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Ridgeway Family #1
Family Grandstand
From Newbery Medal winner Carol Ryrie Brink comes a story about one unforgettable family.
Susan, George, and Dumpling have a special life in Midwest City, where they live with their college-professor dad and mystery-writer mom. Not only can they watch the university’s football games from the tower of their house on College Avenue, but now Tommy Tokarynski, who mows their lawn, is famous. He’s Midwest University’s star quarterback. There’s only one problem: Tommy’s grades are dreadful, and he might get kicked off the team before the homecoming game. With a little ingenuity, Susan, George, and Dumpling team up for a season of fun as they set out to save their beloved quarterback, outsmart their naughty neighbors, rescue animals, and start a new business that just might help out the whole family. It’s never a dull moment when the Ridgeway kids are involved!
The adventures of the Ridgeway family in Family Grandstand and its sequel, Family Sabbatical, were inspired by Carol Ryrie Brink’s own family and their life together in Saint Paul, Minnesota.
Susan, George, and Dumpling have a special life in Midwest City, where they live with their college-professor dad and mystery-writer mom. Not only can they watch the university’s football games from the tower of their house on College Avenue, but now Tommy Tokarynski, who mows their lawn, is famous. He’s Midwest University’s star quarterback. There’s only one problem: Tommy’s grades are dreadful, and he might get kicked off the team before the homecoming game. With a little ingenuity, Susan, George, and Dumpling team up for a season of fun as they set out to save their beloved quarterback, outsmart their naughty neighbors, rescue animals, and start a new business that just might help out the whole family. It’s never a dull moment when the Ridgeway kids are involved!
The adventures of the Ridgeway family in Family Grandstand and its sequel, Family Sabbatical, were inspired by Carol Ryrie Brink’s own family and their life together in Saint Paul, Minnesota.
256 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 10, 1952
14 people are currently reading
486 people want to read
About the author
Carol Ryrie Brink
65 books178 followersBorn Caroline Ryrie, American author of over 30 juvenile and adult books. Her novel Caddie Woodlawn won the 1936 Newbery Medal.
Brink was orphaned by age 8 and raised by her maternal grandmother, the model for Caddie Woodlawn. She started writing for her school newspapers and continued that in college. She attended the University of Idaho for three years before transferring to the University of California in 1917, where she graduated Phi Beta Kappa in 1918, the same year she married.
Anything Can Happen on the River, Brink's first novel, was published in 1934. She was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from the University of Idaho in 1965. Brink Hall, which houses the UI English Department and faculty offices, is named in her honor. The children's section of the Moscow, ID Carnegie public library is also named after her.
Brink was orphaned by age 8 and raised by her maternal grandmother, the model for Caddie Woodlawn. She started writing for her school newspapers and continued that in college. She attended the University of Idaho for three years before transferring to the University of California in 1917, where she graduated Phi Beta Kappa in 1918, the same year she married.
Anything Can Happen on the River, Brink's first novel, was published in 1934. She was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from the University of Idaho in 1965. Brink Hall, which houses the UI English Department and faculty offices, is named in her honor. The children's section of the Moscow, ID Carnegie public library is also named after her.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
August 29, 2022
I heard about this book on Kate Howe’s BookTube channel and felt the spark of interest in it right away. Boy did that pay off! I adored this book. The characters are so delightful, especially the three Ridgeway kids. Lots of humor and I love the sense of camaraderie that the kids have living near a college campus and across the road from the football stadium. I loved living near Whitworth and occasionally hearing the music and announcements from the baseball fields on the ridge above my house.
I loved that this story is about happy kids in a loving family. I appreciate and am moved by stories of kids in trauma or grief (Just Like That being a recent example), but I also love a good, old-fashioned happy tale. It’s a celebration of goodness at face value, which is something I appreciate and cherish, even if my adult understanding of goodness has deepened and gained nuance.
This book presents me with a choice though. I want to read the sequel. The library does not have the sequel; my local indie does. Do I break my Lenten resolution not to buy books to buy the sequel? 🤔 This is the horns of a dilemma, folks.
