The Saturdays

The Saturdays is a 1941 middle grade chapter book by American author Elizabeth Enright, and the first novel in Enright’s classic series on the Melendy family, known as the “Melendy Quartet.”

Siblings Mona, Rush, Miranda, and Oliver are growing up in New York City in the early 1940s. Feeling bored with their routine activities, the four kids decide to try something new: They pool their weekly allowances so that one child can afford to enjoy a different adventure each Saturday. The Saturdays is a portrait of family life in the American interwar years and explores themes of Finding the Unexpected in the Everyday, The Fraught and Formative Bonds Between Siblings, and The Benefits of Independence in Childhood. 

This guide is based on the 1941 Rhinehart and Company paperback edition.

Content Warning: The source text and this guide include references to child abuse, parental death, and serious accidents, and includes some racist terms.

Plot Summary

The four Melendy kids sit around in their playroom, wondering how to make their rainy Saturday less boring. Randy suggests that they begin a club called the Independent Saturday Afternoon Adventures Club, or ISAAC. All members of the club will share their allowances, taking turns to enjoy a Saturday afternoon doing something interesting. Her siblings readily agree to Randy’s great idea.

The next Saturday, the kids are thrilled when their father and housekeeper, Cuffy, agree to their plan. Soon it is Randy’s first adventure day, and she spends her money on a trip to the art gallery, where she sees an interesting painting called “The Princess.” She runs into her neighbor, Mrs. Oliphant, whom she has always found irritating, and is surprised to learn that Mrs. Oliphant is actually very kind and generous—and that Mrs. Oliphant is the little girl featured in the painting. Randy walks home feeling happy to have made a new friend in an old neighbor.

On the third Saturday, Rush is thrilled to spend his money on a ticket to the opera, where he sees Siegfried (Act I of Richard Wagner’s The Ring Cycle). On his way home, Rush walks through a snowstorm and notices a cute stray dog running around the streets. He takes it home, gives it a bath, and successfully begs his father and Cuffy to let him keep it. 

On the fourth Saturday, Mona leaves the house with no particular plan in mind, wondering how she will spend her money. She sees a hair salon and spontaneously decides to get a haircut and manicure. She enjoys the novelty of the experience, but is embarrassed when her family teases her for being vain. Cuffy helps her remove her nail polish and reassures her it was just a silly mistake.

On the fifth Saturday, Oliver sneaks out of the house with his allowance and finds his way to Madison Square Garden, where he buys a ticket for the circus. Oliver loves the show and all the junk food he gets to eat, but he is scared when he leaves the arena and realizes he is lost. Luckily, a police officer gives him a ride home on his police horse. Oliver regrets worrying his family and eating himself sick, but has fond memories of the circus and his ride home.

On the sixth Saturday, the Melendy kids decide to share their allowances to enjoy a picnic and a rented rowboat in central park, which goes well until Randy falls into the lake. The kids rush her home and dry her off. Rush preps the furnace for the evening to hide Randy’s wet clothes from Cuffy. Unfortunately, Rush makes a mistake by leaving the furnace open, and the family wake up in a panic in the night, suffocating from the escaping coal gas. The kids and Cuffy make a narrow escape from the house, and the kids later confess to their father all about their misadventures and mistakes.

On the seventh Saturday, the Melendy kids are excited when Mrs. Oliphant calls and invites them to the zoo for ice cream. While they are getting ready, Randy carelessly leaves her dress hanging on a lightbulb. The kids enjoy Mrs. Oliphant’s company and are thrilled to be invited to spend the summer at her personal lighthouse. Little do they know that a fire has started and is burning through their storeroom. When the kids arrive home, they realize what has happened and see the firefighters put out their house fire. Randy regrets her dangerous mistake, but the kids soon recover when they learn that they can go to Mrs. Oliphant’s lighthouse.

On the eighth and final Saturday, Mona, Rush, Randy, Oliver, Cuffy and Isaac the dog all board a train to Mrs. Oliphant’s property. She picks them up in her motorcar and drives them to the lighthouse, where the kids love playing by the shore and visiting with Mrs. Oliphant. The kids thank Randy for inventing the ISAAC club, which made this wonderful adventure possible.