“Also it was full of landmarks. Any Melendy child could have told you that the long scars on the linoleum had been made by Rush trying out a pair of new skates on Christmas afternoon, 1939; or that the spider-shaped hole in the east window had been accomplished by Oliver throwing the Milk of Magnesia bottle; or that the spark holes in the hearthrug had occurred when Mona tossed a bunch of Chinese firecrackers into the fire just for fun. Melendy history was written everywhere.”

The Melendy children cherish their old and worn playroom, which they call “the Office,” and all the memories it holds. A site of memory, mutual support, and conflict, the playroom symbolizes The Fraught and Formative Bonds Between Siblings.

“‘We’d have to do something really good with it; something we’d always wanted to do.’ ‘Say, that’s not a bad idea at all.’ Rush looked excited. ‘We could pool our resources—that’s what it’s called, pooling your resources. Gee whiz, that would mean a dollar and a half for each of us if we pooled our resources!’”

The Melendy kids are excited with Randy’s idea of sharing allowances for independent adventures. By showing the children’s enthusiasm about having more autonomy, and their determination to use it to do something productive, the story highlights The Benefits of Independence in Childhood.

“‘I don’t want nobody run over, nor nobody lost so’s we have to get the police out after em. I suppose I can’t keep you from getting a little lost once in a while. It’d be against nature. But not so lost that we have to get the police out after you.’ Good old Cuffy. It was that sort of thing that made them love her so much.”

The children’s housekeeper and close friend, Cuffy, agrees with their ISAAC plan, but communicates her conditions to the kids. This passage shows that even though Cuffy is concerned for the kids, she is supportive of their efforts to become more independent. Cuffy’s mixture of sternness and care adds depth to her gruff but maternal character.

“She was a big, tall old lady with a lot of furs that smelled of camphor, and a great many chains around her neck that got caught on each other. Now and then she came to the Melendys’, and once they had all been taken to Sunday dinner at her house when it was raining and everybody ate too much and Oliver got sick on the bus going home. She was nice, Randy supposed, but so far away in her oldness and dignity. She hoped Mrs. Oliphant wouldn’t notice her.”

While enjoying her first adventure at the art gallery, Randy was dismayed to see her neighbor, Mrs. Oliphant, there. Worried about being trapped in a conversation with her, Randy avoids her. This description of Mrs. Oliphant captures her wealth and her formal, elegant style, which intimidates the Melendy kids. Randy’s dislike of Mrs. Oliphant in this passage sharply contradicts her admiration for the woman later in the story.

“‘You see, I was the girl in the picture.’ ‘You!’ cried Randy, amazed. Her mouth dropped open half an inch. ‘That’s I at the age of eleven,’ said Mrs. Oliphant, very pleased at Randy’s surprise. ‘Not much to look at, was I?’ ‘I think you looked nice,’ Randy considered the girl in the picture. ‘Interesting and, well, nice. I was just wishing I’d known that girl.’”

Randy is shocked that Mrs. Oliphant is the little girl featured in the French painting at the local art gallery. By imagining Mrs. Oliphant as a child, especially the kind and interesting child in the picture, Randy humanizes her and realizes that the distance between them is not as great as she thought. This passage is the beginning of Randy and Mrs. Oliphant’s friendship, adding to the theme of Finding the Unexpected in the Everyday.

“Mrs. Oliphant opened a pocketbook like a giant clam, extracted some money to pay the bill, and clapped it shut again. ‘That’s all,’ she said. Randy rose slowly to the surface and emerged from the story dreamily. ‘It was wonderful,’ she said…‘Could I, would you let me come see you someday?’”

Randy is surprised by Mrs. Oliphant’s incredible story of growing up in a wealthy family in Paris and surviving a kidnapping as a child. By sharing tea with her neighbor and listening to her stories, Randy gains a new friend who grants her and her siblings access to a wider world. By showing how Randy changes her mind about Mrs. Oliphant, this passage highlights the benefits of Finding the Unexpected in the Everyday.

“‘Come on out. Come on, pup. I wouldn’t hurt you.’ He approached it with his hand outstretched for encouragement and to his delight the wet and shivering dog suddenly raised a front paw and placed it in the hand. Rush’s heart was won forevermore.”

Rush eagerly chases the stray dog down an alley and befriends it. This passage shows Rush’s compassionate nature, as well as his openness to an unexpected adventure as he walks home from his opera concert. This serendipitous discovery emphasizes the theme of Finding the Unexpected in the Everyday.

“‘See, he’s dreaming,’ said Rush, looking as much like a doting mother as it is possible for a boy of twelve to look. ‘Oh, I hope nobody claims him,’ breathed Randy fervently. ‘I’m going to get down on my knees every night until it’s safe, and pray that nobody claims him. What will you name him if they don’t, and you can keep him?’”

