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E1--Sounds as though it may be The
Secret
of Crossbone Hill by Wilson Gage.
I don't want to be discouraging, but I also don't
want to see someone go off on the wrong track. I read The Secret
of Crossbone Hill over the weekend and I don't think it's the
solution
to the book described. The Secret of Crossbone Hill is
about
a brother and sister, spending their summer at the beach in South
Carolina
with their bird-watching mom and researcher dad, who think they've
found
a pirate's treasure map woven into a bird's nest. They go through a
series
of adventures before they find out it's actually a map showing where a
certain kind of rare bird is nesting. The box they find containing what
they think is treasure contains undeveloped film, lost by an old man
whose
hobby is bird-watching and who has been photographing the birds.
I'n not a 100% sure, but E1 sounds vaguely like
one of the Happy Hollister books, The Happy Hollisters and the
Sea
Turtle Mystery. All the details don't exactly match, but
the time would be right. The six siblings, boys and girls, are visiting
in Florida and solve a mystery on Sanibel and Captiva islands. It
involves
Indians, and criminals who try to scare the children away. I
don't
think there were any skulls involved.
Might this be The Secret Raft by
Krantz?
A few possibilities to add to the mix: Barbour,
Ralph Henry, Mystery on the Bayou NY Appleton-Century 1943,
hardcover, 237 pages, illustrated by Thomas McGowan.
Sackett, Bert,
Hurricane
Treasure: the Secret of Injun Key Random House 1945, 298pp.
adventure
story, juvenile mystery, "novel set in the Florida Keys Novel of a boy
trying to save his father's land in the Florida Everglades. Map
endpapers"
Though the boys here look too old to be frightened off by a skull. Urmston,
Mary,
Swamp Shack Mystery NY Doubleday 1959 illustrated by Grace
Paull, "Further adventures of the Arnold children; Roger, Clayt, Dunc,
Red, Mark, Linda and Judy." juvenile mystery
Yet another possibility: The Secret of
Mound Key by Robert F. Burgess, illustrated by Vic
Donahue,
published Cleveland, World 1966 "A hunt for buried pirate's
treasure
leads two boys into adventure they never expected. The exotic
swamplands,
shell islands and blue waters of the Gulf of Mexico offer adventures of
their own. An unusual story of Florida coastal waters. Ages 9-12."
(Horn Book Feb/66 publishers ad p.105) More on The Secret Raft
by Hazel Krantz, illustrated by Charles Geer, published by
Vanguard
1966, 190 pages "Opens as an everyday adventure story of
scatterbrained,
impulsive Howie Blake and his friends the Matson twins. Starting with
an
early morning jaunt to see a sunrise on the river, the 3 children
discover
what they believe to be a trio of foreign agents. On a home-made raft
they
trail their quarry up the river into the forbidden, dangerous
swampland,
only to find that their 'spies' are actually a professor with two
medical
students engaged in antibiotic research on an uninhabited island. Later
the children return and help with some of the chores; they are
introduced
to the painstaking methods of scientific investigation and the joys of
eventual success."
Same as C56? Zapf,
Marjorie.
The
Mystery of the Great Swamp
I wonder if E2 could be The Garden
Behind
the Moon by Howard Pyle.
This wasn't a Howard Pyle book. It was
a picture book, and the illustrations were in bright primary
colors. I remember the boy went to bed,
and the elf woke him up. I *think* they rode a rocket to the
moon, but I'm not positive. (If not,
how did they get there?) They painted stars all night, and then
when
morning got near, the elf took the boy back home. I remember a
two-page
spread picture of stars, all with elves on them, holding tin pails of
paint
and little whitewash brushes. And were they singing? They
might
have been singing, too. Aarrgghh!
The Starcleaner Reunion by Cooper
Edens, published by Green Tiger 1979 - if it is a reprint of an
earlier
book? * Later - nope, doesn't look like a reprint.
Not much to go on but the title - Paul's
Trip With the Moon, by E.W. Weaver, published New York,
Merrill 1912 (c.1899) 92 pages, blue pictorial cloth cover. This looks
too late - The Moon Painters and Other Estonian Folk Tales
by Selve Maas, illustrated by Laszlo Gal. It was published by
Viking
Press, 1971, 143 pages, beautifully illustrated throughout with nicely
rendered pencil drawings. 15 tales plus a glossary of terms.
not much to go on, but perhaps Karl's
Journey
to the Moon, written and illustrated by Maja Lindberg,
translated
from the Swedish by Siri Andrews, published New York, Harcourt 1927. "A
slight but pleasing
modern fairytale. Its illustrations in clear,
beautiful colors and interesting design make of it a delightful picture
book." (Children's Catalog 1936 p.406)
Something about this description makes me think
of an old book I had as a child, Greta in Weatherland. A
little girl goes out on a dark windy rainy night, opens up her umbrella
and is swept away to magic land where weather is made. One illustration
has elves or gnomes hammering out sunbeams.
