The Moffats (Paperback)
by Eleanor Estes
ISBN: 0152025413

Price: USD 6.95
255 used & new available from USD 0.10

The Moffats are very happy in their little yellow house on New Dollar Street. One day, a sign is put up saying that the house is for sale. After going to see the owner of the house, Mrs. Moffat discovers that it is not a mistake. While waiting for the house to be sold, the Moffats have many adventures. These include scaring the neighborhood bully, losing the Salvation Army man out of his own wagon and dancing the sailor’s hornpipe with a dog.

This book is a very good beginning to the four-book series about the Moffat family. Each chapter is a different adventure, sometimes only being connected by the main story line. That is not to say that the chapters don’t go together. In fact, ever since I first read the books in the Moffat series, they have been some of my favorite stories. I think that you will enjoy them too.

Sleeping Giant and Other Stories (Hardcover)
by Eleanor Estes
ISBN: 0152758518

Price: $15.20
8 used & new available from USD 15.20

Three fun stories in one book by Eleanor Estes. The first story is about the Sleeping Giant (three hills) and how it leaves and lies down in the ocean on the International Date Line. The next story is about a girl who lost her shadow. There’s a part in that one that I don’t appreciate, though. And the last story is about a giraffe named Gloria who, unknown to everyone but the occupants’ little girl, lives in a living room after escaping from the zoo.

The Sleeping Giant story is rather fun, because when he lays across the International Date Line, half of him is in today and half of him is in yesterday. So the people living on him move back to yesterday if they wish to avoid something like a dentist appointment.

Pinky Pye (Paperback)
by Eleanor Estes
ISBN: 0152025650

Price: USD 6.99
259 used & new available from USD 0.10

The Pye family, complete with Ginger and Gracie, were going to spend the summer on Fire Island! Once there, they find an “abandid” kitten named Pinky. The Pyes decide to keep her. They find out she has unusual talents, such as boxing with Ginger and even typing on their typewriter! Uncle Bennie came to Fire Island with them and develops an interest in crickets and grasshoppers. He starts keeping them as pets and Rachel will put them, inside their cricket and or grasshopper box, up in the eaves. But when they start disappearing… what’s up?

This is a great book. You can probably guess what’s up, so I didn’t categorize it as a mystery. Still, Pinky’s cute and I like the epilogue.

A Little Oven (Hardcover)
by Eleanor Estes
ISBN: 0152463240

Price: $89.99
5 used & new available from USD 89.99

Genevieve came to Connecticut from France. Helena came from California. The two became friends and often played together. Every day, when Helena was tired, her mother would pick her up and say, “I guess what you need is a little loving and a little hugging.” When Genevieve went home, she would ask her mother for “a little ‘ovin’ and a little ‘uggin.” Her mother thought Genevieve meant a little oven, so one day she takes her to different stores to shop for a little oven.

A pretty good book. At one point, Helena, who’s from California, says she chews in French, and Genevieve, who’s from France, says she chews in English. Hmm. Well, you can see our Book Tips page for tips on how to find out of print books. Enjoy!

The Middle Moffat (Paperback)
by Eleanor Estes
ISBN: 0152025294

Price: USD 6.95
181 used & new available from USD 0.10

Sylvie is “the oldest child,” Joey is “the oldest son,” Rufus is “the baby in the family,” but Jane is just Jane. So, Jane decides to become the middle Moffat.

This book is kind of hard to write a summary for. A lot of things happen in The Middle Moffat. This is the second book in the series about the Moffats. A pretty good book, in my opinion.

The Hundred Dresses (Paperback)
by Eleanor Estes
ISBN: 0152052607

Price: USD 7.99
129 used & new available from USD 3.30

Wanda Petronski says that she has a hundred dresses all lined up in her closet. The other girls at her school laugh and make fun of her. Everyone knows that Wanda only has one dress, the faded blue one she wears day after day. One girl, Maddie, wants to stand up for Wanda; but she’s afraid of being picked on also. When Wanda leaves town, it seems impossible that Maddie will ever be able to apologize.

This is quite a story. A great example of why you shouldn’t tease people. You’ll probably end up sorry, but, as in this story, unable to apologize. The writing style is very nice. Eleanor Estes did a great job on her books. I very much recommend that you read this.

Miranda the Great (Paperback)
by Eleanor Estes
ISBN: 0152054111

Price: USD 5.95
62 used & new available from USD 0.10

Miranda is a large cat who lives in Ancient Rome. She lives happily with her owners until Rome is invaded by Barbarians. The family packs up and leaves for a country house, leaving Miranda and her daughter hiding in an urn. In the fire that follows, Miranda sets out to find and rescue all the lost cats in Rome before it’s too late!

I liked this book. Eleanor Estes’ style of writing is wonderful. She wrote in a simple way, making it easy for children to read. Don’t let that discourage you, though. Estes’ books are enjoyable to older readers, too.

The Lost Umbrella of Kim Chu (Oxford Progressive English Readers, Level 1) (Paperback)
by Eleanor Estes, David Foulds, K. Y. Chan
ISBN: 0195854934

Price: $38.33
5 used & new available from USD 38.33

Kim Chu takes her father’s special big, black umbrella with her to the library, though her grandmother warned her not to. Kim’s father’s umbrella was presented to him when he won the contest of drawing a dragon. The bamboo handle screws off and inside is an intricate scroll, that says that Mr. Lin Chu (Kim’s father) is the winner. When Kim Chu accidentally leaves the umbrella at the library and quickly returns to find it gone, it’s an adventure/mystery for both Kim Chu and Mae Lee.

A pretty good book, in my opinion. It’s a fairly short book, though not a little picture book. But it’s not as large as The Mysterious Island (which I haven’t read). Enjoy!