Loganberry Books
Stump the Bookseller: XYZ
|
|
|
|
|
Search Loganberry's Website!
|
|
|
Y1: Yellow dress and sailor
For years now I have been trying to find
the name of a children's story that involves a teenage girl who
has a crush on a sailor who goes off to sea. She says
good-bye to him wearing a pretty yellow dress. He promises
to come back to her someday, and he asks her to be wearing that
pretty yellow dress when he comes home. So every day she goes
out to the harbor wearing her yellow dress, but he does
not come. Then many years later, when
her dress is washed thin and no longer fits (because she is now
a young woman) her sailor arrives at last.
Could Y1 be Eleanor Farjeon's Mill
of Dreams? It was published separately and as one of
the stories in Martin Pippin and the Apple Orchard. Only
problem is the dress there was blue, but the rest sounds very
similar.
Lord of the Rushy River.
This is a beautiful little book, but the girl is the young
daughter of the sailor, not girlfriend. The yellow dress
is wonderful. The Lord of the Rushy River is a swan that
she and her father used to feed by a river before he
leaves. The swan rescues her from the town where she has
been taken, and carries her back to the river where she wears
the dress, now much too small, and meets her father. One
of those books that is happy, but makes you want to cry.
Sorry, but this description definitely
doesn't match Farjeon's
Mill of
Dreams. The girl in Mill of Dreams goes only once to
the shore -- as a middle aged woman, when a flood brings the
shore right up to her mill.
Correction to an earlier
post: The book suggested by the poster in red is spelled
incorrectly; it's Lord of the Rushie River, and the author is Cicely Mary Barker.
Y2: Yarn
and Grandma
Solved: Little
Colonel's Hero
Y3: Yukon
Solved: Lost
Island
Y4: Youngest
child in family
Solved: Lisa and the Grompet
Y5: Young
Merlin
Silver something? pre-1975 Novel about young Merlin, ~200pp. Had
an appendix on the runic alphabet.
Mary Stewart, The Crystal Cave, 1970. Could this be The Crystal
Cave? (Crystal and silver associate in the
mind.) This is definitely a story of the young Merlin,
with a copyright in the time frame specified. I don't know about
the runic dictionary in the appendix, but it could be that one
of the editions had this feature. (The one I saw had maps on the
endpapers but no dictionary as such.)
Andre Norton, Merlin's Mirror, 1975. This might also be Merlin's
Mirror by Andre Norton. It's more of a
length to fit the criterion, and The Crystal Cave
doesn't have a runic alphabet (I'm not sure this does either,
but I can't remember one way or the other).
It is not one of the Mary Stewart books, which I read several
years later.
This is a long shot -- but is it possibly Cooper's
The Dark Is Rising sequence? The stories do
deal with Merlin and related legends, and the last book in the
sequence is titled Silver on the Tree.
Y6: YA pre/early Civil War book
I'm looking for a fiction book about a family living in the North
whose southern-born parents go on a trip to the South just as the
Civil War is breaking out. The children must deal with the town's
suspicions that they are Confederate sypathisers, remain loyal to
thir parents and to their own beliefs and keep the family
together. Main characters are the older teen-age children,
Carrie and Ben.
Norma Johston, Ready or Not, 1965. Two oldest children are named
Carolina aka Carlie & Ben. Set in NJ during the Civil
War. Mother born in the south & parents are visiting
south when war breaks out. Children must survive both
accusations about the parents and financial hardships of
supporting family.
Y7: Your
fur needs combing!
This was a favorite book about a forest creature in search of
friendship. The main character would go around telling all he met
that thier fur needed combing. I wish I could remember more but
that is all. I would love to share this story with my
children. I hope you can help.
could this be Bartholomew the Beaver,
from the Solved List? While not exact, it does have a forest
creature looking for friends and references to untidy fur.
patti stren, hug me, 1977. Y7 Could your character be a
porcupine who wants a hug? Newly illustrated edition recently
published, but call me sentimental, I prefer the original, line
drawings with minimal color.
Marjorie Weinman Sharmat, I'm
Terrific. I think
this might by "I'm Terrific" by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat.
Jason Bear thinks he is wonderful and keeps awarding himself
gold stars. I think he tells his friends that they need to
comb their fur. He is quite unpleasant to them, so they
don't like to be with him. As a result, he is very
lonely. He finds out that being terrific is not enough--he
needs friends. You might also be thinking of "Mole and
Troll". Troll asks Mole, "Who will tell me when my fur
needs combing?
Marjorie Weinman Sharmat, I'm
Terrific. I think this might by I''m Terrific
by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat. Jason Bear thinks he
is wonderful and keeps awarding himself gold stars. I
think he tells his friends that they need to comb their
fur. He is quite unpleasant to them, so they don'\''t like
to be with him. As a result, he is very lonely. He
finds out that being terrific is not enough--he needs
friends.You might also be thinking of Mole and Troll.
Troll asks Mole, "Who will tell me when my fur needs combing?" I
hope this helps.
Y8: young girl getting her period
Solved: Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret
2002
Y9: Young witch, young boy,
talking bear
Solved: The Second Witch
Y10: young spies in Eastern Europe
Looking for a book, written before 1963, about young people (I
think a boy and a girl) who get caught up in a spy adventure in an
unnamed but vaguely communist country. The one clear memory I have
is that the secret code for identifying fellow spies is: "The snow
on Mt. Tana is red."
Y11: Young girl travels in time to ancient Egypt
Solved: Cat in the Mirror
2003
Y12: young boy's
adventure to The Pas in Canada
Solved: Lost in the Barrens
Y13: You say...no Santa Clause
1912-1920. Poem my mother often quoted but couldn't recall
all lines. You say there is no Santa Clause / That's
cause you do not know / I saw him one Christmas Eve / All
covered with the snow. // His cap was red, his coat a
pretty green / (xxx....................xxx) / You say there is
no Santa Clause/ That's cause you do not know.
Y14: young boy/horse
1950's. Young boy runs away from home with his horse and
narrowly escapes a flash flood in an arroyo
#Y14--young boy/horse: It would
really help to know the type and length of each book described
if at all possible! If this was picture book size, it
could be one of the Billy and Blaze series by C.
W. Anderson. There are a couple of incidents like
this in Little Britches, by Ralph Moody,
but this is a long chapter book. In one, Ralph runs away
on horseback to seek help for a sick horse, and in another, he
barely escapes a flash flood but his horse is lost.
There is a rescue from a flash flood in a
canyon in Little Vic by Doris Gates
(1961)
Y15: Yellow Line
This was a story about two sisters that could not get
along. They shared a house and painted a yellow line
throughout the inside of the house to separate their living
areas. The porch of the house also had a yellow line painted
across the front. The sisters may have been twins. A
teenager boy or girl is interested in the women and the mystery of
their feud. Eventually the teen discovers that one of the sisters
has been dead for years and the other sister has been painting the
line on the porch so no one will know that she is dead.
Yikes. Quite a jump from This
Side is Mine.
Y16: Young kids in Nazi mystery
I read this book in 6th grade in Missouri
and was quite scared by it. It involved two boys and maybe
a girl involved in a mystery (the details of which I don't
remember). But the main bad guys turned out to be Nazis in
post war America. I read this in the mid-seventies and I think
it was set in the 60's. The thing I remember most vividly
is the ending where the Nazi is chasing the boys acros a rickety
railroad trestle. One of the boys slips and is hanging on for
dear life as a train is coming. The Nazi eventually falls
between the slats while trying to kill the boy, and is hanged. I
remember this being described in a very graphic and grisly way
(at least for my delicate sensibilities at the time). The
trestle plays a pretty large part as the kids have to cross it
several times, with much trepidation. This has been
bugging me for years and I would greatly appreciate any help you
may provide in finding it!
Jacynth Hope-SImpson, The Man
Who Came Back. I remember this spy story, although
I think it was set in England, in a boarding school. One of the
children was named Nigel. The girl was Lucy, and I think her dad
was the headmaster of the boys' school, so Lucy lived in the
school building but was not of it.