Twinkletoes. I'm the original
poster of this stumper, and my Mom finally thinks she remembers what
book
I'm talking about! She says it was called Twinkletoes,
but
doesn't have any other information. I'm sure I would recognize it
immediately if I saw it. How about it, Harriet? Can you
finish
the puzzle?
Well, there's a Shirley Temple's
Twinkletoes
from 1936, and a Tiny and Twinkletoes from 1978 by Audrey
Tarrant, and also Twinkletoes by Gwen Evrard,
Colleen
Moore and Thomas Burke.
E2 elves: going only by the title, maybe Twinkle
Toes and his Magic Mittens by Laura Rountree Smith, illustrated
with full page plates in colour by F. R. Morgan, published Whitman
1919,
thin octavo, pictorial cloth boards, decorated endpapers, 6 colour
printed
dustwrappers, "from the elusive "For All Children from 5 to 10" series,
an exceptionally rare title."
#E4-A: Eileen and Eddie. The only
fairy story with cars which comes immediately to mind is The
Gnomobile
by U. B. Sinclair, only in that one, it was the humans who
drove
the gnomes around, not the other way. And if
you read it at six, you're truly a genius:
it's about twelve-year-old reading level. Disney made a movie of
it. Karen Dotrice and Matthew Garber, from "Mary Poppins," played
the two kids.
Possibly The Cinematograph Train
by G.E. Farrow (once well-known as author of the Wallypug
books),
illustrated by Alan Wright, published London, 1904. Bobbie and Evelyn
go
to the cinematograph (the famous first moving picture showing a train
rushing
toward the audience) and find themselves on the train station platform.
This is Dreamland Junction and they take the train to Fairyland, where
a they are met by an odd little driver with a
"well-appointed motor-car". He drives them to
meet the Queen of the Fairies - they and the car shrink as they go, to
fairy-size. The humour is whimsical and could be called dry. "A stuffed
Griffin with a cold is such a stupid thing to be" laments one creature
from Nightmare Forest. Fairy baking powder is put into cakes which make
those who eat them lighter than air so they can levitate and escape
from
the evil giant Mam-on who keeps his subjects as slaves. The names
aren't
quite right - but there's a Prince Eddie in another story, who becomes
a Fairy Tale Prince for a while, and discovers it's harder than it
looks.
E5: Elizabeth
doll
Solved: Elizabeth
McGraw, Eloise, Sawdust in his shoes,1950.
This is not a short story, but the young man here runs off to join the
circus and this sounds like one of the chapters.
E6 elephant dung: another possible title is Elephant
Tramp, by George Lewis as told to Byron Fish, published
Little Brown 1955. "Lewis was only 16 when he ran away from home
and
got his first job as a pony 'punk' just to be near elephants. His
greatest
ambitions were realised when he took over, at varying times, the two
biggest
and meanest tuskers of them all - Ziggy and Tusko. The book is full of
elephant lore and experiences funny, dangerous and disastrous." (HB
Apr/55 p.132) Again, it's a book, not a story, but it could have been
excerpted.
This is absolutely NOT Sawdust in his Shoes
by Eloise Jarvis McGraw. I know and love the book, and there is
nothing about elephants in it at all.
Spangle. Searcher is looking
for a short story about a man in a circus who sweeps up after the
elephants,
gets teased, and turns the tables in a Tom Sawyer's painting the fence
trick. Check out the book titled Spangle. This is
NOT
a short story but a very thick and heavily researched fictional account
of circus life. It is "gritty" and NOT for children.
However,
the elephant dung story appears in the book in slightly altered form
and
I think the book has lots of references and notes at the end, so it may
point the searcher to the original story.
Some possibles - the first doesn't look bad: Harter,
Walter, Osceola's Head and Other American Ghost Stories illustrated
by Neil Waldman, Englewood Cliffs, Prentice-Hall 1974, 71 pgs ISBN
0-13-642991-2,
"Juvenile. Ten stories present the historical backgrounds of ghosts
still
haunting Valley Forge, the White House and other places in the United
States."
Baker,
Betty, ed. Great Ghost Stories of the Old West Four
Winds
Press 1968 "A collection of eight eerie, spooky, mysterious, and
terrifying
ghost stories for young readers that proclaim that ghosts followed the
Westward trails of America." Smith, Susy, Prominent American
Ghosts
Cleveland, World Publishing 1967 blue cover with black lettering,
illustrated
by photographs.