Rush admires the stray pup as he sleeps by his bed. His sister Randy’s caring nature shines through, as she hopes that Rush gets his wish about keeping his stray dog. This passage shows the kids’ supportive relationship, adding to the story’s exploration of The Fraught and Formative Bonds Between Siblings.

“‘Scram,’ advised Rush, holding the door open for her, and when she had gone down the front steps he and Randy tormented her all the way up the block by yelling admonitions after her at the top of their wicked lungs. ‘Don’t get run over! Don’t get lost! Don’t talk to STRANGERS!’”

Rush and Randy tease the eldest Melendy, Mona, as she leaves the house for her Saturday of independent adventure. The good-natured and silly teasing between siblings, who are mocking Cuffy and their father more than Mona, paints a realistic picture of sibling antics between the four kids. By helping the reader imagine how the children switch between being supportive and silly, this quotation illustrates The Fraught and Formative Bonds Between Siblings.

“Mona walked along the street feeling like the heroine of a play. The whole afternoon lay ahead of her filled with boundless opportunities. It was a cold day but not too cold. Mona couldn’t remember when the air had ever seemed so delicious before. She felt like running, or soaring in great bounding leaps, or shouting noisily.”

Mona’s chance to explore New York City by herself fills her with joy and energy. This description captures the novelty of independence and responsibility for young people, expanding the story’s theme of The Benefits of Independence in Childhood.

“Mona’s heart beat fast and suddenly she knew what she was going to do. ‘After all, nobody ever asked me—not to,’ she told herself. ‘I never promised I wouldn’t.’ But all the time she knew that she was quibbling; the corner of her mind that never let itself be fooled was well aware that neither Father nor Cuffy would approve of what she was about to do. But nothing could stop her now, and pushing open the heavy glass door she went into the shop.”

On Mona’s Saturday of adventure she resolves to do something rebellious: cut her long braids off at a salon. Mona’s act of rebellion allows her to explore how she really wants to look and experiment with behaving in a more grown-up way. By mentioning how father and Cuffy would disapprove of her decision, the author builds tension in the story as Mona makes a drastic change to her appearance, which she will eventually have to show to her family.

“‘Everybody does fool things once in a while; I shouldn’t be surprised if it was good for ‘em.’ Cuffy was stroking Mona’s forehead. Her hand was rough from hard work, and yet it was soft at the same time. Mona sniffed and gulped.”

Cuffy comforts Mona after her father and older brother scold her for her haircut and manicure. Cuffy’s belief that making mistakes can be good for people adds to the story’s exploration of The Benefits of Independence in Childhood, as Mona made her own decisions and is now living with the consequences of disobeying her father.

“At that moment the object of all this concern was seated comfortably at Madison Square Garden. His knees were crossed, he was leaning back with a bottle of pop in one hand, and watching a lady in spangles hanging by her teeth to a rope fifty feet above the ground.”

Oliver’s daring escape from the house to see the circus adds both humor and suspense to the story. As Oliver enjoys the spectacle, his worried siblings and Cuffy are looking everywhere for him. Oliver’s passion for the circus and determination to get there on his own reflects both his innocence and naivety, as well as his desire to be as self-sufficient as his older siblings.

“‘What’s eatin’ you?’ repeated the policeman kindly. ‘I’m lost!’ wept Oliver, ‘And I’m sick at my stomach, and I want to go home!’…The policeman got off his horse and hoisted Oliver up on it as if he had been a kitten.”

Six-year-old Oliver’s panic and stomachache after gorging himself on treats at the circus point to the consequences of impulsive behavior. This passage shows how Oliver learns the hard way that he is still too young to go on adventures unaccompanied, but leads to his joyful experience riding the police horse, a key instance of Finding the Unexpected in the Everyday.

“It was sort of like riding on a boat, only better because it felt alive, and behind, immense and gorgeous in his uniform, rode the officer of the law who had befriended him. Oliver remembered how he held the reins in white gloved hands the size of baseball mitts. The splendor of that ride would never die.”

Once safe at home, Oliver happily looks back on his ride on the police horse. The author’s dramatic language brings the reader into Oliver’s perspective as a little boy, capturing the impressive nature of the officer’s uniform and the giant, moving horse through the dreamlike filter of a child’s memory.

“‘And water on the brain like I think you’ve got. Ah yes, my friends, water is a wonderful thing.’ ‘Oh, look!’ cried Randy excitedly. ‘A big fish! I swear I saw a big fish.’ She stood up, leaning far out. ‘Where, where?’ demanded Oliver, leaping to his feet. The boat lurched, Isaac barked, and Randy fell overboard with a loud splash.”