I loved that this story is about happy kids in a loving family. I appreciate and am moved by stories of kids in trauma or grief (Just Like That being a recent example), but I also love a good, old-fashioned happy tale. It’s a celebration of goodness at face value, which is something I appreciate and cherish, even if my adult understanding of goodness has deepened and gained nuance.
This book presents me with a choice though. I want to read the sequel. The library does not have the sequel; my local indie does. Do I break my Lenten resolution not to buy books to buy the sequel? 🤔 This is the horns of a dilemma, folks.
June 18, 2017
This is DELIGHTFUL. They have a football hero mowing their lawn! And he's going to fail chemistry! And a whole lot more, because this family is blessed with a novelist mother and a professor father who supports academic dignity, sings a lot, and hates finding turtles in the bath.
I had no idea everyone was equally fixated on football in 1952. How little some things have changed.
I had no idea everyone was equally fixated on football in 1952. How little some things have changed.
May 8, 2019
The first of two chidren's novels chronicling the adventures of the Ridgeway family - the second,
Family Sabbatical
, has been enthusiastically recommended to me by a number of friends, on more than one occasion - Family Grandstand is a charming tale, one with an appealing cast of characters and a fairly gentle but engaging set of happenings. Set in the 1950s (possibly the late 1940s?), it follows the story of the three Ridgeway children - twelve-year-old Susan, who was sensible and firm, but never bossy; middle child and boy-of-the-family George, who was going on ten, and loved animals of any and every variety; and six-year-old Dumpling (real name: Irene), whose interesting pronouncements and bespectacled appearance had her family convinced that she was a uniquely thoughtful and intelligent baby - who live on College Avenue, in a lovely old-fashioned house with a tower. Their father, who is a professor at Midwest University, and their mother, a mystery writer, complete the family; while serious student Dorothy Sturm, earning her way by helping out in the Ridgeway home, football star Tommy Tucker (AKA Tommy Tokarynski), and the local neighborhood children round out the cast of characters.
Published in 1952, this is a sweet, rather old-fashioned family story, with a little bit of football and college interest thrown in. I enjoyed pretty much everything about it, from the many incidents involving the children's animals - the adoption of Torible Terence, the happy freeing of the turtles, the unhappy freeing of Dickie the canary - to the sub-plot involving Dorothy and Tommy. The latter is resolved fairly predictably - I knew Dorothy would give in and - but I was interested to see it play out all the same. As someone who finds the current state of athletics at many universities - the way it has been turned into a big business, and allowed to supersede the true purpose of higher education (ie: academics) - very disturbing, I was pleased that it was simply understood that, without prospering in his studies, Tommy would not be allowed to play. I have difficulty imagining that being insisted upon today, at some of our schools.
In any case, this was just an immensely engaging read, and although I wouldn't say that anything particularly momentous occurred in the course of the story, I was completely involved with the characters. I can't wait to see what the Ridgeways make of France, in Family Sabbatical !
Published in 1952, this is a sweet, rather old-fashioned family story, with a little bit of football and college interest thrown in. I enjoyed pretty much everything about it, from the many incidents involving the children's animals - the adoption of Torible Terence, the happy freeing of the turtles, the unhappy freeing of Dickie the canary - to the sub-plot involving Dorothy and Tommy. The latter is resolved fairly predictably - I knew Dorothy would give in and - but I was interested to see it play out all the same. As someone who finds the current state of athletics at many universities - the way it has been turned into a big business, and allowed to supersede the true purpose of higher education (ie: academics) - very disturbing, I was pleased that it was simply understood that, without prospering in his studies, Tommy would not be allowed to play. I have difficulty imagining that being insisted upon today, at some of our schools.
In any case, this was just an immensely engaging read, and although I wouldn't say that anything particularly momentous occurred in the course of the story, I was completely involved with the characters. I can't wait to see what the Ridgeways make of France, in Family Sabbatical !
January 9, 2025
How do you write a story about happy, well-behaved children without making them sickeningly sweet? Carol Ryrie Brink knows how!
If you like the Betsy-Tacy or the All-of-a-Kind Family books, you'll be sure to enjoy the adventures of siblings George, Susan and Dumpling as they navigate life's challenges with creativity and unselfishness.
I thoroughly enjoyed making their acquaintance.
(It's too bad that the covers are so unattractive.)