Another one is Ghosts that Still Walk:
Real Ghosts of America by Marion Lowndes, illustrated
by
Warren Chapell, published NY Knopf 1941 "Sixteen stories of
friendly,
famous ghosts that still come back in America." The picture of the
cover shows a large bare-limbed tree, with a steep-roofed house in the
bush behind it, rather dark.
E9 early american ghost stories: more on one
suggested - Osceola's Head and Other American Ghost Stories,
by Walter Harter, illustrated by Neil Waldman, published
Prentice-Hall.
71 pages. Contents include: THE GHOST AT VALLEY FORGE, BLOODY
HANDPRINTS
ON THE WALL, JAMIE DAWKIN'S DRUM, OSCEOLA'S HEAD, THE HOUSE THAT HATED
WAR, THE ACTOR WHO WOULDN'T STAY DEAD, THE GHOSTS OF FOLEY SQUARE, THE
GHOSTLY INHABITANTS OF FORT MONROE, THE WITCH IN THE POND, THE MYSTERY
OF THE GOLD DOUBLOONS. I don't know anything about
American ghost lore, so I don't know if these
correspond to the remembered stories or not.
Ford, Jenifer, The House in Hyde Park,
1956, illus by Joan Robinson. I know this is a long shot.
Shaw, Jane, Susan's Helping Hand.
Children's Press 1960. A bit doubtful about this - some editions
do have a pictorial
cover showing a boy, a girl and an English bobby,
but the cloth is usually green, and Children's Press usually only had a
frontispiece illo, not plates throughout. Plot description is that
Susan's
habit of being helpful leads her into trouble.
L.E.Tiddleman, A Bright Little Pair (1913 approximate)
Definitely the book,but comes in different editions with different
pictures
on front.
E38:
Easter egg painter
Solved: Grandpa Bunny Bunny
Esther Hautzig, The Endless Steppe.
Set in Siberia. A likely possibility.
Thanks, but I'm certain that it's not The Endless Steppe.
This is only a possibility, as I don't recall
plot details, but you might try The Ark or Rowan
Farm
by Margot Benary-Isbert.
Could this be When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit?
Anne Holm, North To Freedom.
This could be North To Freedom. That story is
about
a boy named David. I probably
read it somewhere around 1970-1972.
This doesn't sound like The Ark
or Rowan Farm. the family in The Ark has been
displaced
from their home in Pomerania and is forced to relocated to a city
somewhere
else in Germany later they move to a farm outside the city and
Margaret,
the oldest girl, helps breed dogs. There is some mention of them living
in refugee camps, but that happens before the book starts.
Lois Lowry, Number the Stars.
Could this be Number the Stars? "Ten-year-old
Annemarie
Johansen and her best friend Ellen Rosen often think of life before the
war. It's now 1943 and their life in Copenhagen is filled with school,
food shortages, and the Nazi soldiers marching through town. When the
Jews
of Denmark are "relocated," Ellen moves in with the
Johansens and pretends to be one of the family.
Soon Annemarie is asked to go on a dangerous mission to save Ellen's
life."
Levitin?, Journey to America
Ian Serraillier, Escape from Warsaw
Escape from Warsaw is about two sisters and a brother who escape from
their
bombed-out house in Warsaw and end up in several displaced-persons
camps
in Europe, trying to find their parents. Much of the story is told from
the point-of-view of the older sister, Ruth. My copy was published in
1963
by Scholastic, and the cover shows the children walking through snow.
James Ramsey Ullman, Banner in the Sky,
1956, paperback 1967. This sounds like it. It involves
climbing
a mountain in Switzerland called the Citadel in the 1860s. I
believe
its based on a true story about climbing the Matterhorn. It was a
Disney movie in the late 1960s-early 1970s. I checked imdb.com
and
another name for the book and/or movie seems to be Third Man on
the
Mountain.
Please note that E-60, "Banner in the Sky"
was not the solution.
Beverly Cleary, Ramona and Her Mother,
1980s. This may be way off, but Ramona Quimby had a stuffed
elephant,
named Ella Funt, that she carried around with her. In Ramona
and Her Mother, she sews her a pair of pants. She had had
Ella Funt for a while, so there may have been a spaghetti stain on her
somewhere, I don't remember.
Norma Simon, Elly the Elephant,
1962, reprinted 1982. This is just a possibility - I can't find a
picture of the cover anywhere. Two summaries: "Wendy and her
beloved
Elly are inseparable until the toy is left at school one day." And
"Wendy
tells incidents in the life of her nine-year-old toy elephant who goes
to school with her, but never grows older." Hope this rings a
bell.