Y17: Young girl's diary
Solved: Gertrude
Kloppenberg (private)
Y18: Young Boy Finds Dragon Puzzle in Abandoned(?) House
Solved: Dragon Magic
Y19: Young migrant worker in California
A children's book I read in the late
50s,early 60s about a young migrant worker (boy) who
picked fruit with his family in the California Central
Valley. The library book from which I read the story was
light blue in color with a picture of the boy in overalls
with a fruit bag over his shoulder an walking beneath a grove of
trees.
#Y19--Young migrant worker in
California: Author is probably Lois Lenski.
I don't have any memory of this specific
book, but it could be one of the many by Lois Lenski, as
she had a lot about migrant workers, poor families, etc. in
different regions of the country.
Louisa Shotwell, Roosevelt Grady, early 1960s. A possibility, especially
if the characters were African American.
If the child is a Mexican boy -maybe A
Place for Johnny-Bill by Ruth Juline (1961)
Correcting a previous submission: MEXICAN
migrant worker is Mario by Marion Garthwaite
(1960), A Place for Johnny-Bill by Ruth
Juline (1961) is also a story of migrant workers.
unfortunately, none of those mentioned are the ones I am
looking for. Thanks again for your time and effort.
Y20:
Young witch in training
Solved: The Resident
Witch
Y21:
young woman raised by indians
Solved: Witch's Silver
Y22: yellow was a mellow fellow
Solved: My Color Game
Y23:
YA Mystery--Set in FL; Streets in Sub Spell Betty
Solved: The Mystery of
the Second Treasure
2004
Y24: Young adult novel set during Vietnam War era
I read this book between 1969 and
1975. It was one of those modern, relevant novels that
were popular with teens at the time and was recently published
when I read it. The story was about a family with 3 young
adult children and was set in the Vietnam War era somewhere on
the East coast. One of the sons and the daughter in the family
are adopted and are not related to each other by blood.
The other son isn't adopted. The natural son has been
drafted and is in Vietnam. The adopted son drew a high
number in the draft lottery and hasn't been drafted. The
daughter has sought and found her birth parents and convinces
her brother to try to do the same. She helps him and in the
process they fall in love and decide to marry. Their adoptive
parents are horrifed because they consider this incest. In
the midst of this crisis, the family receives news that the
natural son has been killed in Vietnam. Sound familiar to
anyone? I believe the word tree was in the title.
Y25: Young Witch
Solved: The Witch Who Was Afraid of Witches
Y26:
Young girl befriends blind girl
Solved: The Seeing
Summer
Y27:
Yellow Jacket
Solved: Yellow Jacket :
the story of a domestic cat
2005
Y28:
Yaks, pots in picture book
1974 Picture book, rich/vibrant/earthy tones. Boy
lives in the mountains and makes pots with his family. They
load up their yaks with the pots and make the long journey to the
market. (Moral of the story: Yaks and pots are very cool.)
Y29:
Young rabbit won't sleep
Solved: Good night,
Richard Rabbit
Y31: a year of life
looking for a play where four (?) children
each decide to give up a year of life to save dying friend's
life
Y31: Not a play originally, anyway, but it
sure sounds like Ray Bradbury's The Halloween Tree. Love
those pen-and-ink illustrations! He should turn 85 this summer.
Ray Bradbury, The Halloween Tree, 1972. On page 160 of this novella,
Carapace Clavicle Moundshroud asks eight boys to give one year
from the end of their lives to ransom the life of their friend,
Pipkin. Ray Bradbury also wrote a teleplay with the same
title and a slightly different plot: it won an Emmy Award for
Outstanding Writing in an Animated Program in 1993.
Hanna-Barbera animated the teleplay, and it is still available
in VHS. That particular version is probably the one the
stumper requester remembers: four children (three boys, one
girl) are asked to trade a year of their lives for the safe
return of their friend, Pip. Leonard Nimoy (Star Trek's
Mr. Spock) is the voice of Moundshroud and Ray Bradbury is the
narrator.
Y32: Young Witch or Mermaid Crystal Cave under House
Solved: The Witch
Family
Y33: Young Witch, broom stick, something silver
I read this book for the first time in 4th grade- 1987- and my
Dad remembers reading it at about the same age (he was born in
1952). It was about a young witch girl who wanted to fly (maybe
couldn't fly?), there was something silver that paid a large part
in the story- like a silver bird or a salt shaker or something
like that. It was a chapter book, and I know I loved it, but I
can't remember much beyond it.
Jill Murphy, The Worst Witch. Could it be The Worst Witch?
I remember the girl witch as wearing baggy red and white
stockings in the book I had as a girl, but all the copies of the
book I can find for sale have illustrations from the T.V.
series.
There is a series of books about Wendy
Witch. The title is usually Wendy Witch and the...
ssomething Chew (Elisabeth?), What
the
Witch Left, 1970s. I can't remember a witch wanting
to fly but there was definitely a silver bird-shaped salt shaker
in What the Witch Left. I remember it came alive
when the 2 young girls polished it and I think it laid a tiny
silver egg at the end of the story. This was a great book!
Patricia Coombs, Doorie's
Magic, Doorie and the Blue Witch,
etc. I too was searching for the name of a
children's book about a little witch. I remember the sweet
illustrations. Especially the stockings and a little
crooked hat ...Pat Coombs' little witch, Dorrie. Ms.
Coombs wrote about 20 books about Doorie and her cat,
Gink. I don't know if they are available in print
anymore. I hope the image at this link immediately reminds
you of your childhood...http://dorrie.jdfiles.org/
Norton, Mary, Magic
Bedknob, 1940s, copyright. Perhaps it
could be The
Magic Bedknob by Mary
Norton. Although this book involves an inexperienced
witch, she is not young. The witch and children go flying off
with mixed results on an old bed using the bedknob (silver?)
as the magical object.
2006
Y34: Yellow Peril
I'm looking for a girls'mystery series which included a book
about older chinese men posing as high school students, something
like Connie Blair or Judy Bolton. I thought it was called "The
Yellow Peril" or something like that. We have a bet on whether or
not this book exists, so I look forward to hearing from you all!
Gene Stratton Porter, Her Father's
Daughter. Very
non-PC book but a great read. Japanese men pose as teen boys.
Key part of the plot. Yellow peril referred to specifically as
such. Teen girls.
I'm sorry, I don't think this was a Gene Stratton Porter book.
It was definitely a series, one where I "knew" some of the
characters already. This is definitely not the book I was
looking for--'way too grown up! My book was in a stack of free
reading books in a third grade classroom.
Y35: Young Merlin, Orphanage, Postapocalyptic Future
Solved: Winter of
Magic's Return
Y36: Young girl with psychic ability
Read around 1985/86, about a girl who was
psychic. I remember that she somehow found herself transported
onto the Titanic where she saw a young boy in a room and she
wanted to save him but couldn't. She may have had two good
friends and wasn't very popular, maybe kind of poor. Something
to do with an old woman they were afraid of as well.
Richard Peck, Ghosts I Have Been. One of his series about Blossom
Culp. She uses her psychic powers to travel back to the
Titanic to try to rescue a boy who drowned.
Richard Peck, Ghosts I Have Been,
1979, reprint. I am sure
this is the book you are looking for. The name of the girl
is Blossom Culp and she has second sight. She lives with
her mother and they are very poor. She becomes involved with the
ghost of a boy who was on the Titanic and even is "transported"
to the Titanic and brings back a towel (or something like that)
that is proof that she was there.
Y37: young cowboy and cowgirl
Solved: The
Book of Cowboys
Y38: Young man lives with father in mountains
I'm looking for a series of books I read when I was in grade
school. They were about a young man who lived in the mountains
with his father. His father was a ranger or ran an avalanche
patrol.
Y39: Young cursed man
Young man moves to village that thinks he's cursed. This is
a chapter book I read in elementary school (3rd-5th grade).
The young man moves back to the village where he was born but he's
unwelcome because the villagers think he's cursed--it's something
to do with his birth and/or his mother...I think she made some
sort of deal with a demon/devil and possibly sold her son's
soul. Much of the book is about the young man trying to fit
in. One thing in particular that I remember is a scene at a
harvest-type festival where the young man gets his hand caught in
an apple press (?) when he's trying to fix it. I think he
meets the demon/devil at the end and somehow breaks the curse /
wins back his soul.