Rush and Randy tease each other as they row through the lake in central park with Mona and Oliver. Randy’s excitement to spot a fish shows her curious and observant personality, which unfortunately causes her to go tumbling into the lake. This funny misadventure throws a wrench into the siblings’ day out, and they must problem solve quickly together.

“‘Now we’ll have to take a taxi,’ said Mona in resignation. ‘There goes the surplus…Don’t you worry, Ran. It was sort of an adventure, after all,’ Mona comforted her. ‘I never heard of anyone falling overboard in Central Park before.’”

Mona’s quick thinking and kindness to Randy helps her younger sister recover from her tumble into the lake. By not blaming Randy for her silly mistake, Mona shows her generosity and ability to be flexible, making her a great older sister. Mona’s good leadership demonstrates the support that comes with The Fraught and Formative Bonds Between Siblings.

“Like a diver on the ocean floor Rush staggered clumsily to the door and pulled it open. The smell was terrible. Everything looked the same and yet he knew that an evil power was coiling through the house like some invisible, venomous serpent. He hurried past Father’s empty room and down the stairs, banging at Cuffy’s door, and when there was no answer he hurried in and threw open both the windows.”

Rush wakes up in a panic when he realizes that coal gas is seeping throughout the house, slowly suffocating Cuffy and the kids. His panic is worsened when he remembers that he was the one who left the furnace door open. This passage brings the reader into the late 1930s setting and adds tension to the story.

“‘Rush,’ said Cuffy, ‘after this you can keep that dog in your room every night if you want to. He can sleep on the foot of your bed, bury his bones under the living room carpet, leave his muddy paw prints on the woodwork and anything else he likes. He’s a wonderful dog and no mistake!’”

Cuffy praises Isaac for waking Rush with his late-night barking, alerting him to the coal gas leak. Cuffy’s acceptance helps Isaac become a respected member of the Melendy family and adds some comic relief to the end of the family’s near-death experience.

“Mona and Randy and Oliver sat in a solemn little cluster on the stairs…He looked at his disheveled family, and then he took a cold lamb chop out of the ice box and tossed the whole thing to Isaac. ‘Be it ever so humble,’ said Father. ‘There’s certainly no place like home.’”

The Melendy kids offer each other silent support as they sit tiredly together and wait for the coal gas crisis to be over. Their father’s reward for Isaac cements his approval of the family’s new dog, and their experience is yet another memory shared between the siblings, adding to the novel’s theme of The Fraught and Formative Bonds Between Siblings.

“‘But now we have to buy a new furnace, and a lot of other things, so we can’t go to the country this summer, because we haven’t got enough money,’ Randy told her expansively. Rush glowered at her and Mona gave her a kick under the table. Randy felt a hot red blush rising from her collarbone to the top of her head.”

Randy’s frank admission to Mrs. Oliphant about the family’s finances embarrasses her older brother and sister, who do not want their wealthy neighbor to think that they are poor. By showing how the children argue over how to present themselves, this quotation adds to the novel’s portrayal of The Fraught and Formative Bonds Between Siblings.

“‘Well, so what’s the matter with charity?’ Rush said unexpectedly. ‘Don’t you think it’s dumb to say no out of some sort of cockeyed pride when somebody you like wants to give you a present that you want to take? She likes us and we like her. She has a lighthouse and no one to appreciate it, now her kids are all grown up. I don’t see anything wrong with that. I think it’s swell and I think she is too.’ ‘I do too,’ Randy said wholeheartedly. Rush was wonderful, she thought…‘All right,’ said Mona meekly. ‘I believe you.’”

Mona, Rush and Randy deliberate whether to accept Mrs. Oliphant’s generous invitation to her lighthouse. Rush and Randy’s enthusiasm persuades Mona to forget her anxieties about seeming like a “pauper” and simply enjoy the kindness that their neighbor has offered them. This quotation shows how the Melendy siblings persuade and influence each other, bolstering the story’s theme of The Fraught and Formative Bonds Between Siblings.

“It was hard to imagine anything better. The lighthouse had once been an honest-to-goodness lighthouse, no doubt about that. It was round and stout and tall, with a wide red band around its middle. The small house at its base had been added to many times so that it was now ample and rambling. Beyond it a narrow brilliant garden descended to smooth elephant colored bands of rock. Beyond the rock was the sea, clear as blue glass and dotted with small rocky islands like islands painted on a Chinese screen.”

The author’s description of Mrs. Oliphant’s lighthouse captures the beauty of the building and the surrounding landscape. The children are amazed by the idyllic location, which gives them opportunities for endless adventures together.