E66 Shot in the dark, but it could be ELLY
THE ELEPHANT by Norma Simon. Wendy loves her toy
elephant
(one summary said she sings to it?), and then one day she leaves it at
school. I couldn't find a picture or further summary, so I'm not sure
if
this is a match~from a librarian
Thank you for the suggestions! I obtained copies of both Elly
the Elephant and Ramona and her Mother, but unfortunately,
neither
is the book I am looking for. I believe my book has more pictures
(perhaps in color) than Ramona and Her Mother, and is not long
enough
to have chapters. Also, my book feels more modern than Elly, and
I'm fairly certain is written for a slightly higher reading level.
Nancy K. Robinson, Oh Honestly, Angela!,
1991, reprint. "Kindergartner Angela has her problems, also. She
takes her favorite stuffed elephant to show and tell, only to find out
that she is expected to donate it to the school's Christmas drive for
the
needy."
I revisited the site for the first time in
a while, and the stumper is now listed as Solved: Oh Honestly,
Angela!However,
that is not the book. In my book, unlike this one, the little
girl
and her elephant are the main focus of the book.
Did the elephant go to visit its cousins when
it was misplaced by the girl?
Another
poster asked, "Did the elephant go to visit its cousins when it was
misplaced by the girl?" This doesn't sound familiar to me, but
it's been well over 20 years, so it's possible. I would
appreciate it if you would share the title of the book you're thinking
of, if you know it. Thank you!
Mercer Mayer, There's An Alligator
Under
My Bed. Sounds like this
Mercer
Mayer classic. Also, 3 of these stories were published together
as
There's
Something There (alligator under the bed, monster in the
closet,
something in the attic), so that could be the collection you mention.
Some commented in the stumper, but it's the
correct solutionThe book I am looking for is not a collection of 3
books.
It's a textbook.
[I just noticed this Alligator stumper
is filed under E. I have no explanation for that.
But
I'll keep it here so the original requester can find it.]
E83 Shot in the dark, but it might be worth
looking
into THE WITCH DOLL by Helen Morgan~from a
librarian
The book was probably from the eighties or even
early nineties. It was about a girl might have lived in some sort
of orphanage or something. She gets this doll and it turns out to
be evil. She and a friend bury it in the woods one night, and the
doll is back in her room in the morning, covered in dirt. The
cover
was dark, with a dark-haired girl looking frightened as she held up a
blonde
doll. I think that the name of this book is a girl's first
name....
And although i may be wrong about this, I think that it may be an "A"
name,
like Anabelle....
The book Im thinking of (see below) is Annabelle
by Ruby Jean Jenson: "bandoned by her mother and neglected by
her
emotionally distant father, a little girl is drawn to an old derelict
mansion
in the woods near her home. To the lonely little girl the house is her
very own castle and it seems to call out to her with a ghostly chorus
of
voices. Inside she finds a family of dolls that welcome her along with
a strange portrait of a woman who smiles down on her like the mother
she
lost. But this house is no playground. It echoes with the memories of a
tragedy that took place nearly a half century ago and the event is
still
being played out by forces beyond the grave. Dolls come to life,
seeking
to protect a mysterious girl named Annabelle and a ghostly wraith
stomps
through the old mansion, crazed with a demonic rage... Ruby Jean Jensen
delivers a creepy haunted house chiller with her trademark style and
resident
killer dolls. A must for Jensen fans and a fun read for horror lovers."
Ruth Arthur, A Candle in her Room,
1966. Sounds like Ruth M. Arthur's A Candle in her Room
to me. The girl in the book moves into a new house and (I think)
finds the doll, either in the attic or in a hollow tree. The
doll's
name is Dido, and she is evil. Somehow, she convinces the girl to
do magic. I remember the girl burying Dido and trying to burn
her...and
both times she comes back. I don't, however, remember the
resolution!
The cover has a picture of a girl standing over a bonfire, poking it
with
a stick.
The plot of the Evil Toy returning
sounds a bit like Steven King's story about an evil clockwork monkey. I
do recall both the Twilight Zone and Night Gallery featured dolls bent
on revenge against an evil father figure--the NG one was quite
terrifying with her dark eyes and big teeth! She did have blonde hair,
would this be similar?
Tony Brice, Little Bobo and His Blue Jacket. Also published as part of the Rand McNally Book of Favorite Animal Stories
E86 (and E94???). Clevin, Jorgen , Pete's
first day at school, 1973. This must definitely be the
solution
to E86 and it could be the solution to E94. The cover shows
Johnny
and Pete - and Pete is a regular large elephant, so his size could have
come into the story. Pete, the elephant, has happy experiences on
the first day of school. "Johnny and Pete live at number 14
Flower
Street. Where do you live? Shall we say hello to them? That red knob is
the doorbell. Press it with your finger and say :
dingalingaling."
