The Mischief Maker

Ralph, nick named Rate, sat on the front porch with his faithful dog, Bruno. Gosh! Why'd Pa have them move to town? Farm life had been so full of adventure; all kinds of activity and places to explore. He knew the answer. It was so his sister didn't have to drive the buggy from the farm to get to school.

Blanche was too good to go to the country school according to his grandmother, Setterington, and since they left Elsie, this was the solution Pa came up with. This pleased Ma too, since this had been her home as a child. It just seemed that no one ever cared about his feelings. Some things would never change.

He guessed he and Bruno would just have to adjust. After all, he was sure he could come up with some fun ways to make life in town a bit more exciting.

This is the second book in the series of the Setterington Family, from Elsie, Michigan, back in the early 1900's.

Pacific Book Review

The Mischief Maker is about the primary author, Donna Gene Stankey's father, Ralph. It is the sequel to Rate. The book is not one story, but a collection of memories from the lives of a family in the late 1800s-early 1900s.

There is Ralph (or Rate, as he was often called), a mischievous but charming boy; his no-nonsense sister, Blanche; his mother, Miney, who can never find enough room in her stone heart to love Ralph as much as his older sister; and Ralph's father, Millie who is untalkative and stubborn. In fact, "dragging words from Millie was like pulling teeth from a chicken--impossible." The memories follow them through their life on the farm in Michigan, to life on the town, and then on the farm again. It is focused on Ralph, a boy too smart for his own good, who supplied his boredom with reading and mischief making.

The Mischief Maker has no plot, just events and memories. It is written a little bit dryly, without much ethos or pathos. Despite that, one can definitely feel sorry for poor Ralph. It is obvious that he is treated lesser than his older sister, mostly by his mother, but his father, too. Ralph was so smart and cocky that he would not finish writing his school exams because he was always confident that he answered enough correctly to get a passing grade, much to his teacher's chagrin.

As the title promises, there certainly is a lot of mischief on Ralph's part. One particularly amusing story from this memoir is when Blanche catches the eye of a certain young man that Ralph does not like. Determined to prevent the "sissy" from walking Blanche home from church, Ralph embarrasses him by pulling out his chair from under him as the young man is about to sit down. His plan worked well.

It is easy to see why Donna Gene Stankey was inspired to write about her father. He had a unique and amusing childhood, and he grew up in an interesting time period when cars began to kick horses off the road. From tales of pockets full of frogs, to getting into fist fights and countless injuries, The Mischief Maker, overall, is a pleasant memoir that many readers will appreciate.

Donna Gene Stankey and her daughter, Ramona Hammel, both grew up on the family farms. (Donna on the Setterington third generation family farm, outside of Elsie, Michigan. Ramona on her dad's fourth generation family farm outside of Wayland, Michigan.) Both had lived in large cities for a time but were glad to be back to farm life. Their love for this wholesome lifestyle is what prompted them to write and publish these stories about the Setterington family. Donna has since passed away. Ramona is a dental hygienist and continues her life on her husband's fourth generation family farm outside of Hudson, Michigan.