Y40: Yellow
Book with Rabbit
Solved: The Whispering Rabbit and other
stories
Y41: Yellow string and stuffed bear adventure
I'm looking for a book that I read as a kid
in the late 70's or early 80's. The story is illustrated with
live photographs of a stuffed bear in different settings. For
example, there was a picture of the stuffed bear climbing a
mountain trail, then the bear in front of his house, etc. Also,
there is a piece of yellow string or yarn that comes out of a
magic music box and leads the bear on his various adventures. He
follows the yellow piece of yarn around. I remember one book in
particular where the bear was going to a party. I'm not sure if
that was the only book or if it was a series.
Alfred the Little Bear. This
book may be the answer to your stumper. Visually it is a
series of photographs of a little stuffed bear in different
real-life settings. My sister had this book as a child and
loved it. In one part Alfred is shown with an apple and he
says, "Whew! That apple almost knocked me silly!" There
was a mention of string, but each event or what-have-you in the
book lasted only one or two pages. I hope this is the book
you are looking for, but if not, perhaps there were other Alfred
books and yours is one of them.
Stephanie, Yellow String and Stuffed
Bear Adventure. This isn't the book I was looking
for, but you are on the right track. The bear was a larger
teddy bear and the yellow string that came out of the music
box led him on all of his adventures. He might have been
British... for some reason that seems familiar. In the book I
remember he was given an invitation to a party and had to
follow the yellow string to get to the party location.
2007
Y42: young English boy
This is a contemporary fiction book that I read (in paperback) in
1998 while living in London. There is a young English girl (fresh
out of high school or college) who takes a year (whether it is her
official "gap year" trip, I can't remember) and travels around the
United Kingdom, spending three months each in four separate
locations: Cornwall, Ireland, Scotland, and somewhere else in
England. The book is about her adventures, the places, and the
people she meets. I think her aunt or close older family friend
sponsors the trip, so all of the stops and the people she stays
with are a surprise. I can't for the life of me remember the name
of the book or the author. Any help would be appreciated! Thank
you!
Y43: Young woman seeking career in radio
I thought this was a Phyllis A
Whitney title, but it doesn't seem to be. Young woman comes to
big city (New York?) to try to start career in (I thik) radio.
Lives in boarding house where all young folks show off their
musical talents after dinner; her only musical talent is
whistling, which she apparently does very well. There is a nice
young man living there too--he may be the one who is in radio,
and of course they fall in love. I think I recall they visited
an artist friend who has unusual mobile in doorway that somehow
would scare away a thief. I read this in the late 1950s.
Y44: "You won't be needed until morning"
Solved: How To Grow Up
In One Easy Piece
Y45: Young woman engaged to higher-class man, story
within story, ancestress
Solved: Witch's Silver
Y46: Young boy, elderly gent, monkeys with ice cream
cones
The book I am searching for has a young boy with elderly
gent. Last page or so covers monkeys in trees within an iron
fence, each holding a different colored ice cream cone.
Thank you. I read this book around 1962, in the Hollywood
Library, Hollywood, Ca, which has since been torched by arsonist.
H A Rey, Cecily G. and
the Nine Monkeys. If the illustrations you
remember were in the same style as Curious George, then this
might be it. We no longer have our copy so I can't check but
I sure seem to remember they all ended up in the zoo, with ice
cream.
Sorry, I can't identify this
book, but it is NOT Cecily G. and the Nine Monkeys by H.A. Rey. I own a
copy, and there is no elderly gentleman, no boy, and no monkeys
with ice cream cones.
Ruth Helm, Mimi Love (illus), The Roary Lion,
1954, copyright. This is a total long shot, but when I
search on "ice cream" and "zoo" this keeps popping up.
"Augustus the lion roars constantly in the zoo, so Uncle Henry
and Aunt Alverta agree to let Tommy bring him home to find out
why he roars. Tommy tries training him and giving him a new
diet. Finally, Tommy discovers that what Augustus really loves
is ice cream, and that's what been making him roar." It does
have a young boy (Tommy), an older gentelman (Uncle Henry),
ice cream, and a zoo. I have not read the book myself, but can
speculate that perhaps at the end of the book, Augustus is
returned to the zoo and everyone (including the monkeys) has
ice cream? Front cover is orange, with a line drawing of the
lion holding an ice cream cone in one paw and licking it.
2008
Y47: Young boy defeats aunt's boyfriend at
"muckraking" game in swamp
Solved: How Tom beat Captain Najork and His Hired
Sportsmen
Y48: Young black girl's adventures
Solved: Philip Hall Likes Me... I Reckon Maybe
Y49: Yellow
hardback
story
collection
My sister and I remember a collection of
children's stories in a large yellow hardback book with pictures
from each story scattered across the front. This was in
the mid-fifties (1957 - 59). One of the stories was "The
Fussy Furnace" - the thin lady wanted the furnace to be hot and
the fat lady wanted it to be cool - Toodles Lolly Tompkins was
the name of the fat lady. Another entry was Biffington Bop
- a poem. Genevieve Goes to Bed Early was another entry in
this collection.
Tibor Gergely (illus), The Golden Story Treasury (A Big
Golden Book In Full Color), 1951, copyright. If the cover might have
been pink instead of yellow, perhaps this is the one you're
looking for? Cover contains a montage of images from many
stories, including children flying a kite, a kangaroo, an
elephant, a panda, a camel loaded with bundles, a rooster, a
fire engine with firemen, a steam shovel, a trolley car, a
tugboat, a lion, a frog, a donkey wearing a staw hat, and a
sheet with a green jack-o-lantern head on top. Stories
include Samson, Biffington Bop, The Very Quiet Forest, William
the Rooster, Genevieve Goes to Bed Early, The Jolly
Jack-O-Lantern, Ellie Phantastic, Farmer Jim, Oliver the
Old-Fashioned Trolley Car, The Littlest Fire Engine, The Mirror,
and many more. I don't know if "The Fussy Furnace" is in there
or not - I can't seem to find any reference to that story, but I
don't have the complete listing of the contents of The Golden
Story Treasury, either.
Y50: Young
man warns galaxy of "bug" invasion
Scifi: young male diplomat is
captured on starship, slave in mine, owner is woman he falls in
love with, but then must escape to warn galaxy of impending "bug"
invasion, returns with army and saves woman.
Robert A. Heinlein, Citizen of the Galaxy/Starship
Troopers. I think you are mixing up two novels. In Starship Troopers,
there are bugs. I don't remember the first book as well, but
I think it has the enslaved boy.
Y51: Young
woman in jungle civilization
Solved: Zahrah the Windseeker
Y52: Young
adult romance
Solved: Rainbow After Rain
Y53: Young
man frozen, unfrozen in future
Hi, I'm looking for a book that I
read in the mid to late 70's and was about a young man, possibly
named Evan, who had a famous father (famous for cryogenics).
He was frozen and then unfrozen in the future where people live to
be very old (have paper thin skin) and cars navigate
themselves...help!!
Bonham,
Frank, The Forever Formula. I'm pretty sure this is The
Forever Formula by Frank Bonham. Here's a post someone has
about it (I was trying to confirm the main character's name and
found it): http://quaedam.wordpress.com/2008/06/22/read-this-the-forever-formula/ I remember the paper thin skin,
too!
Y54: Young
black girl in the city, wants garden
Picture book. Young black girl who
lives in the city and wants a garden. She tries planting the
carrots that her mom intended for their supper - Mom gets mad;
carrots wilt. Brother shows her where a sunflower is growing
against brick wall. Girl puts on yellow dress and dances for
her grandmother.
Faith Ringgold, Tar Beach, 1991, approximate. This book
was featured on Reading Rainbow:
http://pbskids.org/readingrainbow/books/episode_detail_081.html.
Baldwin, Anne Norris, Sunflowers for Tina, 1970, copyright.
Y55: yellow cover, humorous poems,
limericks, epitaphs
Seeking a book with a yellow cover
that would have been read in the 1970s. Described as small
and thin, probably paperback. Contained humorous poems and
children's poems, including limericks and epitaphs. It is
NOT the Pocket Book of Humorous Verse. Trying to find it for
a friend. Thanks.