Pete the elephant goes to school for the first time. Reader answers
questions
at each stop-light. Final story page has a 'blank' TV screen with a
message
seen only when held up to the light !Cover is indeed white as remembered
The description of E99 in the book stumpers
sounds
to me like Five Run Away Together by Enid Blyton.
I read a series of maybe four or five books in the early seventies,
though
the books would have been written earlier I think Enid Blyton's famous
five series was reissued in the early seventies, in paperback editions
published by Knight books. The series (of 21 books in total) was first
written in the late 40s to early 60s. The one I think it is would be
Book
3. in which a family of children, I am pretty sure English
The four children in the series are English: Julian, Dick, Georgina
(who
wants to be a boy and prefers to be called George) and Anne find a
secret
cave. I recall that the entrance to the cave is facing out over a
steep isolated cliff so is mostly unknown, but they find it by a little
hole in the ground, which goes down through the top of the cave. They
build
campfires and the smoke goes up through the hole. This is what makes me
think it could be this book. In Five Run Away Together
the
five stumble across the cave quite by accident, when one of them falls
down the hidden hole in the ground. Further exploration reveals that
the
cave cannot be seen from the front entrance in the cliff. Also, when a
fire is lit, smoke escapes through the roof hole. There
were
probably some mysteries involved, but I do not think it was a mystery
series
per se. Well if it is this book, it is part of a mystery series,
so perhaps I'm wrong... would be my suggestion though!
Blyton, Enid, Five Run Away Together
(Famous Five #3), 1944. I have read this book and I think this is the
one
the requestor wanted. Four children and a dog go to a uninhabited
island and find a cave with a hole in the ceiling. They lower
their
stuff through the hole and lower themselves through it too, to save
them
having to climb the rocks to the front entrance near the beach.
(which
can't be seen from the mainland).
They Found a Cave. I can't
remember who wrote this book, but I read it back in the 60s. 4 or 5
children
find a cave - I recognise the description with the secret entrance in
the
top, and run away to live in it -I think one of them was called Nancy.
Only problem I think it was set in Australia.
Ransome, Arthur, Swallowdale,1931.
In Swallowdale (the second of the Swallows & Amazons
series), the Walker family find a secret cave in the cliff-side of a
valley
in the English hills. (re other postings, note that one of the Amazons
is Nancy).
Scott O'Dell, Sing Down the Moon.
(1970) Fourteen-year-old Navaho Bright Morning and her friend
Running
Bird are kidnapped by Spanish Slavers and sold. Bright Morning later
escapes,
but when she returns, she finds her village under occupation by the
"Long
Knives", or American soldiers. The Americans force the Navaho out of
their
lands, and onto the Trail of Tears.
Before 1988, approximate. This was a wonderful store of
escaped
(or freed slaves) living in the hills. The only parts I clearly
remember
is an older woman painting an apron for the protagonist. The picture
was
of the protagonist wearing the apron, so it went on for infinity.
Eventually
they end up joining Indians in the Trail of Tears to Oklahoma. It was a
children's book, with chapters that I read in 1988.
Dolores Johnson, Seminole Diary:
Remembrances
of a Slave. (1994)
Might
this be the one you're looking for? "An African American woman
and
her daughter find the diary of Libbie, one of their ancestors who was
sold
into slavery. The diary describes how in 1834 Libbie, her father, and
her
sister escaped from their cruel master. The family is eventually taken
in by the Seminoles. Unfortunately, their peaceful new existence
doesn't
last long as the United States government forces the Seminoles to give
up their land in Florida and move to a reservation in Oklahoma.
Illustrated
with oil paintings."
E102:
Elephant
missing; escapes on ice blocks
Solved: Big Max
McGraw, Eloise Jarvis, Mara, Daughter
of
the Nile, 1953. I wonder if
this book is Mara, Daughter of the Nile Mara is a slave with powerful
friends.
She works as a double-agent spy and eventually earns her freedom.
Could you possibly be thinking of Mara,
Daughter of the Nile by Eloise McGraw?
Definitely not Mara, Daughter of the
Nile by Eloise
Jarvis McGraw. Co-incidentally, I was re-reading that
one this afternoon, and it doesn't match at all. Main characters
in that one are Mara, a slave, and Sheftu, a nobleman.
Could this maybe be The Mystery of the
Silent
Friends? The three dolls in that one are anamatronic not
haunted,
but they are at the centre of the big mystery in the story. See solved
mysteries for more details.
