M for Mischief

by Richard Parker

Three Marlowe children find a stove in the summer house with two settings O for ordinary and M for mischef. What mischief the children get into with a magic cookbook.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Childrens

96 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1965

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Richard^^^^^^Parker

Reviews

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this as a kid, it must have made quite an impression since I still remember it and decided to go looking for it!

*update* Thought so much about this book. I found a copy through Amazon. It was so much fun to read again! It wasn't as magical as an adult, but I could imagine myself as a little girl curled up and enjoying this magical story. It was like going back in time for a little while! Only books can give us that kind of real magic!!

[Josiah · Rating 1 out of 5]

M for Mischief is a memorable story, a good choice for reading out loud to beginning readers just starting to get a sense of where literature can take them. Richard Parker introduces elements of mystery and magic without fully answering every question that arises from the supernatural events of the narrative, and young readers won't necessarily find this unfulfilling. Magic is sometimes simply magic, with no need for explanation or backstory. Who could rationalize the presence of a magic oven in the little house on the new property moved into by Andrew, Peg, Milly and their parents, or the quirky repairmen who claims to have serviced the oven for the past ninety-nine years, and seems to know just what to do whenever it's on the fritz? There's lots left to wonder about after reading M for Mischief, but the reader is sure to have experienced at least a few entertaining moments along the way.

Andrew, Peg and Milly know right away that the oven they find is no ordinary vessel for cooking. The richly ornate exterior design and peculiar, almost human mannerisms of the oven suggest an antique that is more than what it appears to be, and so it is. With the help of the mysterious repairman who drops in every once in a while to make sure the oven is working properly, the kids learn the oven will work just like any other stove if the dial is on "O" for "Ordinary", but if they push it to "M" for "Mischief", all sorts of havoc can arise. From invisibility eggs to unpredictable human transmogrification, the three young siblings find it can be rather perilous to mess around with magic, even when one follows the instructions perfectly. When a little payback on an annoying neighbor boy backfires on our protagonists, can they fix what's wrong before the magic of the oven is taken away forever?

M for Mischief is a surprisingly amusing read. Much of the humor stems from the awkwardness of the kids having to deal with a certain family member who gets turned into a "domestic animal", and trying to show proper respect for an elder under circumstances that make doing so rather difficult. Plenty of smile-worthy moments result. I actually think M for Mischief could have been more effective if it were longer, maybe by a hundred pages or so, allowing more of the logistics of the oven's history to be revealed. I like this book the way it is, though, and would give it one and a half stars.

[Carrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the Ruth Chew vein...

[R. Lee Frankenstein · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like many here I read this as a kid. It was one of the first real books (unlike, little golden books or comic series like Charlie Brown or Dennis the Menace) At the curious age of 6, that I ever read myself. (Others were "The enormous egg" and "The wonderful flight to the mushroom planet".) I still remembered it and decided to go on a long slow search for it in my mid 30's. I finally found it in a roadside bookshop in NH in 1994. That led me to purchase many Richard Parker books as ebay became popular. This is just a great kids story that is partially responsible for a lifetime of reading enjoyment so, the 5 stars may be based slightly on sentiment. And yes, I do own copies of "The enormous egg" and "The wonderful flight to the mushroom planet".

[Twyla · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favourite part was when Milly, Andrew, and Peg's mom turned back into a human. The worst part was when Milly, Andrew, and Peg accidentally turned their mom into a chicken. My favourite character was Andrew, Peg, and Milly because they had a lot of fun. The worst character was Jamie because he was bullying people for no reason. Auryn 12 years old, 2015

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Andrew, Peg, and Milly find a stove at the summer house of their new home which allows them to do magic.

I had this book as a kid but never got around to it. I think I would have loved it as a child. It was sweet, good fun now. The adventure starts with making magic eggs that allow you to become invisible and moves on from there.

[Sherry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Childhood favorite

[Holly · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found a box full of books from my childhood and decided to read a few. This is so meh and forgettable. It must have been super easy to get a publishing contract in the 1960s.

[Siskiyou-Suzy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very charming book, and I really enjoyed reading it. I loved the way the children had a totally justifiable reason for not telling their parents, and the way the parents were so oblivious to the goings-on of their children. It was funny and interesting and overall very sweet. The only thing that bugged me was that it really, really seemed to suggest that Jessie, the ugly douche-y neighbor, maybe knew about the magic stove or otherwise had knowledge or magic and then . . . he didn't. There were many hints, I thought, but it never came to fruition.

[HeavyReader · Rating 2 out of 5]

I remember reading this as a kid. I remember the kids setting the stove to "O" for "ordinary" and on "M" for "Mischief." I didn't like it as much as I liked the books by Ruth Chew that I read during the same period.

[Marty · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book as a kid. A magical stove is found and when things are made on it strange things happen

[Elizabeth]

M for Mischief by Richard Parker (1975)

[Dichotomy Girl]

I remember this, only because the O & M settings.

[Robyn Bray · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this as a kid!