Get ready to smile and sigh and shake your head in wonder as you meet 10 year old Janey and 5 1/2 year old Rufus Moffat, and the rest of the Moffat family -- Mrs. Moffat, Joey, 12, and Sylvie, 15 -- who live in the town of Cranbury, CT in a yellow house with kerosene lamps and a very unwanted For Sale sign. Life for the Moffat children revolves largely around a warm family unit in a neighborly world in early 20th century times where children had freedom for commonplace adventures -- and financial times could sometimes be tough. Eleanor Estes (1906-1988), a notable children's writer who is remembered mostly for simple, humorous family stories that capture the logic and feelings of young children, has created THE MOFFATS, the first of several classic juvenile books set in fictional Cranbury, CT during the 1910s (the setting also for Newbery winner GINGER PYE and its sequel PINKY PYE.) First published in 1941, THE MOFFATS received a Lewis Carroll Shelf Award in 1961. Additional books about the Moffat family followed: THE MIDDLE MOFFAT, a Newbery Honor book, RUFUS M., also a Newbery Honor book, and the lesser known THE MOFFAT MUSEUM. Readers who are aware of certain facts of the author's own biography --for example, Estes was raised in the early 1900s in West Haven, CT along Long Island Sound by a widowed mother who supported her children as a seamstress -- will recognize parallels in her fictional work THE MOFFATS where the widowed Mrs. Moffat supports the 4 Moffet children as a dressmaker. The author loosely modeled Janey after herself, and Rufus after her younger brother. This is a great book to read aloud to young elementary aged children whose reading skills may not quite be ready for the small print and multiple chapters, but for whom the storyline may be most appropriate.Adults who read this one will not find much that is objectionable in this wholesome story and likely will find more than a few moments of humorous recognition -- or possibly even laugh-out-loud chuckles, rather like the police chief who unleashed tears of laughter upon hearing Janey reluctantly tell the improbable series of events that led to her hiding for several hours in the wooden breadbox in front of the store where she'd dutifully gone to buy 5 pounds of sugar...or moments of astonished relief upon Rufus's safe return at the end of his first memorable day of school, a day when Rufus is caught between his own good sense and wishes, and his perceived duty to obey a respected adult. And, those free dance lessons! Oh, how I could grin in recognition at Janey's dance recital woes, though the surprising show stealer turns out to be the self-described terrible and highly reluctant dancer Joey, who is oh-so-relieved to be assigned only a NON-dancing role for the day ushering and standing at the piano, turning pages for the pianist. There are trolleys, horse-drawn carts (with a Salvation Army Captain the kids accidentally lose from his own wagon), a Halloween attic ghost prank to scare a boy who's been mean, as well as a windy, cold trip to buy coal with the last five dollar bill Mama expects to have for awhile.By the end of the book, when the yellow house has been sold and the Moffats must move, most readers will wonder what happens next. I know I do. However, wwhen the Moffat books are all done, don't forget to call in the PYES. You might enjoy the books about that other Cranbury family as much -- or possibly more!
This is a DNF for me on page 122 (the start of chapter 7) -- I'm more than 50% into the book as there are 211 pages total. I'm just not enjoying this reading experience.I ♥ middle grade books from DAYS OF YORE that feature large families, but I just didn't fall in love with the Moffats, something was off. The four children, of various ages, didn't seem to have distinct personalities. And the chapters just got wrapped up a bit too sweet -- can't find the right word.I did not mind that there wasn't really a story arc -- that the chapters can each stand alone. My most favorite middle grade chapter book, All-of-a-Kind Family is just this way.Also, the illustrations are very unattractive but that was not a factor in my rating.Clearly, Estes is a talented writer -- two other titles in the Moffat series as well as The Hundred Dresses received Newbery Honors. And Ginger Pye won the Newbery Medal in 1952.However, sadly, The Moffats #1 just wasn't the book for me. (Apologies to my GR friends who really loved this book!)all of my reviews can be found at www.isniffbooks.wordpress.com
What do You think about The Moffats (2001)?
An oldie but goodie. My children like this book because it resembles their life more than other 'modern' books since it is set in a community that is larger than the individual family but in harmony with family life. I liked that it talked about what used to be universal experiences like Sunday School and Dance Class from the perspective of children, and different children's perspectives. Ten page chapters make it a good daily. An imaginative, funny book that takes into account some of the psychological stages of children: fear of authority figures, imaginary adventures, bullies in an age where those things were noted and dealt with less alarm and the life of children was harder but more autonomous.
—Cris
The Moffats, who live in the same town as the owners of Ginger Pye, are a close-knit family of four children and a hard-working seamstress mother, whose bust "Madame" occupies a central position in the family's little brown house. Although the children are essentially good-hearted, they get into an astounding amount of mischief, making for a sometimes uproarious family story full of warmth and love. Mother is the source of the family's security: her understated courage in the face of sickness, poverty, and the challenge of supporting four children sets the mood of the little brown house, providing her children a great sense of security despite the absence of their deceased father.Estes' engaging characters, living in the context of a sweetly old-fashioned small town, hold an undeniable appeal that has caused this story to endure for 70 years.
—Shanna Gonzalez
The Moffats was definitely a good book! It's a book mostly read thru the eyes of Janey Moffat a ten year old little girl; embarking on many different adventures that include the rest of the Moffat family! I am 25 but I love reading books that take me back to my childhood and give me those brief moments of young imagination and story-telling! My rating was three stars; the book brought the reader back to when having .5 cents was like being given $100 today in day! The Moffats really show how far we have fallen in society when you compare when this was written to now 2014! When you had the nosey neighbor next door and the officer that was on duty in the very neighborhood he lived in or how a bag of coal was $5.00. Or most changing when mothers would let their children go do what they wanted if they went outside to play without questioning where they were & if someone has kidnapped them! Or selling dancing classes in exchange for dresses. All of that has changed; society has changed! Eleanor Estes captures the essences of when life for a child was innocent when they honored and treasured their mother and had morals and values in life they lived by! Like the Moffat share and share alike rule. This was definitely a book I would pass down to my children one day! 3 Stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️ It's so sad that this book wasn't the one that received the Newbery Medal; instead of Ginger Pye! Smh!!
—Luisa