Seon Manley and Gogo Lewis, The haunted
dolls: an anthology, 1980.
Doubleday,
1980. Christie, A. The dressmaker’s doll. Timperley, R. The peg doll.
James,
M. R. The haunted doll’s house. Blackwood, A. The doll. Jerome, J. K.
The
dancing partner. Danby, M. The grey lady. Andersen, H. C. The steadfast
tin soldier. The Doll’s ball. Hawthorne, N. Feathertop. Tapp, T. The
doll.
The Life of Aunt Sally, alias Blackmore, alias Rosabella, alias Amelia,
as related by herself. Pearce, J. H. The puppets. Manley, S. The
Christmas
of the big bisque doll. Crawford, F. M. The doll’s ghost.
There's a book THE HAUNTED DOLLS: AN
ANTHOLOGY
selected by Seon Manley and Gogo Lewis, 1980. The stories
include:
"The Dressmaker's Doll" by Agatha Christie, "The Peg-Doll" by Rosemary
Timperley, "The Haunted Doll's House" by M.R. James, "The Doll" by
Algernon
Blackwood, "The Dancing Partner" by Jerome K. Jerome, "The Grey Lady"
by
Mary Danby, "The Steadfast Tin Soldier" by Hans Christian Andersen,
"The
Dolls' Ball", "Feathertop" by Nathaniel Hawthorne "The Doll" by Terry
Tapp,
"The Life of Aunt Sally", "The Puppets" by J.H. Pearce -- "The
Christmas
of the Big Bisque Doll" by Seon Manley, "The Doll's Ghost" by F. Marion
Crawford.~from a librarian.
Seon Manley and Gogo Lewis, The
Haunted Dolls: An Anthology,1980. I'm certain that The
Haunted
Dolls: An Anthology is the book you want. In addition to the
details
provided by other contributors, I would like to mention that the cover
is indeed pale green in color.
Jane Langton, The Diamond in the window. I'm wondering if you're referring to The Diamond in the Window by Jane Langton. There is one chapter in which the two children (who are orphans being raised by their uncle and aunt) are trapped in a world behind a mirror that reflects their own images as they grow older.
Nancy Woollcott Smith, The Ghostly Trio,
1970s.
This was a Scholastic Book Club book that I read way back in the
mid-70s.
All I remember of the plot is three friends, two boys and a girl,
exploring
(and breaking into..even though they didn't take anything or do
anything)
summer homes. At one point, there's groaning in one of the
houses,
and the kids have to figure out if it's ghosts, or a more logical
explanation.
I think one of them had some connection with the cottages--maybe the
parent
was a caretaker? Flashlights figured prominently, for some
reason.
Just a possibility! Good luck.
Margaret Goff Clark, Mystery of the
Missing
Stamps, 1967. Could it be
this
one? Mark's new stepfather is the caretaker for a summer camp.
(Think
cabins in a resort area that families rent for the summer, not sleep
away
camp.) His new friend, who works as a busboy at the restaurant,
is
accused of stealing. Along with jewelry and other portable
things,
a valuable stamp collection goes missing, and Mark is determined to
discover
who's doing the stealing and prove his friend innocent. There's
also
a younger girl, staying at one of the cabins, who becomes involved in
the
mystery. At one point, there's something about the lights going
out
and the sign for the camp being changed as part of the mystery.
Maybe
worth a try!
No, I don't recognize either suggested solution. It seems that the
name of the summer cabins might have appeared to be tar pin et pin dar,
because of some of the light bulbs being out on the sign.
Elizabeth Enright, Gone-Away Lake.
While the story is not quite the same, "tar pin and pin dar" could be
"Tarquin
et Pindar" written in Latin on the "philosopher's stone" discovered by
Portia Blake and her cousin Julian. The abandoned summer cabins
are
there on the swamp that used to be a lake but I don't remember the
lights.
See the Solved Mysteries for more.
|
Condition Grades |
Enright,
Elizabeth. Gone-away Lake.
illus by Beth and Joe Krush. Harcourt Brace and World,
1957.
Ex-library edition with usual marks and edgewear, but interior and dust
jacket both very clean. VG-/VG+. $12
Enright, Elizabeth. Gone-away Lake. illus by Beth and Joe Krush. Harcourt, 1957, 1990, 2000. New hardcover edition. $17 |
 |
Alison Farthing, The Mystical Beast.
This is the one! Check it out in the solved stumpers.