If you like the Betsy-Tacy or the All-of-a-Kind Family books, you'll be sure to enjoy the adventures of siblings George, Susan and Dumpling as they navigate life's challenges with creativity and unselfishness.
I thoroughly enjoyed making their acquaintance.
(It's too bad that the covers are so unattractive.)
April 14, 2008
I'm well past the intended target age for this book, but it's one of those children's books I remember fondly and still like to reread every so often. The Ridgeway kids were close enough to my age that I could identify with them, while at the same time wishing I could have their cool adventures. I lived in the Twin Cities at the time I first read this and recognized the fictional Midwest City as a disguised Minneapolis. Along with the later "Family Sabbatical", I'd recommend this to anyone, and not just kids.
April 8, 2010
I adored everything about this story. My friend Barbara gave me an old library copy published in 1952. I even loved the smell of this book. I think I'm particularly partial to the Ridgeway children and their adventures because I'd like to think my own children will grow up to have similar experiences. My kids will also be children of a professor and hopefully will live in a beautiful old house with a tower near the football stadium. I also love how these kids have so much school spirit. The time period of the early 1950s is great too. It warms my heart thinking of two sisters taking a streetcar downtown to buy their brother a birthday present at a dime store. The neighborhood boys are also wonderful characters.
The icing on the cake? One of the dedications in this book is as follows: "This book is for [. . .:] all the Carols and Susans who enjoy their names."
The icing on the cake? One of the dedications in this book is as follows: "This book is for [. . .:] all the Carols and Susans who enjoy their names."
August 30, 2022
4-1/2 Stars
The Ridgeway family is such an endearing cast of characters! I loved the setting in a college town and that Mr. Ridgeway is a professor and Mrs. Ridgeway is writing a mystery novel. Often parents in middle grade books (especially those of a certain era) feel very stereotypical but I thought, for background characters, the Ridgeway parents were more unique than most. And the kids all felt like real kids to me. It's hard to pick a favorite between Susan, George and Dumpling but I think Dumpling edges out the other two just a bit. Her chubby belly, her thoughtfulness, and her love of animals made her especially endearing.
This book felt like such a nostalgic read though I had never encountered it before. It was a fun and engaging read and I'm looking forward to reading the sequel!
The Ridgeway family is such an endearing cast of characters! I loved the setting in a college town and that Mr. Ridgeway is a professor and Mrs. Ridgeway is writing a mystery novel. Often parents in middle grade books (especially those of a certain era) feel very stereotypical but I thought, for background characters, the Ridgeway parents were more unique than most. And the kids all felt like real kids to me. It's hard to pick a favorite between Susan, George and Dumpling but I think Dumpling edges out the other two just a bit. Her chubby belly, her thoughtfulness, and her love of animals made her especially endearing.
This book felt like such a nostalgic read though I had never encountered it before. It was a fun and engaging read and I'm looking forward to reading the sequel!
March 6, 2012
I didn't like this as much as I did Family Sabbatical so it was probably best I read them in the order I read them in. This was a cute story though and it is interesting to see how times have changed. Susan's comment about babysitting for the Terrible Torrences despite them being five and six and old enough to take care of themselves made me chuckle a little.
April 18, 2010
I would like to live in this book. But do I want to be the history professor or the mystery-novel writer?
February 15, 2025
5*
• gentle slice-of-life family story
• immersive 1950's atmosphere
• small Midwest university town
• football and falling leaves
• humor and heart
• utterly sublime 💛
• gentle slice-of-life family story
• immersive 1950's atmosphere
• small Midwest university town
• football and falling leaves
• humor and heart
• utterly sublime 💛
November 3, 2009
I actually like this better than Family Sabbatical because of the family's love of football and the college town atmosphere.
http://perfectretort.blogspot.com/201...
http://perfectretort.blogspot.com/201...
May 3, 2022
From Carol Ryrie Brink, author of Caddie Woodlawn and Baby Island, this book is an enjoyable family story set in the 1950s, about the Ridgeway family’s adventures living next to the college football stadium. It was out of print for years, but is now available as part of the Nancy Pearl’s Book Crush Rediscoveries series of reprints. I’m glad it’s available again, so maybe I shouldn’t gripe… but honestly, I don’t understand why the Nancy Pearl series always seems to give the books such dorky-looking covers. The original looked much nicer! Also, the original book apparently included illustrations, while this one does not.
