The Saturdays is a children's novel

Children's literature

Children's literature is for readers and listeners up to about age twelve; it is often defined in four different ways: books written by children, books written for children, books chosen by children, or books chosen for children. It is often illustrated. The term is used in senses which sometimes...

 by Elizabeth Enright

Elizabeth Enright

Elizabeth Enright was an American children's author and illustrator. She was born in Oak Park, Illinois.-Life:Her father, Walter J...

, the first of her four books about the Melendy family, followed by The Four-Story Mistake

The Four-Story Mistake

The Four-Story Mistake is a children's novel by Elizabeth Enright, the second of her four books about the Melendy family, preceded by The Saturdays, and followed by Then There Were Five, and Spiderweb for Two: A Melendy Maze. The four Melendy children live with their father, a widowed professor...

, Then There Were Five

Then There Were Five

Then There Were Five is a children's novel by Elizabeth Enright, the third of her four books about the Melendy family, preceded by The Saturdays and The Four-Story Mistake, and followed by Spiderweb for Two: A Melendy Maze. The four Melendy children live with their father, a widowed professor of...

, and Spiderweb for Two: A Melendy Maze

Spiderweb for Two: A Melendy Maze

Spiderweb for Two: A Melendy Maze is a children's novel by Elizabeth Enright, the last of her four books about the Melendy family, preceded by The Saturdays, The Four-Story Mistake and Then There Were Five. The four Melendy children live with their father, a widowed professor of economics, and...

. The four Melendy children live with their father, a widowed professor of economics, and Cuffy, their beloved housekeeper, in a worn but comfortable brownstone in New York City. There's thirteen-year-old Mona, who has her heart set on becoming an actress; twelve-year-old mischievous Rush, who plays the piano; ten-year-old Randy who loves to dance and paint; and thoughtful Oliver, who is just six.

Plot

Tired of wasting Saturdays doing nothing but wishing for larger allowances, the four Melendys jump at Randy's idea to start the Independent Saturday Afternoon Adventure Club (I.S.A.A.C.). If they pool their resources and take turns spending the whole amount, they can each have at least one memorable Saturday afternoon of their own. Before long, I.S.A.A.C. is in operation and every Saturday is definitely one to remember. Each Melendy child is able to do exactly what he or she pleases, discovering new ideas along the way. Randy makes a new friend with an old lady who was once kidnapped by gypsies, Rush brings home a stray dog, and Mona takes a first quivering step toward adulthood (to the shock of her family.) But when Oliver wants to be out on his own, too, the family starts having second thoughts. What if they join together for their Saturdays—what could they accomplish?