The Junior Classics The stories you mention are all in the ten volume Junior Classics,complete with the unuusual endings, and the tenth volume is an index. My set is more colorful than you describe, though. They were given away with Collier's Encyclopedias in the 1950s and 1960s.
|
Condition Grades |
Martignoni, Margaret E, series editor. Collier’s junior classics. Collier, 1962. 10 vols, cloth, each a different color; linen interior hinge; all good, with all pages good; vol 4 has a 3/8’ dig in spine; child’s name The young folks shelf of books. [NHQ19915] $80 plus postage |
|
F20 fish: two really long shots - The
Magical
Cupboard, by Jane Louise Curry, Atheneum 1976, involves
an orphan called Felicity in a dreadful 18th c. orphanage run by nasty
Parson Grout, who steals a magic wooden cupboard that lets Felicity
into
modern times. Then there's Fish, also titled A
Boy
Called Fish, by Alison Morgan, Chatto 1971 about a boy
whose
birthday, school desk, and even name belong to someone else, and the
dog
he cares for.
Eleanore Jewett, Felicity Finds a Way,
1940s/1950s. Another very long shot all I know about this book is
the title, and that it was set in post-Revolution New York, and is a
book
for young people. Almost certainly not the Alison Morgan book in
any case apart from the fact that the central character is a boy,
it does not have a similar plot.
Louisa May Alcott, Flower Fables.
A collection of six original fairy tales written by the acclaimed
Louisa
May Alcott. These stories are part of a large body of fantasy fiction
the
author wrote throughout her career. Each story features adventures of
elves
and fairy sprites in fairyland and are imbued with the lushness of
Alcott's
love of the natural world. Each story is between 12 and 18 pages with
full
page illustrations.
Cicely Mary Barker, Flower Fairies
books
Cicely Mary Barker, Flower Fairies
series. A possibility.
Maybe Fairy Elves by Robin
Palmer
and
Pelagie Doane (1964)
Maybe The Adventures of Snugglepot and
Cuddlepie by May Gibb (Gibbs?) 1940's- I think there
are
newer reprints.
Not the same book, but a similar idea -
perhaps
a series? Dale Payson, Magic Castle Fairytale Book
New York, Random House 1978 8vo over 9" illustrated board covers that
open
up to reveal on the left side - paper pages for the three fairy tales
included,
which are The Golden Goose, Jack and the Beanstalk, Rumpelstiltskin,
and
Sleeping Beauty. On the right side the boards unfold again to reveal
pop-up
castle. In a separate envelope are paper cut-out characters to go along
with all the stories. Paper engineering by Ib Penick.
there was a short series of toy/books published
in the mid-late 1950s called Playbooks, of fairy tales, including the
Three
Bears (but not Wizard of Oz, which is copyright) which opened to show a
box containing little plastic figures of the characters and some props.
F28 fairy tale figurines: more on the Playbook
series - published New York, Playbook 1958, each book being approx
6x4",
with the fairy tale in a 12 page front section, and the figures in a
box/hollow
book after that. Titles
included Red Riding Hood, Goldilocks and the
Three Bears, Jack and the Beanstalk, Cinderella, Three Little Pigs, and
Hansel and Gretel "with true-to-life playfigures", slogan - "read
the
books, play with the figures".
We have this book somewhere in our family!
My nan used to have it and it was exactly as you described - the
figures
were for looking at = couldn't play with them. On the opposite
page
were little nursery rhymes stories associated with each scene. My
nan gave this book to one of my cousins so I'll email her and find out
the name and publisher! I'm looking for a copy myself!
This possibility The Cherrys on Indoor Island by Will Scott, published by Brock Books in England, 1958 "The 'happenings' in the Cherrys books could be those of any family - and the neighbours join in. On this wet day the house becomes a desert island crowded with incidents!" (Junior Bookshelf Jan/58 ad) Other titles include The Cherrys of River House (1952), The Cherrys to the Rescue (1963), The Cherrys and Company (1953), The Cherrys' Mystery Holiday (1960), etc.
#F35--Flood!: One of Lois Lenski's
more obscure titles is "Flood Friday." Since it is
based on a true story which took place in Connecticut in 1955, it is
doubtful
there's anything about going to town in a wagon. One story set in
rural America in the past was "Our Vines Have Tender Grapes."
This was a movie around 1946, part of which dealt with farm children in
a flood.
Another guess, but F35 could very well be An
American Ghost by Chester Aaron. I haven't read it, but
I have seen the TV version. The plot concerns a pioneer brother and
sister
who are left alone on the family farm while their father takes their
mother
into town to have a baby. While they are gone, there is a huge flood
and
the children't home washes away down river. They still have some
animals,
and later a cougar takes up residence in/near the house.
F35 flood: a long shot, but could it be Champ,
Gallant Collie, by Patricia Lauber, published Random
House
1960? Champ is left to guard the farm, the river floods, and a mountain
lion menaces the farm animals. No idea if
there are children at home as well, though.
F35 flood: the Chester Aaron title, An
American Ghost, has some differences. According to a review,
the
main character is a boy alone, the story is set in the 1800s, and he is
"left in charge of a Wisconsin farm house which is swept away down the
Mississippi with him inside it. Alone? So he thought until he
discovered
a mountain lion caged in by a fallen tree at one end of the house."
(Children's
Books of the Year 74 p.61)
F36 fairies take girl: could it be Joan
in Flowerland, hardcover, by Margaret Tarrant and Lewis
Dutton,
illustrated by Margaret Tarrant, published Frederick Warne, no date, 60
pages. "Joan is a little girl who believes in fairies, and when the
gardener
tells her that the best place to find them is among the flowers, she
goes
in search of them. Tinkler the elf acts as guide and Joan makes some
wonderful
discoveries." The fairies in Annabel and Bryony (Solved List) are
military
and take prisoners at times, but the children get into fairyland
through
a flower, not by falling asleep, so it probably isn't that one.
Haldeman, Linda, The Lastborn of
Elvinwood,1978.This charming novel has enough elements in
common
with the requester'\''s stumper to be worth investigating.
English
actor Ian James follows his local vicar into a wood, discovers a tribe
of tiny faerie folk dwelling there, and is charged by Oberon to aid in
finding a bride for the last prince of Faerie -- a task which may
involve
facing down Merlin himself, and casting a spell over the infant
daughter
of a visiting American family. There are more parallels to the
poster'\''s
description than this summary may suggest, although the match isn'\''t
perfect in any event, however, Haldeman is a superb writer and the book
well worth seeking out. The date given is for the original
hardcover
edition
there was an Avon paperback issued in 1980.
#F41--Future Forest Cities: Part of the
description reminds me of a chapter from E. Nesbit's The Story
of
the Amulet and part of it reminds me of Zilpha
Keatley
Snyder's Green Sky trilogy but it's probably neither one.
perhaps - A Time to Choose: a story of
suspense, by Richard Parker, published Harper 1974 151
pages.
"When Stephen Conway, aged 17, borrowed his father's car to transport
props
and costumes for his school play, he not only dented a hubcap but
caught
a glimpse of an uncanny, bright vision in the windshield. So began the
strange adventure of a youth caught between two words existing
simultaneously
on the banks of an English river: the 20th century world of
overpopulation,
traffic and pollution; and a future world of idyllic, communal living
and
skillful utilization of water and wind power. Stephen and classmate
Mary
Silver soon found themselves able to leave and enter the 'brave new
world'
but ultimately had to make a choice - to live there permanently or to
stay
in a world of indifferent or nagging parents, and school examinations."
(HB Aug/74 p.385)
F41 future forest cities: another possible is
The
Magic Meadow, by Alexander Key, published Westminster 1975
"Five
young hospital patients escape to a delightful future. Ages 10-14." (HB
Apr/75 p.196 pub ad)
Post #F44. It seems to be the same book
that I am diligently searching for. The story of the ill mother
was
about the big or little dipper. The theme of many stories were of
how things "became" like the story of spring (?)or was it the wind and
good character or values/morals. If memory serves me well,
Midas and the Golden Touch was included, and there was the story of the
little pine tree whose needles became something else. I can
almost
see the beautiful illustrations but too vaguely to describe. It
was
a favorite book to trace from! I also remember a story of
Anderson's
Red Cap. I just stumbled onto this site which is
simply
fantastic. I have been glued here all night and have decided to
move
in. : ) Back to reading the posts!
I believe it is Folk Tales Children Love...
tadaaaaa. Good night now. Safe tomorrow
Barbara Leonie Picard. I'm guessing this
is a collection by Barbara Leonie Picard. She wroteThe Faun
and the Woodcutter's Daughter, but the other stories aren't in
the book by that name (which are all original stories by her).
However,
she did also retell a lot of fairy tales and legends as well as write
her
own, so it's quite possible she's got a collection out there that
contains
them all. A more traditional collection by someone else wouldn't
include
The
Faun and the Woodcutter's Daughter, however (which is what I'm
pretty sure the first story is).
I don't know the name of the book, but the
story
about the swans is The
Wild Swans by Hans Christian Andersen Maybe
adding
that title to searches would yield some results?
I am looking for the same book. The book
also has a wonderful story about a male spider trying to entice a shy
female
fly into his web. I cherished this book as a child and would also
love to find it. Thanks!!