But I really am glad that the book was reprinted, however imperfectly, because it’s a great little story, and the Ridgeway family reminds me so much of my own family, from the nerdy parents to the three kids, and all the way down to the rescued dog whose powerful waggy tail keeps knocking things over! But I think readers whose families aren’t carbon copies of this one will still enjoy the engaging personalities and fun plot. It’s clean and wholesome, too, with no problematic content.
(Update: my 10-year-old son and 12-year-old daughter both liked it very much.)
But I really am glad that the book was reprinted, however imperfectly, because it’s a great little story, and the Ridgeway family reminds me so much of my own family, from the nerdy parents to the three kids, and all the way down to the rescued dog whose powerful waggy tail keeps knocking things over! But I think readers whose families aren’t carbon copies of this one will still enjoy the engaging personalities and fun plot. It’s clean and wholesome, too, with no problematic content.
(Update: my 10-year-old son and 12-year-old daughter both liked it very much.)
May 3, 2019
The three Ridgeway children and their father, Professor Ridgeway, live so near the college football field that their home becomes a "grandstand" on football night. Part of the plot is their persuading their father that it's not beneath his academic dignity to let them park cars in the yard during games. A bigger part is the romantic relationship between the college football hero who does their yard work and the more advanced student who does housework for room and board in their home. Then there's the question whether little sister Irene, who is certainly bright and precociously empathetic, is a child prodigy--or progidy, as big sister Susan persistently mispronounces the word.
My feeling at age ten was that the Teen Romance gets in the way of a good, funny story about kids. Some readers may think there's too much kid comedy and not enough Teen Romance. Nevertheless, this hybrid novel seems to work for most readers on both levels.
My feeling at age ten was that the Teen Romance gets in the way of a good, funny story about kids. Some readers may think there's too much kid comedy and not enough Teen Romance. Nevertheless, this hybrid novel seems to work for most readers on both levels.
September 12, 2015
I have a professor-like husband and we live near a small college and I realized I was deriving a lot of satisfaction from that -- like it was something I always wanted, which made me think about the source of these goals -- I realized it came from there old books I read as a kid--Family Sabbatical, Family Grandstand and The Motoring Millers, where the dads were college professors and they lived near small colleges. I found out that Two Lions was reissuing Family Grandstand and Sabbatical as part of their Nancy Pearl series. I was so excited, and purchased immediately. Family Grandstand was written in the 50s for middle grade readers and it was a delightful romp into another time. The Ridgeway family lives on College Ave of Midwest U, where the school quarterback mows their lawn, and the three Ridgeway kids get into highjinks with their neighbors and pets. Sweet Americana -- very charming book. Nancy Pearl mentions in her intro that this was part of the "family series" trend that was going on at the time...like All of a Kind Family. Where the story involved the entire family, mom, dad, kids, pets, neighbors, etc. I wonder what the middle grade family series 2.0 trend would look like in 2015?
September 3, 2015
I won this book through GoodReads Frist Read program.
This book is for young readers. It will take them back to the 1950s during the fall in a Midwest college town. They will learn about the Ridgeway family. Dad is a professor, mom is a mystery writer, Susan is 12, George 10 and Dumpling is 6. They live in a house right by the football field and their house has a tower. Best of all the star college quarterback Tommy mows their lawn in the summer.
No huge adventures but various everyday dealings. I enjoyed the book. Took me back to when I was a kid and going to college football games at the closest university. The description of the college town reminded me of Iowa City where I did my graduate work. Good wholesome reading for young readers.
This book is for young readers. It will take them back to the 1950s during the fall in a Midwest college town. They will learn about the Ridgeway family. Dad is a professor, mom is a mystery writer, Susan is 12, George 10 and Dumpling is 6. They live in a house right by the football field and their house has a tower. Best of all the star college quarterback Tommy mows their lawn in the summer.
No huge adventures but various everyday dealings. I enjoyed the book. Took me back to when I was a kid and going to college football games at the closest university. The description of the college town reminded me of Iowa City where I did my graduate work. Good wholesome reading for young readers.
