Hello, everyone! Sorry for another late post! I came down with the flu a few weeks ago, and it has been a slow recovery, so I’m a little behind on everything. However, I still wanted to hop on this week and share a book I enjoyed recently, The Moffats by Eleanor Estes.

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Book: The Moffats by Eleanor Estes

Genre: Classic Children’s Fiction

Blurb: Meet the Moffats. There is Sylvie, the oldest, the cleverest, and-most days at least-the responsible one; Joey, who though only twelve is the man of the house…sometimes; Janey, who has a terrific upside-down way of looking at the world; and Rufus, who may be the littlest but always gets in the biggest trouble.
Even the most ordinary Moffat day is packed with extraordinary fun. Only a Moffat could get locked in a bread box all afternoon, or dance with a dog in front of the whole town, or hitch a ride on a boxcar during kindergarten recess. And only a Moffat could turn mistakes and mischief into hilarious one-of-a-kind adventure. (from Amazon)

My Rating: 4.5 stars

Recommended Age: 8+ (or younger as a read-aloud)

My Review:

My Overall Thoughts: This was such a cute book and a perfect read for Middle Grade March! It’s too bad I didn’t read this book when I was a child, as it would have been right up my alley. Still, better late than never! The Moffats is a fun, wholesome story that would make a great read-aloud for families.

Plot: There isn’t much of a plot to this book (there is a thread of the family selling their house than runs throughout the story, but it isn’t a central focus for much of the book), but it is more of a collection of stories from the Moffat children’s everyday lives. There are a lot of fun little stories, such as the time Jane has a run-in with the chief of police, or the children’s first day of school, or giving a Salvation Army captain a ride in his horse and wagon. The stories are all fairly simplistic and a fun look at the simple joys of childhood. I also enjoyed the early 1900s, New England small-town setting.

Characters: I really enjoyed the characters. They are all so sweet and funny in their own ways. There is Sylvie, who is the oldest and the responsible one; Joey, who is a typical twelve-year-old boy; Jane, who is very imaginative; and Rufus, the youngest and a bundle of energy. There is also Mrs. Moffat, who is very motherly, and some fun side characters are introduced. There are also some not-so-fun side characters, like the bully Peter Frost. The author does a wonderful job of capturing the energy and personality of children as well as family dynamics.

Writing Style: The writing style was probably my favorite thing about this book! The author has a way of capturing the simple pleasures of childhood and the wonder in the ordinary. Even the most simplistic details are explained in delightful ways. I also enjoyed the vocabulary that the author used. This book would be a great way to introduce kids to a large variety of vocabulary words!

Themes: The main themes I got out of this story are the importance of family and finding adventure in the everyday. There are also many instances where positive character traits are displayed or praised (sharing with others, being a good friend, etc.)

Content Notes: It is mentioned that the children sometimes pretend they are Druids. There is a chapter that takes place on Halloween where the children pretend they have a ghost in their attic to scare a bully (can easily be skipped). One of the children pretends to hypnotize her brother to scare a girl that is bothering them. There are a few instances of lying and bad attitudes.

Have you ever read The Moffats? Do you have any favorite middle grade reads? Let me know in the comments below!