Christopher Logue, Children's Book of Comic Verse. The Faber Book of Comic Verse has been around
for a long time, but you might also try The Children's Book of Comic Verse, edited by
Christopher Logue. I have a copy here and it does have
epitaphs.
Beatrice Schenk De Regniers, Abraham Lincoln Joke Book, 1965,
copyright. This is a long shot, since I don't remember it
having any poetry, but it does have a yellow cover, with a
picture of Abraham Lincoln on it. It's a collection of anecdotes
and jokes, mostly revolving around Lincoln.
edited by Julia Watson, The Armada Lion book of young
verse, 1973, copyright. Could you be
thinking of this book - it was a thin yellowish paperback with
a few line art illustrations on the cover by Quinten Blake. I
know it had poems/limericks by Edward Lear, Hillaire Belloc
and other similar poets. I think it was mostly nonsense
rhymes but we also had a Spike Milligan's nonsense verse and I
may bet getting confused between the two. The library
catalogue describes it as "Strange creatures and peculiar
people, rhymes and riddles, adventures and journeys - all in
verse".
Y56: Young Girl instrumental in battle of
Light and Dark (must choose side?)
Solved: Running
With
The Demon
Y57: Young black girl makes desk out of
wooden crate
Young Black Girl living in the city
has no space of her own and creates a desk out of an old wooden
crate. This was a magical book about imagination and making
a space or home for yourself even if you had nothing. It may
have been a card board box? 60's or early 70's?
Y58: Young
girl, time travel
The story was about a little girl
who discovers a way to go back into the past through what was
(maybe?) a deserted house foundation. She learns about and spends
time with the family she meets from the past. Eventually she has
to stop going to the house, but comes home with a kitten that
helps her remember her time there.
Sauer, Julia L., Fog Magic.
Sauer, Julia, Fog Magic, 1944, approximate. Could this be Fog Magic?
A
town (from the past) emerges on foggy days on the (now empty)
site where it originally stood. The main character, Greta,
visits it and makes friends with several of the townspeople, but
gradually realizes that after she turns 12, she won't be able to
see the town any longer (and learns that her father had a
similar experience).
Julia L. Sauer, Fog
Magic, 1943, copyright. From the back
of the book: "Greta had always thought that there was a secret
hidden in the fog... then one day when Greta was walking in
the woods and the mist was closing in, she saw the dark
outline of a stone house -- a house where no house had stood
for a hundred years...." The plot points mentioned match up,
including the kitten.
2009
Y59: Young black girl named Lula Mae who
lives on Hibiscus Street
A beautiflly illustrated book (I
believe there were 2 or 3 published) about a young black girl
named Lula Mae who lived on Hibiscus Street with mother or
grandmother. I think the name of the book might be Hibiscus
Street.
Lois Lenski, Mama Hattie's Girl. Loved by everyone!
Lenski,
Lois, Mama Hattie's Girl, 1953, copyright. Google
turns this up for a Lois Lenski
book called Mama
Hattie's Girl: All the children on Hibiscus St. had heard
glorious stories of up North, now Lula Bell was going their to
join Daddy Joe. But Lula depends on her grandmother, Mama Hattie.
Lenski,
Lois, Mama Hattie's Girl, 1953, copyright. Lenski,
Lois, MAMA HATTIE'S GIRL, (1953): All the children on
Hibiscus St. had heard glorious stories of up North, now Lula Bell
was going their to join Daddy Joe. But Lula depends on her
grandmother, Mama Hattie.
Y60: Young girl moves into new house, has
to share bedroom
Solved: A Room for Cathy
Y61: Young
girl escapes into a fantasy world and must defeat witch
Young pre/teen lives in kind of
enclosed area with no natural light with parents (or possibly
without) and somehow finds herself in an alternate world (escapes
outside?) full of vivid, saturated reds and oranges - only problem
is she must defeat a witch and does so by tricking her with mask
80's bk
George MacDonald, The Day Boy and The Night Girl. The mask doesn't sound
familiar but the girl living with no natural light who escapes
into the bright world outside reminds me of the Day Boy (Photogen)
and Night Girl (Nycteris). The two are brought up separately by
Watho the witch. At the end they escape together by helping each
other. Watho turns herself into a wolf to hunt them down
Nycteris smells a wild beast and Photogen shoots the wolf with his
arrow.
Y62: Young
woman lives alone, can "call" mystical creatures
Solved: The
Forgotten Beasts of Eld
Y63: Youth and Dead Girl Adventure
Possibly First in a Series
Young adult (series?) read in early
90's. Fantasy adventure. Teen boy. An amulet. A portal opens in
his bedroom. Meets a dead girl and a warrior. Goes into their
world on a mission. Enemy soldiers. When going to get caught they
hide under water and he has to kiss the dead girl in order to
breathe.
Kara Dalkey, Water trilogy, 2002, copyright. Possibly
published too late and not all of the details match, but in either
the second or third book (titles are Ascension, Reunion, and
Transformation) the protagonists, chased by soldiers, are either
hiding in or escaping through a river or aqueduct and the human
boy breaths by kissing the girl, who is not dead but a mermaid
with legs instead of a tail. IIRC, she finds moving on land
difficult and possibly grows weaker the longer she goes without
immersing herself in water.
I came here looking for a
book that's very similar to this one. I think it had the
word "pearl" in the title, possibly "grey pearl," though I
haven't been able to find anything with that title. If
it's the same one, it was published before the '90s - I read it
in the mid-to-late '80s. When the guy initially went
through the portal, he first goes to a pavilion where he finds
the girl, and (I think) doesn't realise she's dead. I
don't think it was a series book. I hope this helps track
it down!
Y64: You'll never walk alone from the
musical carousel features in this fantasy novel
I read this fantasy novel in
the 80's or 90's. There are two protagonists, a boy and a girl,
and the song "you'll never walk alone" from the musical
"carousel" is a prominent plot point. Very dark.
Y65: Young child
gets toddler/baby sibling dressed to go on a trip
Solved: Tell Me a Mitzi
Y66: Young American Indian girl grows
sunflowers
Solved: Sunflower Garden
Y67: You
should be sleeping yourself
Solved: Wide Awake Angel
Y68: Young
Orphaned Girl young girl (young teen?) is orphaned - lives with foster
family (anunt and uncle?) in Victorian house. Time-travels
through old mirror (or any reflective surface) Meets girl
who used to live in house. Girl from the past tries to trap
girl from the present... girl gets home by looking at pond ic
Sounds
like
it might be Jane-Emily by Patricia Clapp. Check the solved
section.
Sykes, Pamela, Mirror of Danger,
1974, copyright. The mirror looked ordinary. It had a
heavy gold frame and leaned against the wall in the attic.
But when Lucy first looked into the mirror, a strange thing
happened. Another girl’s face appeared beside hers,
laughing. Whirling around in surprise and alarm, Lucy saw a
girl wearing a long dress, a pinafore… and a sly triumphant look
on her face. Also, the attic has disappeared and another
room had taken its place – a room that belonged to the past.
≈. The girl in the mirror was Alice, and she had lived a
hundred years ago. Lucy found she could visit her any time
she looked into the mirror. At first, it was fun to enter
the past and see how Alice had lived. But, gradually, the
chill of terror took over. Alice’s friendliness turned into
a sinister desire for power and control over Lucy. And Lucy
found it harder and harder to resist being trapped in the past
with Alice forever!Similar book is Jane Emily by Patricia Clapp.
Pamela
Sykes, Mirror of Danger (Come
Back, Lucy).
British title is Come Back, Lucy, Lucy, who had been living
with an elderly relative in a very old-fashioned way, has to live
with some very modern cousins. She is able to travel
into the past via reflections, where a girl named Alice is
determined to keep her. There is a sequel, "LUCY, BEWARE,
and the original book was made into a British television
mini-series.
Pamela
Sykes, Come back Lucy. This one is probably Pamela Sykes
Come back Lucy (US title Mirror of danger). Theres also a sequel,
Lucy beware. Lucy is an orphan living with an aunt who dies, so
goes to live with another aunt and uncle, and 3 children Patrick
Rachel and Bill. The Victorian ghost child is Alice.
Y69: Young
man (Tony?)
