Rufus M.

The Moffats #3

by Eleanor Estes, Louis Slobodkin (Illustrator)

Newbery Honor “Delightful reading. An hour spent with the Moffats is fun for all ages.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)   You’ve never met anyone quite like Rufus Moffat. He gets things done—but he gets them done his way.   When he wants to check out library books, Rufus teaches himself to write...even though he doesn't yet know how to read. When food is scarce, he plants some special “Rufus beans” that actually grow . . . despite his digging them up every day to check on them. And Rufus has friends that other people don’t even know exist! He discovers the only invisible piano player in town, has his own personal flying horse for a day, and tours town with the Cardboard Boy, his dearest friend—and enemy.   Rufus isn’t just the youngest Moffat, he's also the cleverest, the funniest, and the most unforgettable, in this classic series about a single-parent family in WWI-era Connecticut praised for its “abundant humor” (Horn Book Magazine).   “Rufus M. is . . . unbeatable.” —The New Yorker   “[The Moffats are] as nice a group as ever pulled together through hard times.” —The New York Times Book Review

Genres: Fiction, Childrens, Middle Grade, Historical Fiction, Classics, Juvenile, Audiobook

250 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1943

About the author

Eleanor Ruth Rosenfeld (Estes)was an American children's author. She was born in West Haven, Connecticut as Eleanor Ruth Rosenfield. Originally a librarian, Estes' writing career began following a case of tuberculosis. Bedridden while recovering, Estes began writing down some of her childhood memories, which would later turn into full-length children's books.

Estes's book Ginger Pye (1951) won the Newbery Medal, and three of her other books (The Middle Moffat, Rufus M., and The Hundred Dresses) were chosen as Newbery Honor books. She also received the Certificate of Award for Outstanding Contribution to Children’s Literature and was nominated for the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award. By the time of her death at age 82, Estes had written 19 children's books and one novel for adults.