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''The Melendy Quartet'', written by Elizabeth Enright, is a series of four children’s books titled ''The Saturdays'', ''The Four-Story Mistake'', ''Then There Were Five'', and ''Spiderweb for Two''. The books are set in 1940’s America and are about the adventures of the Melendy children, Rush, Mona, Randy (short for Miranda), and Oliver, who live with their father and their housekeeper, Cuffy.
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!! The Melendy Quartet contains examples of:
* AcquiredSituationalNarcissism: Averted by Mona in ''The Four-Story Mistake''.
* BookcasePassage: in ''The Four-Story Mistake''.
* EndOfAnAge: Growing up is one of the major themes of ''The Four-Story Mistake''.
* FreeRangeChildren: The Melendy children are constantly going on adventures throughout New York City (in ''The Saturdays'') and the countryside (in the later books) without adult supervision. That said, when six-year-old Oliver goes on an adventure on his own, it's considered a step too far.
* FunWithAcronyms: In ''The Saturdays'', the children form the Independent Saturday Afternoon Adventure Club, or I.S.A.A.C.
* GoshDangItToHeck
* HappilyAdopted: Mark, by the Melendy family in ''Then There Were Five''.
* HatesBaths: Oliver
* HeartwarmingOrphan: Mark Herron in ''Then There Were Five''
* IndianSummer: ''The Four-Story Mistake''
* IntergenerationalFriendship: Randy and Mrs. Oliphant, also known as "the Elephant", develop one of these after Randy's Saturday. Also Oliver with Mr. Titus in THE FOUR STORY MISTAKE, and with Miss Bishop in SPIDERWEB FOR TWO.
* KindlyHousekeeper: Cuffy
* MeaningfulName: Rush names the stray dog he finds on his first Saturday outing "Isaac" after their club.
* MissingMom: She died at some point in the past, but it's never made clear how.
* NatureLover: All four children spend a great deal of their time exploring outdoors.
* NuclearFamily
* OldRetainer: Cuffy's been with the family at least since Mona was a baby.
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: "Cuffy" is short for Evangeline Cuthbert-Stanley. Not that anyone ever calls her that.
* OutdoorsyGal: Randy
* PooledFunds: In ''The Saturdays'', the Melendy children decide to pool their allowances and take turns going on an outing each weekend.
* PursueTheDreamJob: Mona eventually achieves her lifelong dream of becoming an actress.
* SliceOfLife
* StandardFiftiesFather
* TheAllAmericanBoy
* TheBeCarefulSpeech: Mostly coming from Father and Cuffy.
* TreehouseOfFun: Rush builds a treehouse in ''The Four-Story Mistake''.
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