He pretends to be classy
& wealthy. Goes through several incarnations to pull off this
persona. Ends up in Africa as a big game hunter. He is very
charming and conniving. Towards the end of the book the author
writes "his lights had gone out." Couldnt pull it off
anymore.
Twain, Mark, The Million Pound Bank Note, 1893, copyright. This
isn't the solution to your book stumper, but the idea of a poor
man masquerading as a rich one is a common theme in
fiction. I've found three of them: Mark Twain's The
Million Pound Bank Note, originally publishd in 1893, made into
a movie with Gregory Peck in 1954 called Man with a
Million John Guare's play Six Degrees of Separation, from
1990, made into a movie in 1993 with Will Smith and one of
the novelizations of the TV series Lost, called Secret Identity
(Lost novel #2), written by Cathy Hapka and published in 2006.
Twain,
Mark, The Million Pound Bank
Note,
1893, copyright. This is not an answer to your question, but the
theme of a poor man pretending to be a rich one is a very common
one in literature. I thought of three immediately.
The first is Mark Twain's "The Million Pound Bank Note,"
published in 1893 and made into a movie called "Man with a
Million" starring Gregory Peck in 1954. The second is John
Guare's play "Six Degrees of Separation" from 1990 and made into
a movie starring Will Smith in 1993. The third is an
original novelization based on the series "Lost." It's
called "Secret Identity," by Cathy Hapka, published in 2006.
Y70:
Young Adult Fantasy Series About Angels
Read this series in the early 80s,
I think. It was about an angel who doesn't yet know he's an angel,
he's just a human with extraordinary powers who heals quickly,
etc. The series goes on to profile a number of different angels (I
think it's the usual suspects, with names like Raphael and
Gabriel.
Could
it have been "The Fallen"
series by Tom Sniegoski? They're later (1990s) but sound similar.
R.A.
MacAvoy, Raphael, 1984. This might possibly be it.
It starts with Raphael not knowing anything, a blank slate, he
heals quickly but has to relearn everythng he'\''s been
sold to a band of slavers in the desert and has to learn how to
be human.
Y71:
Youngest Brother
Follows the adventures of the
youngest of three brothers. Family gets a watercloset,
youngest brother worried house will smell like outhouse.
Youngest brother tired of being sick after brothers, purposely
gets mumps from friend so his brothers will be put to bed with him
and get sick after he is well and running around. Friend
loses leg (maybe to tetnus), doesn't want to live, tries to help
him hang himself and when the horse doesn't cooperate, youngest
brother teaches him to run and play ball despite having a
prosthetic.
John D. Fitzgerald, The
Great Brain. I'm not sure whether the incidents
mentioned all happened in the first book, THE GREAT BRAIN, but
they definitely did somewhere in the series. THE GREAT
BRAIN, THE GREAT BRAIN AT THE ACADEMY, ME AND MY LITTLE BRAIN,
MORE ADVENTURES OF THE GREAT BRAIN, and one other whose title
escapes me at the moment.
John
D. Fitzgerald, The Great
Brain, 1967, copyright. This is the first book
in the semi autobiographical series about the author's boyhood in
Adenville, Utah. I just re-read it, it's a great description of
the life and times of small-town boys of that era.
JD Fitzgerald, The
Great Brain. Y71 sounds like one of the many
Great Brain books by John D Fitzgerald. They'\''re a fictionalized
version of his childhood growing up in Utah with his older brother
Tom. (The oldest brother Sweyn is a pretty minor character.)
In the first book, The Great Brain, John works to catch the mumps
from his friend Howard.
John D. Fitzgerald, The
Great Brain.
There's no mistaking it...
John D. Fitzgerald, The
Great Brain, 1967, copyright. This is the book
you're looking for.
John D. Fitzgerald, The
Great Brain series, 1970's-1959. You're thinking
of the series of books by John D. Fitzgerald based on his
childhood. The book is set in Adeville or Adenville and
features 3 brothers.
Fitzgerald, John D.,
The Great Brain, 1967, copyright. This is the
first of the Great Brain series by John D. Fitzgerald.
John D. Fitzgerald, The
Great Brain, 1967, approximate. This is
definitely your book.
John D. Fitzgerald, The
Great Brain. These plots are definitely from The
Great Brain books -- they may not all be from the first book, but
the mumps plot definitely is. Check out the whole series.
John D. Fitzgerld, The
Great Brain.This is from The Great Brain or one
of its many sequels
The Great Brain. First in a series
of eight. See Solved Mysteries
Fitzgerald,
John D., Great Brain.
Definitely this book, and this is probably one of dozens of
responses.
John D. Fitzgerald, The
Great Brain. I don't remember which one of
the Great Brain series this is, but it is definitely one of the
Great Brain Books. It is about the childhood of author John
D. Fitzgerald and his brother Tom, AKA The Great Brain, and their
brothers Sweyn and Frankie in Utah at the turn of the
century. Great series!
John D Fitzgerald, The
Great Brain. The indoor plumbing and the
youngest brother getting sick are from the first book, but the
whole series is excellent.
John Dennis Fitzgerald, The Great Brain, 1967 copyright. I
think that it's the first book in the series, about a boy (JD)
who's older brother (Tom) is very smart and likes to con the other
children out of their spending money. It's set in Utah, in a small
town in the late 1800, and is an 8 book series. I think the first
book has the amputation and the water closet in it.
John D. Fitzgerald, The
Great Brain, 1967, copyright. I believe this is
the book you are looking for. John D. Fitzgerald wrote several
books about the exploits of J.D. "The exploits of the Great
Brain of Adenville, Utah are described by his younger brother,
frequently the victim of the Great Brain's schemes for gaining
prestige or money."
John D. Fitzgerald, The
Great Brain, 1967, copyright. This is definitely
The Great Brain by Fitzgerald. Other titles in the series are:
More Adventures of the Great Brain, Me and My Little Brain, The
Great Brain at the Academy, The Great Brain Reforms, The Return of
the Great Brain, The Great Brain Does it Again, and The Great
Brain is Back. The stories follow the adventures of three brothers
growing up in Utah around the end of the 19th century. The family
gets the water closet in the first chapter of "The Great Brain"
(and entrepreneurial middle brother Tom charges his friends a
penny apiece to see it). In chapter two, younger brother and
narrator J.D. intentionally gets infected with mumps so that he
can have them first before his brothers. In chapter seven, a
friend (Andy) loses a leg to gangrene after stepping on a rusty
nail in the barn. In the final chapter, J.D. tries
(unsuccessfully) to help Andy kill himself, first by drowning and
then by hanging. Tom discovers them and, determined to prove that
Andy is not "plumb useless", sets out teaching him to run, play,
and even do his chores with his peg leg until he can do just as
well as the other children.
R.A.
MacAvoy, Raphael, 1984. This might possibly be it.
It starts with Raphael not knowing anything, a blank slate, he
heals quickly but has to relearn everythng he's been sold to
a band of slavers in the desert and has to learn how to be human.
Y72:
Young Witch in Training
I read this book in the 70's, I
remember it was filed near the Laura Ingalls Wilder books, it had
an Orange cover and was about a young girl who was from a family
of witches and was learning to be a witch herself, she used her
powers to have fun at a carnival. She counted bats
"forty-twelve"
Marian
Place, The Resident Witch, 1970,
copyright. Definitely this one! Witcheena, a lonely young
witchling, is sent by her aunt, a senior witch, to ruin a
neighborhood carnival - but instead, decides to disguise herself
as a regular girl and mingle with the crowd. There she befriends
a girl named Nancy. She tells Nancy that she has "twenty-six
cats and forty-twelve bats." She later tells Nancy's father the
same thing. When the abandoned farm on which Witcheena and her
aunt live is purchased to build a children's amusement park,
they must find a new place to live. The girls come up with the
idea of a "Resident Witch" who will live in a "witch house" at
the park, to scare the children who come for overnight campouts,
and Nancy's father (the park operator) approves the idea.
Witcheena, of course, wins the contest to become the new
Resident Witch. You might also remember Witcheena's fascination
with the "Moon Ships" from a carnival ride - Witcheena enchants
them several times during the story and flies around in them,
calling them "the modern way to fly."
