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[Jul. 22nd, 2008|05:25 pm] |
This one shouldn't be too hard to find--I just can't find a description online that matches what I recall.
I'm pretty much positive that it's a Betty Ren Wright book, because only so many children's horror-y books are set in Wisconsin, heh. All I can remember is that the main character ends up living with people of Cornish descent--if I recall correctly, maybe somewhere around Milwaukee, and she really doesn't want to be there. And there was some horror-y, ghost-y element to it, I think, but what I really recall was the whole this-place-has-lots-of-Cornish-heritage-people-in-it thing.
Any ideas? I was thinking maybe Ghosts Beneath Our Feet, but from the rudimentary descriptions I was able to find online, it doesn't sound right to me.
Thanks!
ETA: Found! Ghosts Beneath Our Feet by Betty Ren Wright, indeed. :D |
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[Feb. 6th, 2008|08:08 pm] |
I've been wondering about this book for a long time. What I remember is a rich man describing how, as a child, he used to stand outside the gates of a fancy house and watch the peacocks that the owners kept on the lawn. He was never let inside the gates, although I think the residents might have been somehow related to him. I believe he would walk by the house with his mother, and I sort of remember that he later lived in that same house. Not sure, though.
Anyway, that's all I've got. Does anyone have any idea what this might be from?
Thanks!
EDIT: It's Caddie Woodlawn! That old rascal! |
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| Book written by a child about hating vegetables... |
[Feb. 6th, 2008|03:11 pm] |
I remember it was one of my favorite books even in middle school, about a boy talking about how he hates vegetables and the different ways to get rid of things like peas and hide them. Both the book and the pictures were written by a child and all the pictures were drawn in bold colored markers, with all the vegetables having faces :3
This book was a part of a series of books written by children who won a contest to get published, and they were all big thin hardcover books... |
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| Looking for the title of an anthology of fairy tales |
[Feb. 4th, 2008|03:46 pm] |
This is going to be tough, because I don't know if I have enough details to pin it down to a *specific* anthology (and there are so darn many of them), but I'm going to give it a try.
The dilemma: my copy of this book came to me without covers and missing a chunk of pages on either side of the book (even as a small child, I was appalled by this, but it was still one of my favorite books).
Details I do have:
-This was about twenty years ago and the pages were kind of yellow (though with the condition it was in, clearly it wasn't taken care of), so it must have been printed in the early 1980's or before.
-Judging from the spine, I would say that the book was at least an inch to an inch and a half thick. So, over 300 pages. Also, it was larger than mass market, but smaller than most hardbacks. The quality of the cloth spine indicates that it was hardback at one point in time or another.
-It was a traditional collection of fairytales. Ones I remember are: Diamonds and Toads (probably not the actual name, but it's the story of the nice sister who gets charmed to spit out gems and flowers when speaking and an evil sister charmed to spit out vermin and toads), Rapunzel, Snow White and Rose Red, and I'm 99% sure it had A Plain Princess (which someone else was looking for today).
-As one story ended, the next one began a couple of lines below it, so you got a *lot* of stories for your buck.
-There were small ink drawings over some of the titles (no more than an inch or two tall), but no color pictures as far as I know (i.e., none in the bit of book I had available to me).
-For the really picky, the paper was high enough quality that it grew soft, rather than brittle, with age.
*Whew* Lots of details, none of which are precisely helpful, I know. Still, I adored the book as a child and would love to find it again (especially if I can find an intact copy). Thanks in advance!
EDIT: I don't know if anyone's tracking this (but I'm hoping so, or at least that someone will go through the archives in the future with more suggestions), but I've just received the 1977 edition of The World's Best Fairy Tales, and it definitely *isn't* the book I'm looking for. There's too much white space on the pages and the font is wrong (the book I was reading had very little white space -- you really got your bang for your buck). Plus, you know, it didn't have A Plain Princess in it. More suggestions are always welcome! |
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| Little girl with stuffed toy elephant |
[Jan. 29th, 2008|09:26 pm] |
This is a children's book that I would check out of my school library in the early 1980s. A little girl has a stuffed toy elephant that she carries around with her in her backpack. The elephant has a spaghetti stain on or near its trunk from the little girl trying to feed it. I believe the little girl was somewhat sad/lonely/misunderstood. The elephant may have been her only friend. Perhaps she had moved recently?
I think about this book all the time, but have never found anyone who has even heard of the it. It would mean so much to me to be able to read it again. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!
ETA: It is NOT Ramona and Her Mother by Beverly Cleary, nor Oh Honestly, Angela! by Nancy K. Robinson, nor Elly the Elephant by Norma Simon. |
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| Wooly undies book? |
[Nov. 8th, 2007|07:26 am] |
Here we go with another ridiculous young adult novel...
