The Middle Moffat

A Newbery Honor Book: A classic children’s novel that “can make a hardened adult reviewer laugh repeatedly” (The New Yorker).

Who is Jane Moffat, anyway? She isn’t the youngest in the family, and she isn’t the oldest—she is always just Jane. How boring. So Jane decides to become a figure of mystery . . . the mysterious “Middle Moffat.” But being in the middle is a lot harder than it looks.

In between not rescuing stray dogs, and losing and finding best friends, Jane must secretly look after the oldest inhabitant of Cranbury . . . so he can live to be one hundred. Between brushing her hair from her eyes and holding up her stockings, she has to help the girls’ basketball team win the championship. And it falls to Jane—the only person in town with enough courage—to stand up to the frightful mechanical wizard Wallie Bangs.

Jane is so busy keeping Cranbury in order that she barely has time to be plain old Jane. Sometimes the middle is the most exciting place of all. . . .

“There is much that is touching about Janey, and funny and lovable too.” —The New York Times

“This is the second Moffat book and seems even funnier, particularly the part where Jane takes the part of the Middle Bear in a charity show . . . The pictures by Louis Slobodkin add tremendously to the fun. Don't miss this!” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)