Y73: Young Boy
Seen by Therapist or Psychiatrist
Solved: C.
Terry Cline, Damon,
1975.
Y74: Yarn/Sewing
card book
A yarn or sewing card type book, 10 x 10 or 10 x 12 inches,
robin's egg blue soft card cover with wide yellow borders with
wavy margins. In the centre a rabbit with a carrot in the
foreground. Inside,
6 or 8 pages of various pastel colours with dashed black outlines
of pictures to be sewn in (& coloured) with yarn. Pictures
were: rabbit with carrot, kitten with yarn ball, two birds in a
shrub, boy on pony at beach, daffodils, and tulips etc. Purchased
approx 1956. I thought it might be a Saalfield piece as the
illustrations are very similar to those by Corinne Ringel Bailey
in a 1935 Saalfield "Sewing Cards" book. But I have accessed the
Saalfield archives & it appears this was not one of their
publications. There was a title I think with the word "Yarn" in it
as I remember a discussion at the time as to what yarn was. "Oh,
it's just wool!" I know this isn't children's fiction & I
apologize for that, but I've been looking for several years
including ebay with no luck.
Y75:
Young boy and small dog rescues kidnapped woman during
Christmas time
I am searching for a children's
book from my childhood during the mid-1980s about a young boy and
small dog that rescue a kidnapped woman during Christmas time. The
book is small and has a hard cover. The cover of the book is blue
with a picture of the woman, boy, and dog walking in the snow.
2011
Y76:
Young man and a Dog he rescues from sea
A story about a dog (I
believe a newfoundland) who was found struggling at sea by a young
man (16-19?) the boy rescuses the dog, is fired, decides to take
over his fathers logging venture, uses the dog to hull trees to
the ocean to tow to the mill with his leased boat, bad guy wants
logging land.
Jim Kjelgaard. Can't give a specific name, but I suggest you start
looking at Jim Kjelgaard books - it sounds very much like
something he would have written.
William
Koehler, A Dog Called Lucky
Tide,
September 1988. With the help of a big dog he has rescued from
drowning, sixteen-year-old Tim attempts to clear logs from his
family''s land and ferry them to a lumber mill, while under
attack from an unscrupulous competitor.
Jim
Kjelgaard,
Stormy, 1959. Allan Marley has lived
alone since his father was jailed for beating up Bert Torrance.
Allan, however, continues to keep working the traps as well as
helping the ducks on the lake. While on the lake, he first
catches sight of the big black dog--emaciated and with a bullet
wound in his ribs. He takes the dog in, and realizing it has
been mistreated, wins the dog's affection. Together, the two
must face the viciousness of the Torrances.
Y77: Yebo
Club
SOLVED: Anna Rose
Wright, Whirligig House.
Y78: young boy from
another planet who is now on earth
I am desperate to find a book I
read in 5th or 6th grade (1969-70) about a young boy from another
planet who somehow came to earth. All I remember is him
waking up in a field, looking up at the sky and all the stars and
realizing that he is all alone. Slowly he realizes he is not human
- has odd powers
Key, Alexander, The Forgotten
Door, 1965. A boy able to
talk to animals and read people's minds finds himself in danger
after falling through a door to the strange planet Earth.
Key, Alexander, Forgotten Door.
Alexander
Key,
The Forgotten Door, 1965. This could be The Forgotten
Door. Little Jon falls through a "door" in space and ends up on
Earth. A family called The Beans take him in, but have to rescue
him from the ignorance of suspicious neighbors. If this isn't the
one you're looking for, it's still a great read!
I wonder if this could
be The Forgotten Door by Alexander Key.
Key,
The Forgotten Door. Could this be "The Forgotten Door"? The
boy falls through the door into another world (our world). He finds he can talk to the deer. He finds a home with some kind people,
but is threatened by the narrow-minded people of the valley who
fear him, and try to destroy him.
Alexander
Key, The Forgotten Door, 1975. A boy falls through a portal
to another world and lands on earth. His language is
different and his clothes are made out of material never before
seen on earth. He quickly learns our language (another thing
that sets him apart!) and tries to find a way to go home.
Alexander
Key, The Forgotten Door. This could be The Forgotten Door. Check the
Solved Mysteries page for more details!
The Forgotten
Door by Alexander Key?
See Solved Mysteries.
Y79: Young famous American series
I read these books in the 1960's that
were a teal or blue green color on the outside and written in 1st
person from a 10-12 yr old George Washington or Thomas Jefferson,
etc point of view. They had adventures up to adult life.
Various, Childhood of Famous Americans. This series had been around since
the 40's, fictionalized biographies of famous americans from
childhood to adulthood. They were various colors. I
read them in the late 1960-early 1970's. My favorite was the
story of Virginia Dare, told from her viewpoint. Like I said very
fictionalized. They have been updated and they now have red,
white and blue covers and are available in paperback.
Various,
Childhood of Famous Americans
series, 50's,
60's, modern reprints, approximate. This series may be what's described - a list of the
book's subjects is at http://www.redshift.com/~bonajo/COFA.htm
Y80: Young boy is kidnapped by
Indians
Fictional Story about a boy
that is kidnapped/adopted by Indians. His grandfather, a great
hunter that only shoots bears in the left eye (or was it right
(:+) ). A group of evil whiskey traders ply their ware to the
Indians. I believe the boy's sister is also kidnapped at some
point.
This is a suggestion,
rather than a solution, but maybe you should check out William O.
Steele's books. He wrote quite a few set on the frontier, with the
natives capturing children and making them part of the tribe. They
always end up escaping and making their way home in the end.
Y81: You call
yourself a king
Read in early 60's, child picture
book not Dr. Seuss.. "you have no statues in your hall, you have
no pictures on your walls... and you call yourself a king... and
your crown is very very small." etc. Looked for years
can not locate this book, no idea about title nor author.
I don't know the
solution, but wanted to point out that it appears to be the same
book sought in unsolved #N83....
Y82: Young babysitter
and aspiring actress in New York, obsessed with the Gene
Tierney movie Laura
Young adult novel perhaps from the
late 70s or early 80s; the heroine lives in New York and babysits
a young girl. She is obsessed with the Gene Tierney movie Laura, and also takes her
charge to an exhibit at the Morgan Library on Lewis Carroll and
his original Alice
Mary Anderson, Rise and Fall
of a Teenage Wacko.
Mary Anderson, The Rise and
Fall of a Teenage Wacko, 1980. Could this be the book? "Rise and
Fall" features a teenager in NYC who dreams of being an actress
and who is obsessed with the movie Laura (because her name is also
Laura). The babysitting part does not fit with this book,
although it does feature a precocious younger sister. Might be
worth checking "Rise and Fall" in the solved stumpers, just in
case the babysitting got mixed in from another book.
Yesterday I put in a stumper
request via PayPal but I've already found the answer... Rise and Fall of a Teenage Wacko. I did search your site first
for the terms 'Gene Tierney' and 'Laura' but somehow didn't see
that you already had this one solved.
2012
Y83: Yellow World
History Book, detailed illustrations
I was in
elementary/jr. high school from 1962-1971. In both I checked out
of the school library a larger Yellow bk. that was a world history
book. It was lavishly illustrated by a single illustrator who used
VERY detailed artwork to picture important events, lots of
battles, etc.I loved it. HELP!
Y84: Young girl has
elderly babysitter ("the enchanted ear")
In one chapter, the protagonist - a young pre-teen girl - has an
elderly babysitter she and her friends call "The Enchanted Ear,"
because the woman is nearly deaf and spends all her babysitting
time watching the TV cranked up with her ear horn up to the TV...
but she often suddenly crankily exclaims to the kids that she can
HEAR them up there and they'd better be quiet!
Could've sworn this was in "The Girl With the Silver Eyes,"
but it wasn't. So what book WAS it
in... ?
Y85: Young girl, series, '50s
SOLVED: Gail Rock,
Addie Mills book series.
Y86: Young girls'
friendship
SOLVED: Gladys Baker Bond,
The Magic Friend-Maker,
1966.