Main character is a girl who is in some lame dance class (much as I was), but her mother forced her to wear heavy "wool underwear" (I didn't know what that meant at the time - I pictured something like a pair of panties made out of a heavy sweater - but now I'm assuming that meant long johns) under her leotard, which sagged, so that she was always clutching at them. The class practiced some leaping maneouvre, and when she tried it she had to sort of leap, then clutch at her saggy long johns, whereupon the teacher corrected her saying something to the effect of "Graceful butterflies don't clutch at their waists". Then I think she bonded in the changeroom with the new girl, who was also, it turned out, wearing long johns under her leotard.
Anything?
(I was going to add a second book to this post, but the sole Google result for "Hoo Ha Six O'Clock" sorted me out.) |
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| Thinly disguised D&D and a children's book |
[Dec. 10th, 2006|01:07 am] |
I'm trying to remember the titles of two books one book at the moment:
1) Found: Enemy Glory by Karen Michaelson a book that I hated, actually. It came up in a conversation elsewhere and it bothers me that I can't remember the title. It's a fantasy that I read sometime in 2002-2004 and published around then. I believe it's supposed to be the story of how the protagonist became an evil character. It's told in first person and the character spent some time in his youth in a religious order like a monastery. The key part I remember - and what caused me to hurl it with great force put the book down was when the protagonist, during some sort of strategy-plotting session with other characters, led them on a sort of guided visualization exercise for one of the plans that they were considering - asking them to respond with the actions they would perform as he described the circumstances of their infiltration of a town (I think), with the help of some sort of storytelling dice. Yes, you got that correctly, he DMed an RPG in the middle of the book.
Anyway, although the book read basically as a D&D session log, it is not Villains by Necessity. And although I think they may have called the dice "destiny dice," it is not Bischoff's Destiny Dice. I think the author is female.
2) Found: My Sister the Horse by Barbara Klimowicz a children's book I read over and over as a kid, which means it was published in the 1970s or earlier, most likely. I think it was set in New York City, or some large metropolitan city like that. The main character and her family lived in an apartment building. Her little sister loved horses so much that she either thought she was a horse or pretended she was a horse all the time, and I think may even have made a tail for herself to wear. At one point, the main character or her sister got hit on the head by falling masonry from construction on a building, and I think the main character's friend made her a paper charm to wear that looked like this:
( cut for length ) |
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[Nov. 8th, 2006|11:09 am] |
the book i'm looking for is really special to me, so i hope someone can help me out, even though i only have the sketchiest of information. it was a children's book of short stories. it would have been published before 1982, but i have no idea how far before--it could have been decades before, for all i know. the title had a word like "funny" in it...maybe "wacky" or "strange" or something. i believe the word "stories" was also in the title. it was a dark purply-mauve color, and paperback.
if i could find this book, i would be sooo happy, so thanks for your help!! |
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[Nov. 5th, 2006|06:02 pm] |
okay, so this book..i just started thinking about it today. but now i want to know what it is ;_;
i remember it starts out with this girl who lives in NYC and goes to central park for the horses. and she rides one around one night, gets caught, and gets in trouble (i think).
but i remember she moves in with her aunt in another state. and she has a cousin who dyes her hair with kool-aid. and they own a horse ranch.
i know it's a series of books...help?
EDIT! FOUND!
The third generation of Thoroughbred books by Joanna Campbell. #25, Melanie's Treasure.
thank you celeria! |
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| children's book about a magical townswoman |
[Oct. 31st, 2006|04:20 am] |
The book I am looking for is SO fantastic- and there are a series involving the main lady so I am crossing my fingers that one of you will help me out. It is about an older woman named Mrs. ______ (which I believe is also the title of the book) who lives in a giant shoe, likes things neat and tidy, has lots of neat knick-knacks and such, and has children over all of the time to play. She has a lot of child in her and doesn't relate to other adults. Whenever children come over with a problem she helps them out, I remember one girl in particular couldn't make her bed without leaving wrinkles so Mrs. ______ (!?) showed her how to make a game of it. No matter what problem the children has ( cleaning, cooking, temper tantrums) she fixes everything.
This is an incredibly charming series of books I would love to read again. Any ideas on what the name of this book/these books might be? |
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| er... |
[Oct. 31st, 2006|01:31 am] |
I have a question about two books (can I do that?). Anyways, one is based on Greek mythology. It's about a red-haired girl who is taken from her home to be a playmate of some king or lord, but there's some attack and everyone is gone or killed except her because she hid. She is later found by Menelaus (I think) who thought her red hair was endearing, being red-headed himself. And he brings her back with him, but soon after, his wife Helen runs off with Paris and then the whole Trojan war happened. Hope that makes sense to someone besides me.
The other book was about a girl who worked/lived in some palace. Her mother was nobility and her father...wasn't, so she was taken care of but overall, disregarded. But then when she became older, she was sent to another kingdom or something, after a man shows up with a certain flower from the desert, in a hot air balloon.
Both these books are children's books (...) and I borrowed and read them a few years ago (4, maybe 5?), but I hope someone can help! |
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| Little people looking for a ship... |
[Oct. 30th, 2006|03:57 pm] |
This was one of my favourite storybooks when I was a child and Somehow it has got lost in the multitude of house moves.
