The Four-Story Mistake
 | |
| Author | Elizabeth Enright |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Elizabeth Enright |
| Country | United States & Canada |
| Genre | Realistic Fiction |
| Publisher | Farrar & Rinehart |
Publication date | 1942 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback) |
| Pages | 177 pp |
| ISBN | 9780805070613 |
| OCLC | 2023039 |
| LC Class | PZ7.E724 Fo |
| Preceded by | The Saturdays |
| Followed by | Then There Were Five |
The Four-Story Mistake (1942) is a children's novel by award-winning author Elizabeth Enright. The second of her four books about the Melendy family, it is preceded by The Saturdays, and is followed by Then There Were Five, and Spiderweb for Two: A Melendy Maze.
Plot
The four Melendy children live with their father, a widowed professor of economics, and Cuffy, their beloved housekeeper. During the height of World War II, the Melendy family moves out of New York City and into the countryside. Miranda "Randy", the third child, dislikes change and is saddened by the move. But the house they move into turns out to be an adventure. Called by locals "The Four-Story Mistake", it is an odd-looking house with a rich architectural history, surrounded by the country.
The four Melendy children soon find adventure discovering the many hidden attractions of the house. Oliver discovers buried history, Rush is stranded in a tree during a storm, Randy finds a diamond in the most unlikely of places, and Mona learns what it truly means to be an actress. None of them could have guessed at the secret hidden in their very own play space, the office—a secret that had been shut away for over 60 years.
Reception
The Saturday Review called The Four-Story Mistake "Special because of its uncontrived, carefree humor and its modern appeal to everyone".[1] Kirkus Reviews gave it a starred review for "books of remarkable merit" and praised it for "Plenty of action and incident; good dialogue; and a feel for people and the things they think and do".[2]
References
- ↑ "Six Special Books". Saturday Review. Retrieved 2012-05-20.
- ↑ "The Four-Story Mistake". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved 2012-05-20.
External links
- "Taking Comfort in a 'Four-Story' Escape". NPR: You Must Read This. Retrieved 2012-05-20.
- "Top 100 Children’s Novels #80". School Library Journal. Retrieved 2012-05-20.