Y90: Young boy's
daily adventures 50s small town / farm
About a young boy and his
adventures around his home town Set in 40s/50s small town and/or
outskirts of farm area Might reference a wagon in the title, or at
least the book Recall the boy talking with his mom quite a bit
Perhaps 7" x 5" x 1/2" thick, novel like, possibly from the 50s.
Robert
McCloskey,
Homer Price Could you be thinking of Homer Price? Or maybe the sequel, Centerburg Tales. You should be able to find lots of info
pretty easily to double check.
Laura
Ingalls Wilder, Farmer Boy. Book Description: Age Level: 8 and
up | Grade Level: 3 and up | Series: Little House While Laura
Ingalls grows up in a little house on the western prairie, Almanzo
Wilder is living on a big farm in New York State. Here Almanzo and
his brother and sisters help with the summer planting and fall
harvest. In winter there is wood to be chopped and great slabs of
ice to be cut from the river and stored. Time for fun comes when
the jolly tin peddler visits, or best of all, when the fair comes
to town. This is Laura Ingalls Wilder's beloved story of how her
husband Almanzo grew up as a farmer boy far from the little house
where Laura lived.
Original question asker
here. I checked the 3 examples suggested thus far, and
unfortunately no luck. Thanks for the suggestions though! I should add that I
don't recall much farm-centric material (despite possibly being on
outskirts of farm area) in the book, and the wagon I referenced
seems to me to be a red toy wagon, not a farm wagon.
Y91: Young man and
woman
The book I'm looking for was
written by a man and was published in one of those young adult
paperback series in the early 1980s. The cover shows a young
man and a young woman with long brown hair holding hands and
looking into one another's eyes by the side of a lake. It is
about a teenager.
Y92: Young boy
travels to Asia with young Marco Polo
SOLVED: Louise Andrews Kent, He Went with Marco Polo.
Y93: Young bear says
'no'
Young bear somehow can only say no.
gets lost. people try to help him, asking questions like, are you
lost? are you hungry? as he can only say no, he gets frustrated
and scared. eventually somehow he learns a lesson (to be
polite, I suppose) and his ability to communicate is restored.
Faith Nelson,
Randolph, The Bear Who Said No.
Y94: Young boy,
mother's suicide, takes revenge on neighbor's turkey
I read this in '71 or '72. Think it
even won an award. A boy's mom commits suicide, but they don't
tell the boy. He misses mom. His dad shuts down. The boy
overhears a neighbor woman say his mom was crazy. He gets a friend
to help him chop the head of the neighbor's turkey for revenge.
Please help!
Updated: What I remember the
most was my librarian, who took my reluctance to read and fueled a
passion, took this book off the shelf and held it in her hand for
the longest while looking at me. Like she was trying to see if I
could handle the book or not. I was so glad she took the chance. I
had never read a book that grabbed me like this one. And I have
been on a forever quest to find other books that hold me like this
one did. I hate that my memory is such that when I wanted to
remember this book I couldn't. So your help is deeply appreciated!
I think the book
was told in 3rd person from a young boy's perception. His mother
has died. I don't know if she was sick and died, sick and
committed suicide or just committed suicide, but his father was
devastated and pretty much ignored the boy and didn't talk with
him about the death. The boy was kinda on his own with his grief.
At one point he over hears a woman talking about his mom and the
neighbor said something unkind. The boy was furious and decides to
kill one of the woman's turkeys. He goes one night (can't remember
if he was alone or if a friend went with him) but what I remember
the most is that the turkey doesn't die immediately. The boy isn't
strong enough, and the turkey's neck is too wiry, to cut off the
turkey's head in one whack. The boy is terribly upset. He realizes
that revenge wasn't as easy as he thought it would be and that he
has hurt an innocent animal. He finally kills the turkey to get it
out of it's misery, but he is miserable about it. And that's it. I
have no idea how it ended or how the conflicts were resolved. I
also think this book had won one of those medals that they put on
the cover of a book, but I have searched the Newberry
and Caldecott awards for around that time and can't find it
so maybe the book with the award is another book and I'm just
getting them confused. I read this book in 1971 or 1972. Thank
you!
Y94a: Young man, tall
girlfriend solve mysteries
Young reader series of books about
a young man with a tall skinny girl for a best friend. He only
wears red leather caps. They solve mysteries together. Seem to
recall he may have an uncle that loves the color lavender. I think
in one mystery a small vile containing the blood of Christ.
John
Bellairs, The House with a
Clock in its Walls (series), Johnny Dixon series, and Anthony Monday series
I
believe you are mixing memories of many different John Bellairs'
books, all of which feature kids solving (usually) supernatural
mysteries. In the House with a Clock in its Walls series,
orphaned Lewis Barnavelt goes to live with his uncle, whose good
friend and next-door neighbor Mrs. Zimmerman loves the color
purple. In later books he becomes friends worth a tall skinny
tomboy, Rose Rita Pottinger. In the Anthony Monday series,
Anthony always wears a red leather cap. In the Johnny Dixon
series, Johnny is friends with a priest who often uses a
crucifix with a splinter of the true cross to ward off evil
creatures. At the author's website, http://www.bellairsia.com/index.html you can find
specific book summaries, cover reproductions, and much more. I
hope this helps!
Y95: Young girl who
travels to Utah with Mormons
c. 1960s. The plot of this book was
of a young woman who was promised in an arranged marriage to a
young man, I think named Ethan, and travelled to Utah in covered
wagon with his family. There was an older lady who was ill and
might have died during the journey.
Annabel and Edgar Johnson, Wilderness Bride, 2002, reprint.
Y96: Yacht club,
pirates
Looking for title/author of a short
story from a high school/college lit mag pre-1959, about a married
couple who had moved into an exclusive neighborhood near an ocean,
and were anxious to join the yacht club; and, when finally
accepted, discover that the yacht club members are modern-day
pirates.
Y97: Young blond
woman and young man
The book was for 9 -14 yr. old
girls in the early sixties, possibly written earlier. A
young woman and young man, Irish I believe, were facing each
other, holding hands. The girl was blonde, hair
partially tied back. Wearing high collared white blouse with
long sleeves. Possibly also a movie.
Lingard,
Joan, The twefth day of July, 1970. It's a bit of a long-shot
but could this be the first of Joan Lingard's ''Kevin and Sadie''
books - set in Belfast during the troubles? The cover on the
talking book is very similar to what you describe but I can't find
a book with the same cover.
I graduated from high school in
1970 and read this book when I was in elementary school. It
was a Whitman book, published using the style they used then for
their children’s books. The covers were in color, with a
picture of the main character or characters, on thte front.
They were covered in something that made them somewhat water
resistant and shiny. The book was set in the 1800’s,
according to the clothing being worn by the people on the cover,
and it’s not a series. Thanks for trying.
Y98: Yellow book with cartoon doctor on cover
Collection of illustrated (cartoon-like)
short children's stories in a large-type children's hardcover
book (not very thick) - there was a cartoon doctor on the front
(and possibly a nurse) on the bright yellow cover. From
memories of a 1970's childhood...
Y99: Young boy in
(possibly) Florida befriends manatee
I read a children's novel in the 1970s and it was about a boy
who discovers and befriends a strange creature in the water - it
was a manatee. I seem to remember a scene where the boy is
standing on a dock, looking down at the manatee. I did a shoe-box
diorama of that scene for a school assignment.
Y100:
Young adult book about a "war" between kids and scouts
I'm looking for a book I read in the early 70s. It featured a
group of kids who were staying at their family's lake vacation
house. The kids engage in a series of pranks with some boy scouts
at summer camp. This may have been a sequel or part of a series.
Y101: Young boy in Australia. late 1950's/early
1960's
A book series about a boy growing up in
Australia. One took place during Christmas vacation and mentions
going to the beach and also a pudding cooked with coins tossed
in for the children to find. There were other titles I
can't recall. I read them around 1965-1968 when I was in
elementary school.
Z1: Zipper the puppy
Solved: Lands of Pleasure
Z2: Zipperropazues
Solved: Little Monster's Bedtime Book
Z3: Zoo
Solved: A Visit to the
Children's Zoo
Z4: Zorn
Solved: Battle of Zorn
Z5: Zeb,
Zeke & ? argue about the moon
Solved: Who Owns the Moon?
2003
Z6: Zipperumpazoos
Solved: Little Monster's Bedtime Book
Z7: zoo animals escape
My wife and I rad a book we found in the
public library in Superior, WI in 1981 or 1982 that was a novel
re: zoo animals that had escaped from a zoo. We have been trying
to find it for several years. No one has a clue. With re:
to genre--it had a pro animal rights theme.
John Irving, Setting Free the Bears, 1970. This is not a children's book, but
in it two Viennese university students free the
animals in the city zoo.
Jahann V. Jenner , Sandeagozu,1986.
A
little
later
than
you
mention,
but
a
possibility.
It
isn't
a
children's
book,
though.
It
is
the
story of several escaped animals trying to find the mythical
"Sandeagozu" (in reality, although they don't know it, it's the
San Diego Zoo.) It has a very strong pro-animal-rights theme.
McNaughton, Colin, The Great Zoo
Escape, NY Viking
1979. Might be this one, it's at least early enough - but
only 32 pages long. "When a tropical bird from a desert island
is captured and taken away to a zoo, he is helped by his brave
friends."
In The Zoo, by William
Papas (Oxford University Press, 1974), all the animals in
the zoo escape. The king/prime minister (?) orders them
captured. Animal catchers catch all the normal animals, but the
fantastic ones (dragons, unicorns, mermaids, etc.) fight back so
well that the government have to give up on them.
Z8:
zoo animal conversations
Solved: Mr. Wilmer
Z9:
Zeldean was a character in book
My older cousin had read a book with
character named Zeldean. I was born in 1936. I know
no further details of book---probably a novel.
2004
2005
Z10:
Zookeepers's holiday
Solved: A
Holiday for Mister Muster
Z11: Ziggy
Solved: Ziggy and his
friends : music, animals, colors
Z12: Zoological adventures
Solved: Price, Willard ...
Adventures
Z13: Zelona bear
My aunt read a book that she got off the bookmobile that had her
name in it - she said all she can remember is that it had a bear
in it and the little girl's name was Zelona (that is where my
grandmother got her name from) She said it had pictures with
words underneath. The girl was Indian. Any help you
could provide would be appreciated.
i think i read a book like this once it had
something to do with a turtle and the stars to but i dont
remember much eather hope i helped
Florence C. Fox, The
Indian Primer, 1906, copyright. The Indian
Primer by Florence
C. Fox might be the book you're looking for. It is in
5 parts, or chapters, with a different Indian child for each
chapter. Zelona is in the first chapter. The bear is in the
4th chapter with another child's story. It was published by
American Book Company in 1906.
2006
Z14: Z-gas
Solved: McWhinney's
Jaunt
Z15: Zot juice speeds up boy
This was from my junior high library (1972-1975). It was my
first science fiction story and I really enjoyed it.
Whatever help anyone can give would be appreciated. The boy
drinks zot juice and it speeds him up until he finds a world
within his own world. The two worlds are not aware of each
other because they operate at different speeds. I seem to
remember that the "fast" world's members are skeletal and/or
robotic. The boy has adventures and then stops drinking zot
juice, slows down, and returns to his own (slow) world.
Weird, huh? The book was small, hardback, cover was white
with the robot form? shown. Thanks!
This is not a solution, just an interesting
observation. A similar plot device was used in an original
"Star Trek" episode. Capt. Kirk was "speeded up" so he
could communicate with the survivors of some kind of
disaster. The beautiful Kathy Brown was a guest star - as
the doomed but gorgeous femme fatale that Kirk always seemed to
find on every planet!!
2007
Z16: Zoo or circus animal party
Zoo or circus animals have a party. Black bear eats red cherries,
polar bear swims in pink lemonade and drinks with straw. Peanuts,
popcorn, other animals. May be a train at the end. Illus. are
black, white, red, pink. 50s/early 60s / I think it's a Little
Golden Book
Roethke, Theodore, Party at the Zoo. 1963. Possibly this one?
Cover shows a giraffe and a bicycle riding monkey with an
icecream
Z17: Zillah the Dancing Girl
The book was called something like *Zillah the Little Dancing
Girl* and my mother loved it when she was a child in the
1930s. I have googled and googled this for years and tried
Bookfinder, etc. It could just be something like "The Little
Dancer". She was befriended by a rich family. There
was also a barrel organ in the story. I would LOVE to find
this for my mother who is 80!
Mrs. Hugh St Leger, illus. Rex
Osborne, Zillah : the little dancing girl, or, "One
of Christ's lost little lambs,1906, S.W. Partridge
& Co. Ltd.
Madeline Brandeis, The Little Spanish
Dancer,1936.Just
a guess, the only title I could find close to matching, but the
10 year old girl's name is Pilar.
2008
Z18: Zachary? is always last
Solved: The Story of Zachary Zween
2009
Z19: Zip
Zip
Solved: Zip-Zip and His Flying Saucer
Z20: zoo, little
girl
A little girl visits the zoo,
probably written in the 40's, possibly a Golden Book. The
cover shows a little girl standing at the the zoo gate (I think).
Florence Sarah Winship
(illus), Jack and Jill Visit
The Zoo, 1942, copyright. Not a lot to go on, but this does fit
your time frame & recollection of the cover picture. Front
cover shows a little girl in a red coat and a straw hat with black
ribbons and a little boy wearing brown shorts and knee socks, a
blue-striped shirt and a sailor hat. The children are standing on
either side of the ticket booth at the zoo entrance. The booth is
centered under a stone archway, with flowers growing on either
side. A uniformed employee sits behind the booth. Behind him is a
white grid (bars) through which can be seen some of the zoo
beyond. This is a Peek-A-Boo book, with cutouts on each page,
allowing you to see bits of the pages behind. Text on the
page with the lions is: A Lion, they found, was not at all fierce,
But playful as a kitten. / "I'm firm, but I'm kind," the Keeper
explained, "I've never once been bitten."
Mabel Watts and Art Seiden, Where is the Keeper?, 1954. A
Whitman book. I don't remember a little girl specifically,
but it's definitely at the zoo. It was a small book,
similar in size to Little Golden Books.
Marion
Conger, A Day at the Zoo, 1950, copyright. This Little
Golden Book has a cover picture of a little girl with dark
ringlets and a big pink hairbow holding her father's hand in front
of the lion's cage at the zoo. The background is dark
blue. Molly and her father spend the whole day at the
zoo. At the Children's Zoo wishing well, Molly wishes to
return again.
Z21: Zodiac
Solved: The Valley of Song
2011
Z22: Zachary
new school picture book
Book was in my library in the
70s. About a kid named Zachary who got teased for his name.
Then he went to a new school where the kids in the class's names
began with every letter except Z. He completed the alphabet
for them and learned to appreciate his name.
Mabel Watts, The Story of
Zachary Zween,
1967. This doesn't exactly match the details given, but thought I
would throw it out there anyway.
Watts,
Mabel,
The story of Zachary Zween, 1967. the details aren't quite the same, but this
book features Zachary who is last in his class. Zachary
Zween, depressed because he is never first in the alphabet,
decides to make being last a game.
Z23: zoo
girl mother father flip
I'm trying to find this book for a friend. The
story is that a girl goes to the zoo with her mother. Then you flip the book over, and it's a
story about the same girl going to the zoo with her father. I'd love to surprise her with the answer
to this one. Thanks in advance!
Daniel
Wilcox,
illustrated
by
Mel Crawford , I'm My Mommy /
I'm My Daddy. I had this book as a kid! This is a Sesame
Street book put out by Golden Books. The main characters are more
generic muppets (not Grover or Bert etc). The book is two books in
one. The storyline is that the kids get to act as the parent for
the day, and one if not both of the kids goes to the zoo.
Z24: Zoe, doll,
moon
A picture book about a young girl named Zoe who looks out at the
moon each night with her favorite doll.
Z25:
Zanzibar
A children's picture book published between 1968-1978. I'm
not sure if Zanzibar is in the title but it definitely takes place
in Zanzibar. The illustrations are bright and simple.
There are workers wading in water trying to unload a cargo of
oranges from a ship and there are hippos in the water.
Hugo the Hippo by Thomas
Baum.
|
|
|
|
|
Search Loganberry's Website!
|
|
|
3/15/13
