, Then There Were Five and
A Spiderweb for Two (Aug.)
.

September 1, 2002
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.