It was about two children - a boy and a girl I think - who find the crew of a wrecked ship. Only, both crew and ship are miniature - lilliput style. The captain asks the children to help them find a new ship and the children have to find a 'toy' ship that works so that the sailors can store provisions and work the sails etc.
It was a picture book and I suppose aimed at quite young children but I loved it and I miss it!!
Any help gratefully received! Thanks. |
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[Oct. 29th, 2006|10:10 pm] |
I am looking for a book that I read between 5-10 years ago, elementary reading level. Its about these two best friends, and one of them got cancer, her name was Nana I think. She eventually died. I think there was a part it in where there is some plot of land that the two girls want to buy, and they walk up there a lot even though Nana is tired. I could be completely off with that though. I think the title had something to do with forever. On the cover it shows the two girls sitting on a swing. I know thats not a great description but I'm hoping someone can help me out? |
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| Forgotten Book |
[Oct. 29th, 2006|02:19 pm] |
About 13 years ago we were read a book to in 5th grade, and I would love to read it again. Unfortunately I can remember very little about this particular book.
It had a girl in it named Genevieve, and the other main character was a boy. May have had something to do with magic, and something to do with royalty. I vaugely remember these 2 characters trying to escape from somewhere.
I'm asuming it is a Pre-Teens type book, because I was only about 10 or so when the teacher read it to us. I'm in Australia, but I'm not sure if it was an Australian book, though.
If anyone could help, that would be brilliant.
Thanks - Robyn |
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| ...This is a stretch but I'll go for it... |
[Oct. 28th, 2006|12:00 am] |
Ok I normaly can find ANY book (hence why I work in 2 book stores...) but there is this one book that I did a book report on that I just can't remember...
Things I know:
~It won an award.... either Newberry or Caldacott (It had to have won one because that was the assignment) It could have been an honor book but idk...
~It was about this girl from another planet and she is in the woods in a green cat suit on the cover.
~The "person" voice of the story switches from first to third every other chapter.
~ What I remember about the plot: I think, this could be where I am wrong, that they were like this traveling party that visited earth to collect information. This part I know is right, she had to miss her graduation (White robes??) and so they had it in the woods for her.
That's all I know at the moment... I might think of something else... I read it in like 4/5th grade so that would be about 10/11 years ago...but the book might have been quite a bit older than that because I took it out of the class library.
Help me stop racking my brain!!! |
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| Children's book |
[Oct. 28th, 2006|02:31 am] |
Hi,
I am trying to find these books I read as a child. There were three or four, I think, that all had the same characters and everything (I hesitate to call them a series).
They were set in the land of fairy-tale, and followed a young man (prince, I THINK) and his wife/lover who I remember was named Dorabella. One book had to do with a unicorn that was terrorizing the kingdom, or something, and Dorabella manged to tame it, I think. In another, a sorceress was jealous of any beautiful girl and kidnapped Dorabella, and her lover had to rescue her.
Sorry, that's all very vague... since they were children's books I remember that they were illustrated. Helpful, I know.
Anyway, does anyone have any idea what I am talking about? |
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[Oct. 27th, 2006|04:00 pm] |
i have no idea why i even vaguely remember this book, but it just popped into my head, and now i can't get it to leave.
i think it was a picture book, and it was about a toy rag doll, and it was on the shelf with other toys. they were prizes for a carnival, it was the game where you throw the ball at the bowling pins or something.
all i remember is her talking to the other toys, and all of them getting picked before her.
i remember liking the images, so it could either be illustrations, or possibly a movie...?
thanks |
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| Lost book, not much to go on... |
[Oct. 27th, 2006|06:21 pm] |
This was a children's picture book, c. 1980-ish or before. It featured a man who rode on the backs of whales. The whales had spots, I think. |
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| Lunch Thief Revenge |
[Oct. 28th, 2006|07:38 pm] |
Inspired by this post, and in particular this comment, can anyone remember the name of the children's book where the kid was having his/her lunch stolen by another (probably bigger kid) and solved the problem by making a fake lunch where, for instance, the Oreos were opened up, scraped, and refilled with something else? The other kid of course stole the lunch, ate it, was disgusted, and probably never stole anyone's lunch again.
I'm pretty sure there were illustrations of the fake lunch being made.
I'm not totally sure if this was the main part of the story or not, but it's the part that's coming to mind right now. |
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[Oct. 26th, 2006|11:56 pm] |
I'm looking for this book that may or may not be by Enid Blyton.
It's a children's book (hardcover), filled with lots of pictures. A rather thin book, and I think the cover is mainly blue.
The protagonist is a man trying to save this woman(?) and he gave cough lozenges to a dragon. There are also pictures of black birds in cages in the book. The last page is a drawing of the couple's back, sitting together on a hill overlooking castles.
That's all I remember.
Thanks you so much in advance... love you all! |
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contemplative
hopeful