September 27, 2025
Family Grandstand is a look back in time to the 1950's when children played outside, knew all the neighborhood kids and had relationships with them. This is a story of a family in Midwest City of a family with the only house on the block with a tower. The tower gives them a view in all directions including into the local college football stadium. Family Grandstand is a great chapter book for young readers to get a look at how kids lived in the past.
I want to thank Carol Ryrie Brink, author and Goodreads First Reads Giveaway for the copy of Family Grandstand that I won in the Giveaway.
I want to thank Carol Ryrie Brink, author and Goodreads First Reads Giveaway for the copy of Family Grandstand that I won in the Giveaway.
June 22, 2015
Such a cute, wholesome book written for children in the 1950's. This is the author of the Newbery Award "Caddie Woodlawn" so I thought I'd give it a try-and it was so fun! Just a quick read about three professor's children and their pets in the good ol' American days. I think it's first in a series so I'll be reading the others.
September 11, 2015
I won this book from Goodreads First Reads.
This book is for young readers but I enjoyed reading it and will pass it along to my niece. I didn't realize until now that this book was originally published in the 50's, no wonder I was feeling so nostalgic. Just goes to show that a good, family orientated, wholesome story is never outdated.
This book is for young readers but I enjoyed reading it and will pass it along to my niece. I didn't realize until now that this book was originally published in the 50's, no wonder I was feeling so nostalgic. Just goes to show that a good, family orientated, wholesome story is never outdated.
November 3, 2015
I won a copy of this from Goodreads First Reads
I read this and also "Family Sabbatical" when I was a child, and loved the antics of the Ridgeway kids. It was fun to read again as an adult, and I enjoyed it as much the second time around. Fun stories told in a lighthearted fashion, and a fun look at life in the 1950s. I will enjoy sharing it with my grandkids.
I read this and also "Family Sabbatical" when I was a child, and loved the antics of the Ridgeway kids. It was fun to read again as an adult, and I enjoyed it as much the second time around. Fun stories told in a lighthearted fashion, and a fun look at life in the 1950s. I will enjoy sharing it with my grandkids.
May 3, 2010
Really enjoyed this family story, set in fall in a college town. The kids are kids I've known, and their love of football almost makes me like football.
And wouldn't it be fun if Oliver Melendy and Dumpling spent some time together?
And wouldn't it be fun if Oliver Melendy and Dumpling spent some time together?
July 19, 2012
Sweet, cute and wholesome. I was diverted but not enchanted. Contrary to what Wendy promised me, there are no actual lizards in this book. Ultimately, I neither connected with nor cared about anyone in the family.
June 13, 2008
What a charming, old-fashioned story. I greatly enjoyed it, and I wonder how I missed it as a child. "Family Sabbatical" is next.
December 4, 2017
I read this when I was a child, and recently re-discovered it on the shelves of the library. Charming.
November 30, 2009
Great story...really enjoyed the family and the atmosphere of a university neighborhood during football season. Will be looking for an old copy to buy on my next trip to the used bookstore!
August 18, 2012
Family Grandstand was another on-loan book and absolutely charming. I loved the seeing the characters from Family Sabbatical on their home turf.
February 4, 2014
Another wholesome family book to read aloud to the kids, simpler times. I think the fictional Midwest university is the University of Minnesota.
October 14, 2015
Fun and old fashioned. Great family. Fun adventures. Very quiet story, I'm happy that all turns out well.
January 20, 2016
This was one of Nancy Pearl's "Book Crush Rediscoveries." It was fun--a nice family story--but I didn't like it nearly as well as the Penderwicks family stories.
September 1, 2024
4.5 stars. An absolute delight.
January 28, 2023
This was so lovely! American football is not even a tradition in my part of the world but I still enjoyed this book nonetheless. It's set in a college town which I found really charming. The Ridgeway family is wholesome without feeling sickly sweet as the author made them feel relatable and true to life. Dumpling is adorable I love her so much. The side characters also feel real e.g. Dorothy, the family's helper who's working to put herself through college, and Tommy, the college quarterback who's struggling with his studies. I've found that the "family story" genre is my go-to when it comes to middle grade and am excited to explore more books along the same lines.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews