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M94 (Magic stove dial invisible siblings) is M
FOR MISCHIEF by Richard Parker, ill. by Charles Greer
1966.
I read this book over and over and am lucky enough to still own my
childhood
copy, so I am pretty positive this is the one. ~from a librarian
More on the suggested title M for Mischief
by Richard Parker, illustrated by Charles Geer, published by
Duell
1966, 90 pages "Three children, two girls and a boy, who have just
moved
into an unexciting old house, find an ancient rusty stove, complete
with
its own baffling cookbook, hidden away in a long-neglected summerhouse.
Two settings on a dial - O for "Ordinary" and M for "Mischief" take the
place of the usual oven gauge. Life grows hilariously complicated for
everyone
in the family when the children experiment with the recipe for boiled
eggs
which will render the eater invisible. But
Shoberg, Lore, Machine,
McGraw-Hill (1973). Card catalog description: A boy becomes
worried when the machine he receives from a TV celebrity keeps growing
and the people in the city want to make it king. ISBN: 0070569886
I saw the listing for my book query today and was so excited to
find the book had already been identified. Thank you so much for your
help.
My 2 1/2 year old son is enamoured with all things mechanical (he
already
knows the names of most construction vehicles and calls out their names
when we pass road crews; "backhoe, pay-loader, grader!"). My wife
and I don't know where he gets this (we're a couple of book-nerd
professors
at the U of Utah); but when he recently become enthusiastic about
robots,
too--I thought, 'here's my chance to share with him a book I loved from
my childhood.' I just couldn't for the life of me remember the author's
name (and searching under "Machine" or "Robot" was returning thousands
of hits). I had all but given up hope when I found Loganberry books and
you. I am so grateful to you. This will be such a wonderful xmas
present
(for both my son and me). Thanks again and happiest of holidays.
Primers featuring Jeff, Mary, and Mike should
appear under the heading "Macmillan Reading Program
preprimers."
The three books definitely in the Jeff, Mary, and Mike series are Opening
Books, A Magic Box, and Things You See, all by Mae
Clark and all published by Macmillan in 1965 in softcover, and in
1970
possibly in hardcover. These three are all classified as
"preprimers."
Another, Lands of Pleasure, is classified as a "first
primer,"
but I don't know if it also features the same characters or is a
regular
textbook with poems and stories, as are some of the other ten books I
found
listed under this author and publisher. One book of Mae Clark's I
would be interested in which is not Jeff, Mary, and Mike is Worlds
of Wonder. It seems to be Book #1 in the "California
State
Series." You might make another heading for "California State
Series,
School Readers" and list Worlds of Wonder, Book 1(?), Much
Majesty,
Book 4, First Splendor, Book 5, and Wider Than the Sky,
Book
6, and maybe someone will know what Books 2 and 3 are and I can put
together
the set.
The entry under Macmillan Reading Program in
your "solved" section seems to indicate that someone would like more
information
about these books. When I started teaching first grade in 1968 we used
this series of readers. Opening Books was preprimer1, A
Magic Box was preprimer2, and Things You See was
preprimer3. The next book in the series was Worlds of Wonder
and it was called the primer. That book was followed by Lands of
Pleasure which was the first reader. Children who did well in
school
would be expected to go through all of these books in first grade. I
have
the second grade books from this series also; one of them is called Enchanted
Gates. There were 2 books for second grade (teachers referred
to
them as the 2-1 and 2-2 books). There were also 2 books for third
grade.
There was just one book each for fourth, fifth, and sixth grades.
One thing i liked about these books was that each title was a phrase
from
a poem about books and reading; the poem would be printed before the
title
page of the book.
Sounds like Bertrand Brinley's The Mad
Scientists'
Club from the early 1960s. It was followed by The New
Adventures of the Mad Scientists' Club
and,
in the 1970s, The Big Kerplop - which is a prequel
written
in
novel form. (That one is not so terrific.) The
illustrator was perfectly chosen. The Club is made up of 7 boys aged 12
to 15 or so, and they get involved in all sorts of hijinks with the
help
of all sorts of WWII surplus electronic equipment that they collect.
(Examples:
gas balloon race, long-lost fortune, "high-tech" prank at the mayor's
speech,
night rescue of a downed pilot, a cleverly "haunted" house, bank
robbers,
submarine, "flying saucer", rainmaking, and kidnappings by the rival
club.)
They are all out of print, but the reviews at you-know-what dot com are
many and passionate - the first two books ARE very funny and you may
have
to read them first so you won't burst out laughing with every other
page
when reading to your kids! While somewhat socially dated, as you
might expect, they are very much worth it and
a fascinating look at what kids could (sometimes) really do even before
the computer age (though Henry does, in the first story of NAotMSC,
reveal
that he has a homemade computer!) I often wonder just where it's
supposed
to be - it's very rural and you know from one story that they're in a
Yankee
state, but my guess is it's not in New England, anyway.
Probably the Mad Scientists' Club or
the New Adventures of the Mad Scientists' Club by Betrand
R. Brinley. I know there is a fake monster in the lake
chapter
in one of those two books.
yes, I'd love to get all three of the Mad Scientist Club
books. Just let me know.
Brink, Carol Ryrie, Madamoiselle
Misfortune
Maggie
B.
This book is from my childhood (I was born in 1969) and features
a girl wishing on a star and wanting to take a trip. She
magically/via
imagination sets sail on the ocean with her baby brother who she is now
responsible for. She grows pears and other fruit on the boat for
them to eat. They may have a chicken on the boat who lays eggs
for
them??? A large part of the book seemed to be her growing/making
food for her brother. She washes her brother up after their meal,
bundles
him up, and rocks him to sleep. The book ends with a return to
reality,
I believe. I would love to locate this book again to share with
my
young daughter!
This looks like the same book as M 68: The
Maggie B by Irene Haas. It's recently been
reprinted
and is an adorable book.
I'm the author of G48 and am pleased to say that, yes indeed, The
Maggie B. (same as M68) was indeed the book I was looking
for!
I checked it out of the library and have shared it with my daughter and
she loves it too! As a matter of fact I've read it with all my
mom
friends as well and have told them about this wonderful site.
Thank
you very much for solving my querry!
---
I read the book to my kids in the late
seventies,
early eighties.It was a paperback and belonged to my younger brother.
It
was a picture book story about a little girl, Maggie and her baby
brother,
who she cared for on their little boat. Actually, I think that "The
Maggie
B." may have been the name of their boat. She kept a goat, a
little
garden and fised from her boat. A sweet book. Can you help me
find
it, or more info. about who wrote it, etc.? Thanks for your help.
I was just browsing through your website, when
I came across this "unsolved mystery": "M61: Maggie B."
I think I know the title of the book -- it's
simply called The Maggie B. by Irene Haas; it
was
recently reprinted (Aladdin Picture Books). Hope this helps!
M61 is The Maggie B by Irene
Haas. A *great* book.
This does sound like The Maggie B,
by
Irene Haas (on Solved list) published New York, Atheneum 1975,
reprinted various times, 32 pages. "Before sleep one night, Margaret
Barnstable
wishes for a ship named for herself. The next morning she awakes on the
Maggie B. and the adventure begins! The ship has a garden growing on
it,
and she cooks and cares for herself and baby brother James. Full color
paintings loaded with detail." See also G48 Girl on boat
---
I am desperatly searching for a children's picture book my mom read
to me as a child, probably published in the 70's, - seems thre was a
child
with his/her grandma out to sea on a ship ...I think they caught crab
or
lobster and cooked and had warm cozy dinners in the cabin of the boat -
I think there were descriptons of food and smells? ...may have been a
storm,
but I can't quite remember - this book reminds me of warm, cozy, safe
memories...Please
help me find it once again!:)
The Maggie B. This
book may be The Maggie B., although that is about a girl and her baby
brother
- no grandmother. The girl does catch and cook their dinner and there
is
a storm - but they are snug inside and the ship rides it out safely.
Definitely
a strong feeling of comfort and safety. My daughter & I love this
story.
I bought it for my daughter in the 80's, but I think it may be back in
print.
Irene Haas, The Maggie B, 1975.
I think this must be The Maggie B. -- maybe you thought of a
grandmother
because the illustrations of little Maggie show her wearing an
old-fashioned
dress and apron, with a kerchief on her head (and of course she does
all
those grown-up things like cook the lobster stew and bake the muffins,
and lash down the ship against the storm).
Mary Grannan, Maggie Muggins.
Several others in series e.g. More Maggie Muggins, Maggie
Muggins
and Benny Bear, The Wonderful World of Maggie Muggins, Maggie Muggins
in
the Meadow, etc.
Mary Grannan, Maggie Muggins
series. Maggie Muggins and Her Animal Friends (1959),
Maggie Muggins Again (1949), Maggie Muggins and Benny
Bear
(1962),
Maggie Muggins and the Cottontail (1960), Maggie Muggins
in the Meadow (1956), More Maggie Muggins
(1959),
New Maggie Muggins Stories (1947), Maggie Muggins and
the
Fieldmouse (1959), Maggie Muggins by the Sea (1959).
|
Condition Grades |
Grannan, Mary. Maggie Muggins and Her Animal Friends. Illustrated by Bernard Zalusky. Pennington Press, 1959. Dust jacket frayed at extremities, otherwise a nice copy. VG/G+. <SOLD> |
M71 - could this be Nicholas Stuart GrayThe
Applestone ? Some similarities.
I have to say, the only similarity with The
Apple Stone is the size of the item. Gray's book contains no
aliens,
no force-fields, no blue. Instead, the Apple Stone is golden and speaks
for itself, instructing the group of children how to use it. This book
sounds more American than English, and more science fiction than
fantasy.
Maybe Carl Biemiller's Magic Ball from
Mars New York, Morrow, 1953?
M83 and M71 seem to be asking about the same
book. Not that that helps either searcher much.
M71 and M83: Carl Biemiller, The
Magic Ball from Mars
---
I remember this book from the mid
fifties.
It was an adventure story about a boy who finds a marble that turns out
to be magic. Not sure about title, author. What a fun site
to reminisce about the books we loved. Another favorite of mine
was
The
Book of Live Dolls.
Magic Ball from Mars, by Carl
L. Biemiller, illustrated by Kathleen Voute, published Morrow 1953,
127 pages. "An amusing bit of science fiction about Johnny Jenks'
adventures
with a mysteriously glowing ball of 'marsquartz' given him by a kindly
man from 'Out There' who comes to Earth in a flying saucer. Johnny's
visit
to the Pentagon to show the ball to the authorities and his subsequent
kidnapping are lively enough adventures." (HB Oct/53 p.360)
I tripped over your site and noted with interest
that my father's book, The Magic Ball From Mars, was the
subject of one of your stumper questions. About a year and a half ago,
I developed a web site devoted to Dad's books and getting them back in
print. This link to, "The Magical
Stories
of Carl L. Biemiller" may be of some help to your project. The
Magic Ball From Mars should make it back in print this Fall as
part of a Forrest Ackerman "Martianthology" to be published by The
Sense
of Wonder Press. Funny how projects and web sites grow. I'm
still learning.
A couple of possibilities: The
Magic
Bicycle the story of a bicycle that found a boy / John
Bibee /1983/ "The Spirit Flyer, a rusty old bicycle found in the
city
dump, surprises its new owner, John Kramar, when it magically lives up
to its name, introducing John to an unknown world and changing his life
for good." Or maybe The Fabulous Flying Bicycle / Glen
Dines / 1960/ (I think this is the one with the ice cream man, but
I'm not sure)
Bibee, John, The Magic Bicycle: the story
of a bicycle that found a boy,
1983.
Sounds like the first book in the Christian-fantasy "Spirit Flyer"
series.
Young John Kramer finds a rusty old bicycle in the city dump and
discovers
that it can fly. This ends up bringing him into conflict with the
boys in the Cobra Club, who represent the evil Goliath toy
company.
There are at least eight books in the series - sequels include "The Toy
Campaign", "The Only Game in Town", "Bicycle Hills", "The Last
Christmas",
"The Runaway Parents", "The Perfect Star" and "The Journey of Wishes".
MICHAEL AVI-YONAH , No More Magic,
1975. 1990 re-issue. Matches poster's details. If this
helps:
Bike is lost when left out on Halloween. Dad is a librarian.
Magic
Bonbons
The magical box of candy? Children's book of short stories
and illustrations including one with the title mentioned. Probably from
the early 20th century.
Could the "box of candy" possibly be Masefield's
Box
of Delights? Just a thought.
I just wanted to drop you a short note to say that M130b is NOT
Masefield's Box of Delights.
more info about the story: the story's main
character is a young girl, who when she goes to bed each night can
chose
two candies from the box, if she takes more the box will emply, if she
takes only two, the box will magically re-fill.
Found- Magic Bonbons by L.
Frank
Baum. But the candies do not refill-rather each different color
bestows
special talent on the eater.(musical talent,etc.) Little girl starts
playing
Beethoven! Story is found in the Bobbs-Merrill Best in Children's
Literature
set-The book: Beyond the Horizon. (authors:
Smith,Hart,Baker)
Magic
Bus
It was a story of a magic bus with a driver and school children.
and when a special button was pressed or glowed on the dash board, the
bus would fly over the countryside...... colored illustration, early
fifties.
Maurice Dolbier, The magic bus, 1948.
The story of what was an ordinary bus until a little boy discovered the
gold button on its dashboard...and then the most exciting things
happened!
Maurice Dolbier, The Magic Bus,1948.
"This bus was just an ordinary bus until a little boy discovered the
gold
button on the dashboard and then the most exciting things happened. The
cover has a picture of the magic bus flying through the sky with the
children
looking out the window."
various, Best in Children's Books.
1960s. This series of children's books was one of my all time
favorites
as a child. They are published by Nelson Doubleday, Inc. I
don't know which one has the stories mentioned but I'm absolutely sure
of the publisher and series because I have it - just can't find it
right
now! I found another in the series to get the publisher info.
Or could it have been a set of The
Children's
Hour? You can read the contents of the 1953 edition online
here, and the books do include Mr. Murdle and Gudbrand.
C394 Mr Murdle has been included in more
than one book. The
ff website lists in detail the contents of 42 vols of Best
in Children's books. Vol 40 has Mr M but none of the other
titles
being sought
I have researched the Best In Children's
Books and, while the stories listed here are scattered among their
collection, they are not the solution to my stumper. I truly
appreciate
the knowledgeable input from everyone who is attempting to help
me.
It is amazing that I remember everything about this book but its title
and its cover. One thing that I remember is that it was a
discontinued,
school-issued anthology textbook, and not part of a store-bought, or
bedtime
collection. All of the stories that I have listed, (plus the
recently
recalled There Once Was A Puffin,) were contained in one book.
This
book and Over A City Bridge were the only two anthologies in the
house where I grew up.
This is Magic Carpet by Eleanor
Johnson and Leland Jacobs. (Charles Merrill-1954) It is part of the
Treasury of Literature- Readtext Series. All the stories match and
many,
many more. A wonderful school text.
Lee Kingman, The Magic Christmas Tree,
1956, copyright. This story matches the poster's description
exactly.
By the way, it was reprinted in American Girl Magazine in the
November/December
1996 issue.
YAY!!!!!!!!!! You guys are awesome. I found out the title
and just ordered a copy from Alibris. THANK YOU!!!
Christopher Logue, The Magic Circus,
1979. I stumbled on this while browsing the internet. I
hope
this is your book. Christopher Logue, Illustrated by
Wayne
Anderson, The Magic Circus London: Jonathan Cape,
1979
Hard Cover. ISBN:0-224-01555-9. Book about The Magic Circus, a group of
bizzare circus people who meet a man who hates circuses (Dr.
Growser).
Cover has a mouse balancing a unicycle on a tightrope.
HURRAY!!!!!!! I just looked this up and indeed The Magic Circus
is the book I was looking for! It has been about 25 years since I have
set eyes on it, and that cover is just as freaky as I remember! Cant
wait
to get my copy!
C42- The Magic Clown (Treasure
Books
#876)
A little more on the suggested title: Sutton,
Felix Magic Clown (A Treasure Book) NY Treasure Books,
1954,
8vo; color illustrations by James Schucker, 28 pages. "Join that
famous
TV show character Magic Clown and his puppet Laffy"
Could it be Hitty, Her First Hundred Years by Rachel
Field?
But there's only one doll...
The second book must be Magic Elizabeth
by - oh darn, the book is upstairs right now, so I can't check the
author
- it is actually only one doll, but has two main girl characters - one
in modern day and one in the past - the modern day girl has to stay
with
her aunt and while in the attic discovers a diary about a girl in the
past
with a doll named Elizabeth who gets lost one Christmas Eve and isn't
ever
found. The modern girl dresses up in the old clothes from the chest
and,
with the help of an old mirror, is transported back in time to the life
of the other girl where she relives the entire experience of having and
then losing her doll Elizabeth - the modern day girl's goal becomes
finding
lost Elizabeth.
Kassirer, Norma. Magic Elizabeth.
Scholastic,
Inc., 1966. Young Sally while staying in creepy old house with
her
Aunt Sarah, tries to find an old doll named Elizabeth. B&W
Illustrations
by Joe Krush.
---
Love your site! I'm looking for a book
about a girl (around 12) who is sent to live with her stern maiden aunt
for a summer. I think the aunt's name is Sarah, and she's
incredibly
stuffy. This girl starts rooting around in the attic and finds a
diary, some clothing, a doll, etc. of a girl named Sally and eventually
comes to believe either that she *is* Sally reincarnated, or haunted by
her ghost. In the end it turns out that Aunt Sarah was
Sally.
Any help would surely be appreciated.
S64 is Magic Elizabeth by Norma
Kassirer. My copy has the title page torn out, so I don't
know
the year, but it's a pretty common Scholastic Book Services title.
Elizabeth
is the doll's name.
S64 Stern Aunt Sarah: This is MAGIC
ELIZABETH by Norma Kassirer, and it is listed on your
solved
stumpers page and may appear on most requested
page too. It was recently republished.
The book you're thinking of is called "Magic
Elizabeth". I don't know the author, but I know it had wonderful
illustrations by Beth and Joe Krush. The story was of Sally, who
went to stay at an elderly aunt's house and finds in the bedroom
allotted
to her a portrait of a little girl her age who looks just like her,
holding
a wonderful doll. Aunt Sarah tells Sally that the doll's name was
Elizabeth and the girl's name was Sally also. Through the book,
Sally
gets to know and love old Aunt Sarah and her black cat Shadow and has
dreams
in which she experiences going back in time to be the other
Sally.
She wants to find Elizabeth, whom Aunt Sarah says disappeared a long
time
ago. Finally Shadow finds the doll and Sally finds out that the
other
Sally was her Aunt Sarah and the doll was hers. A favorite book
of
mine and of my daughter's, who I believe has it now which is why I
can't
put my hands on the author's name.
S64 has got to be Magic Elizabeth,
by Norma Kassirer "A grumpy aunt, a black cat, a spooky old
house,
and a doll named Magic Elizabeth," says the front cover. The aunt
is
named Sarah, and the little girl is named Sally.
Thanks for the answer! I'm thinking about this book as a gift
for a neighbor girl for her birthday later in the year. If I
can't
find it locally, I'll turn right to you. I appreciate the service
you provide. Your website is a lot of fun and brings back tons of
good memories!
---
i read a book when i was a child in about 5th grade. that would
be around 1969, a young girl spends the summer with her cranky, aged
aunt
who hates children. while there, the young girl goes into the attic and
finds some victorian clothing just right for a girl her age. she puts
on
the clothing and eventually falls asleep. in her dreams she goes back
in
time to become her aunt as a child and is able to locate the
beloved
lost doll her aunt had lost as a child when she finally wakes up out of
her time travel dream, for it is the same house her aunt lived in as a
child. i dont know the title of this book but i would love to read it
again.
i have been all over the net looking to find it. thank you.
I think this one is Magic Elizabeth
by Norma Kassirer. The little girl goes to stay with her a
grandmother,
not an aunt, but otherwise the details seem to match.
I think both G66 and T101 are thinking of Magic
Elizabeth by Norma Kassirer. It appears on your Solved
Stumpers
page, and it was recently republished. ~from a librarian
Sounds like Magic Elizabeth to
me!
A few years ago, on a fluke after I happened
to find your website, I entered a request for a search on a book I had
read as a 5th grader in 1969 and had loved very much.. Forgetting
about the website, about 4 years went by and just this week, I happened
to fall upon it again. lo and behold! you had found my book, allthough
i havent a clue when. Not even knowing the name of the cherished
book, I soon found out it was called, MAGIC ELIZABETH. I want
to
thank you from the bottom of my heart for that because I just came home
today to find it on my computer desk, a gift from my husband. I have
never
forgotten how much I had loved this book. It will always be a treasure
to me. thank you.
--
Someone has asked me to help identify a story
with a secret garden with a character in it named Elspeth. The
person
has read the Burnett Secret Garden and that is not it.
I have a suggested book for your stumper, Mandy,
by Julie Edwards, published in 1971. The description
calls
it an "enchanting bestseller in the tradition of The Secret
Garden.
Ten-year-old Mandy lived in a lovely orphanage where the kind Matron
Bridie
looked after her well. The good houskeeper, Ellie, slipped her
special
treats from the kitchen. Mandy was happy, but nothing Mandy had was
hers
alone. Until that magical day when she climbed the stone wall at
the bottom of the orchard, followed a little path through the forest
and
found the most beautiful deserted, small cottage, sitting in the
sunlight,
as if it were smiling at her." I only read this once, years
ago.
I don't know if Ellie was ever referred to as Elspeth, but it's worth a
look if the date is right.
Not too likely, but there's Nobody's Garden
by Cordelia Jones, illustrated by Victor Ambrus, published NY
Scribner
1966, 190 pages. Outgoing Hilary Toft decides to make friends with
sullen,
withdrawn Bridget, whose parents were killed in WWII. They find a
common
interest in their love for "The Secret Garden" and in recovering the
garden
of a deserted, bombed-out house, which becomes their own 'secret
garden'.
No mention of an Elspeth character.
Perhaps ... My Horse Says, by Mary
Schroeder, illustrated by P. Stone, published London, Chatto &
Windus 1963, 170 pages. "An imaginative story about three children
and
their widowed mother who have been given notice to quit their home.
They
start on the difficult search to find another house to rent and
Elizabeth
(the youngest), who is visited by a make-believe horse when she is
alone,
insists that they follow the instructions given to her by the horse.
These
lead eventually to an old deserted house in a walled garden. This was
once
the home of the squire, but it holds so many sad memories for him that
he will not live in it himself or let it to anyone else. The children
find
an ally in the squire's sister and they are allowed to restore the
garden
to its former beauty. In time they get their wish and the house is
theirs."
(Junior Bookshelf Jan/63 p.26) The latter part of the plot is similar
to
The
Secret Garden and Elizabeth is a similar name to Elspeth ...
Perhaps, it is Elizabeth and her German
Garden, the first book by Marie Annette Beauchamp--known
all her life as "Elizabeth", originally published in 1898. It
starts
like a diary. It is freely
downloadable.
Hi - don't know how much this will help (or how
old the question is!) but I think I know the answer to the above
stumper.
The book sounds like Ginnie and the Mystery Doll. There
is
a secondary character named Elspeth, whom Ginnie befriends while
staying
at her crabby elderly auntie's house. Together Ginnie and Elspeth try
to
discover the whereabouts of a lost doll mentioned in an old diary.
Hi there - I made a mistake earlier! The book
in questions is, I believe, Magic Elizabeth, by Norma
Kassirer, as referenced in your #T101. I had the general plot
right,
but the wrong book. It's even still in print. Here's a
short
summary: Eight-year-old Sally faces an entire summer trapped in a
creepy
old house with no one for company but her spooky Aunt Sarah and a black
cat named Shadow. But soon Sally uncovers a mystery about a beautiful
old
doll in a portrait -- and a little girl who looks just like Sally
herself!
In search of clues, Sally is drawn toward the attic and the old mirror
that sits there. And when she looks into it, something magical
happens....
---
Probably close to 30 years ago there was a childrens book that I
read at school. It was kind of a scary mystery about a girl who
went
to visit her Aunt or her Grandma, and while she was there she found a
doll
in the attic in a trunk. The doll had special powers. I
don't
recall the doll being evil or anything . . .but I remember that it was
a fabulous mystery. Can you help me locate this story?
A common theme.... Behind the Attic Wall by Sylvia
Cassedy? Rachel Field, Hitty: Her First
Hundred
Years? Checked Solved Mysteries for details. (More
likely the former.)
I've checked several of the options, Hitty and Behind
the Attic wall, but neither were the one I was thinking of.
Additionally
it came to me that either the girls name or the dolls name may have
been
Elizabeth. I also checked the solved stories for that name - but
couldn't find it there either. Thank you so much for the
assistance
in trying to find this book.
Could this be Magic Elizabeth by
Norma
Kassirer?
So many hidden dolls...some titles you might
try: Ruth M. Arthur, A Candle in her Room, 1966.
Very scary. The doll's name is Dido, and it tries to control the
girl who finds it. Janet Lunn, Twin Spell,
1969.
This one has twins, a hidden doll, a missing doll, and an angry ghost.
Jacqueline
Jackson, Missing Melinda, 1967. More twins, another
missing
doll, found in an attic, but not scary. More of a treasure hunt
mystery.
If it has an old-fashioned feel, it could be one of Rumer Godden's
doll books, and I think Mary C. Jane had a missing doll book as
well. The others mentioned might be it as well...especially Magic
Elizabeth, which is a wonderful story.
Norma Kassirer, Magic Elizabeth. Magic
Elizabeth, that's it! I've found a copy and the front cover
is
exactly the same as I remember now. Thank you so much!! I'm
buying the copy for my 11 year old niece so she can enjoy it to.
Thanks again!
---
1960's-70s. I can remember everything so
vividly
EXCEPT for the important parts: The title & author! A
child
goes to stay with their Aunt who lives in New York City {I believe} in
the only Victorian house remaining on the block, surrounded by
apartment
buildings. The child is frightened at first thinking the aunt who
has a black cat, is a witch. Also remember a player-type of
piano.
The child while playing on an old sled in the carriage house is somehow
transported back to the Victorian Era. I believe it was the sled
that was magical but it could have been an old diary perhaps?? I
really loved this book & remember reading it around the time that,
"The Wednesday Witch" was popular. Thanks so much!!
Norma Kassirer, Magic Elizabeth,
1966.
I'm pretty sure this is the book you are thinking about. Sally
has
to go stay with her aunt who lives in old Victorian house. She
finds
a diary of a little girl who use to live in the house and lost her
favorite
doll. Sally has dreams that correspond to events in the
diary.
One includes a sleigh ride.
Norma Kassirer,
Magic Elizabeth.
See solved stumpers!
kassirer, norma , Magic Elizabeth.
One
of my favorites! I recognized the storyline right away. Sally must stay
with her Great Aunt Sarah while her parents and usual caregiver are
away.
At first she is frightened of her aunt, but is won over as she becomes
fascinated by the "mystery" of a lost doll, named Elizabeth, and
is transported back in time.
Magic Elizabeth.Your details aren't
bang-on but they're close enough that this must be the book--sorry it
is
so hard to find, I'd like a copy myself! Sal goes to stay with her Aunt
Sarah and finds out about a doll, Elizabeth, that had been lost in the
house years before. She keeps having dreams about going back in
time,
and eventually she and the aunt's cat find the doll. The "player piano"
is a melodeon in the parlor.
Norma Kassirer, Magic Elizabeth,
1966.
Sounds like this could be the book because Sally, whose parents are out
of town, goes to stay with her Great-aunt Sarah at her large and
scary-looking
old house which is surrounded by apartment buildings. Sally
discovers
that when she looks into a wall mirror, she sees another girl from the
early 1900s, also named Sally, who lived in the house then. She
also
discovers her diary in the attic.
etc.
Miriam Blanter Huber & Frank Seely
Salisbury,
Magic
Everywhere. Thanks, I found the book I was
looking
for via the Book Sleuth forum. The seller confirmed with pictures.
Magic
Faraway Tree
B113---sure this isn't The Sign of the
Beaver?
B113 boy in wilderness: I don't think this is
it, but in The Magic Forest, by Stewart White
(first
published 1920s, reprinted many times) young Jimmy sleepwalks from a
stalled
train into the forest, wearing only pajamas and slippers. He is found
at
the river's edge by canoing Indians who give him native clothes to wear
because his are wet through from the snow.
The
Magic
Friend Maker
This was a story I read to my daughter in the early 70's about a
girl who moved to a new house and made friends through a stone or rock
that when she put it into water turned beautiful colors.
Gladys Baker Bone, The Magic Friend
Maker.
A book that sounds exactly like this came up on the Abebooks booksearch
board. It was identified as The Magic Friend Maker by Gladys
Baker
Bond.
Thanks -- not sure it's the same one, but it sounds like it could
be! I've sent for a copy and will let you know if it's the same
story.
Yes, that was the book. Thanks so much.
Gene Stratton-Porter, The Magic Garden.
This is definitely the book!
Gene Stratton-Porter, The Magic Garden,
1927. "The Magic Garden is about a little boy and girl
(Amaryllis)
that meet in a beautiful garden and the little girl promises the boy
that
some day she would meet him there again. He goes off to study the
violin
in Italy and when he returns he finds the girl in the garden."
Gene Stratton Porter, The Magic Garden.
Whoooooooooooooooooooohooooooooooo!!
That's it!! Now, the big question is does Harriet have it? I would
prefer
to buy it here!!
<yes, sold. thanks!> really casts
them into ludicrous predicaments when they bake cupcakes "for changing
someone into a harmless domestic animal"; for while they manage to turn
a thoroughly unpleasant neighbor into a lovely brown donkey, they also
inadvertently transform their mother into a speckled hen." (Horn
Book
Jun/66 p.307)
This is a book about I think four children who
move to a new neighborhood into a little house that they describe as
looking
like a shoe box. Their mother sends them from the house on the
moving
day complaining that she is allergic to dust and they find this shed in
their new back yard with a stove in it. I believe it is missing a
dial, and a strange man comes and brings them a dial with a setting on
it that says something like 'magic' on it. They cook recipes
which
become magical when they use this setting. The only magic I
remember
is that one or all of the
children become invisible. I can't remember
what the conclusion is except that I think the man comes back and takes
away the dial. Please help me find this!!
Jay Williams, The Magic Grandfather,
1979,
copyright. Sam is the boy, it's his grandfather that gets stuck in
Beta,
and the girl is Sam's cousin, Sarah, who finds out at the end that she
got Grandpa back through the portal because she's a witch.
---
A boy learns to do magic from his grandfather,
who goes back in time to a tavern and brings a pewter(?) tankard into
the
present time (to sell) whenever he needs some money. The boy must
develop his concentration skills, and practices by imagining a brick
wall,
one brick at a time.
Could this be The Magic Grandfather,
by Ruth Chew? or maybe another Chew title? She wrote shortish
(100
p+/-) books that got picked up by the book clubs in the 80's.
The Magic Grandfather was actually
by Jay Williams, but I haven't read it so I can't tell you
whether
this is the right book. Plot of The Magic Grandfather: "An
11-year-old discovers that not only is his seemingly ne'er-do-well
grandfather
a bona fide sorcerer but he too may have an untapped talent for magic."
Jay Williams (author), Gail Owens
(illustrator), The Magic Grandfather, 1979. This
is
definitely the book you're looking for! Eleven year old Sam
Limner
accidentally discovers that his seemingly unemployed, unambitious
grandfather
is actually a powerful enchanter. His grandfather decides to cast a
spell
over Sam to make him forget what he has learned, but agrees to let Sam
witness one spectacular feat of magic first. (Sam has already
seen
his grandfather perform some small acts of magic, like mending a broken
window, pulling a child's chipped tooth, and repairing a car that won't
start. He also sees his grandfather earn money by transporting a
pewter tankard from a tavern in 1790 to a present day antique shop,
where
he sells it for $100.) When Grandfather decides to summon a
creature
from another world, he allows Sam to hold a necessary piece of
equipment.
Sam drops the equipment during the spell, and Grandfather is sucked
into
the other world, where he becomes trapped. Sam, with the help of
his cousin Sarah, decides to rescue his grandfather. Sam studies
his grandfather's magic books and discovers that he has a talent for
sorcery
that has been obscured because an addiction to television has ruined
his
powers of imagination and concentration. He strengthens his
imagination
by reading a passage from The Wind in the Willows and imagining
Badger' kitchen. He has trouble picturing the kitchen's brick
floor,
and concentrates so that he can imagine it in detail, brick by
brick.
After many mishaps, Sam rescues his grandfather, who acknowledges his
talent
and promises to help him develop it. If the author's name sounds
familiar, it's because he is also a co-author of the Danny Dunn science
fiction series---and he plugs the first book in The Magic
Grandfather!
Sam Limner hides his grandfather's magic notebook on his bookshelf
between
Treasure
Island and Danny Dunn and the Homework Machine!
The Magic Grinder, 1975.
Part
of the Disney's Wonderful World of Reading series.
Thank you so much for this site! I sent you this stumper and that's
absolutely the book I was looking for. If you can, please post my
thanks
to the person who solved it. I've been looking for that piece of my
childhood
for years and I'm delighted to finally have the name!
#T105--Two siblings travel with
magician:
in some ways this sounds like Mr. Mysterious and Company
by Sid Fleischman, only in that book the children were his own,
so there would be nothing about picking up or leaving
them.
Hi, my book stumper is #T105, "Two Siblings Travel With Magician,"
and I am just writing to let you know that the book I'm looking for is
definitely NOT Mr. Mysterious and Company -- I checked it out.
The
details I listed are all very accurate -- I remember the plot clearly,
but unfortunately I just blanked on the title. I hope someone is able
to
figure this one out, as I would love to get my hands on a copy of this
great book!! Thanks for all your help.
Good news! I went back to my "childhood" library this weekend and
they still have the book - it's called The Magic Hat of Mortimer
Wintergreen.
Now I just need to locate a copy of it that I can keep (I tried bribing
the librarian but to no avail!) Thanks.
Magic in the
Alley
Thank you for your site. I hope you can help
me find the title of this book. I must have take it out of a public
library
in Alexandria VA in the early-mid 70's. I have only vague memories of
the
story line: It was about a boy who was friends with a crow or raven who
could talk. At some point in the story, the crow/raven had to choose to
give up being able to talk to save the boy. Does this ring any bells
with
you? Thank you for thinking about this book...
On the talking raven or crow, I *think* there
was such a creature in Alley Magic, by Mary Calhoun,
but as I never finished the book I have no idea if it gave up its
powers.
This is really a long shot, but could this be
Magic
in the Alley by Mary Calhoun? The main character is a
girl,
with a friend who's a boy, and she reanimates a stuffed crow with
magic,
which can then talk. At the end of
the book she must decide whether to use her last
magic to turn the crow into a real non-magic crow, who will lose the
ability
to talk. As I said, really a longshot.
I looked this up and found only one expensive ex-library copy, but
here's the info:
Calhoun, Mary: Magic in the Alley. New York:
Atheneum,
1970.
Oh My! It could be-- as I said all I remember are very vague things.
I just remember being really affected by the choice that had to be
made...
I will now go out looking for this book. Was Mary Calhoun the author of
the Katie John books?? I loved them too & could have read
this
because of that.
Thank you so much for your help. I love poring over your site &
hope to be able to help someone the way you have helped me!
P-43 is, I think, another Ruth Chew
book.
It MIGHT be Earthstar Magic, but I'm not sure.
P43 Pigeons Who Were Once Children: The
other person who answered that it was a Ruth Chew book was
right
on track, but the title is MAGIC IN THE PARK, 1972.
Just wanted to confirm that P43 is definitely
Magic
in the Park by Ruth Chew. Plot summary: "Jenny and
her
friend Mike discover a magic tree and an old man who feeds the birds in
the park. They discover that the tree moves around and that they can go
underground and become birds with the help of the magic beech tree."
---
A chapter book was handed down to me in the
early 1970's about a brother and sister who discover an old tree in a
city
park (New York Central Park?), and climbing up through the trunk they
are
turned into crows. The setting is in winter. Thanks for any
help!
C230 Sounds like it could be MAGIC IN
THE
PARK by Ruth Chew, 1972 ~from a librarian
---
Fantastic website and idea! The book
I am looking for was probably a scholastic book from the 70's. I
think it was about a girl who moves to the city into an apartment and
befriends
a boy. Together they discover a tree in the park that is
sometimes
there and sometimes not (when it is not there, a man who feeds the
animals
and keeps them safe in the pockets of his coat is there - he of course
turns into the tree). They learn how to turn into birds (or
squirrels
- I can't remember which) and then back into humans by eating nuts (I
think
from that tree). Any help remembering the title and author is
much
appreciated! Thanks.
Ruth Chew, Magic in the Park.
I posted this question last week but think I soon found the answer on
your
website. I am pretty sure the book is Magic in the Park
by
Ruth Chew. Thanks!
Magic in the Park by Ruth Chew?
What's amazing about her is how she makes writing books for that age
level
look so easy. She's written about two dozen fantasy books and one
non-fantasy
book. See Solved Mysteries for her name.
Ruth Chew, Magic in the Park
Mady Lee Chastain, Magic Island,1964.
Every detail matches. It's an interesting cultural artifact, and
a book that couldn't be written today. Set in the early
1850s,
Barbados is depicted as a beautiful, idyllic place, with the dark
shadow
of slavery lying upon it nearly unnoticed - although the protagonist,
Angel,
has relationships with some of the slaves! My copy is a withdrawn
library copy with the usual defects, but no story pages missing.
---
i remember really enjoying this book but the details in my mind
are sketchy. a few girls were taken on a trip, probably with relatives,
to a tropical island. i remember that there was a friend named
dodie,
who thought she wasn't included. when informed of the trip, she said, i
h-hope you all have a good time, sniffling. and the person taking them
on the trip said, why, dodie, dear! and informed her that of course she
was going along. i don't know when it was printed, but i read the book
in the sixties. thanks.
I've been looking for this book too. For some
reason, I think it's by the author of the Best Friends, books, Mary
Bard, if that's any help.
I found it! "There was a muffled sniffling near the
door.
It was Dodie putting on her cloak. "I---I---I hope you all have a
wonderful time," she said tearfully. "Dodie!" cried Aunt
Abbie.
"Dodie, dear. It includes you, too." From page 45 of Magic
Island by Madye Lee Chastain (1964). Angel Thorne, a sickly
ten
year old, is sent to stay with her grandfather's boyhood friend.
He decides to send her to Barbados to recuperate, along with his
granddaughter
Lissa, and her two friends, Emmy and Dodie. This is the third
book
Madye Lee Chastain wrote about these girls. The first, Dark
Treasure
(1954), is about Lissa and her cousin Andy, the captain of a clipper
ship.
In the second, Emmy Keeps a Promise (1956), Emmy and Lissa encourage a
romance between Emmy's sister, Arabel, and Lissa's cousin, Andy.
By the third book, Magic Island, Arabel and Andy are married, and they
take Angel, Lissa, Emmy and Dodie to Barbados. I don't think
Dodie
ever got her own book!
---
I remember reading this book during the
sixties.
It was about three children- all girls, I think- who were taken on a
trip
to a tropical island. I think two of them belonged to the same family.
The third was named Dodie, and she thought she wasn't invited. She
cried,
"I hope you all have a very nice time," and then some adult in the romm
said, "Why, Dodie! Dodie, DEAR! Of course you are invited too."
Madye Lee Chastain, Magic
Island.
This
is the same book as T104, which has been solved. It is
MAGIC
ISLAND, by Madye Lee Chastain.
Magic
Key
K1: this book was called The Key
That
Fit Fairyland I read it in first grade and we used it for a
school
play. I too thought it was a Little Golden Book.
Well, I looked it up and there is no LGB, Wonder or Elf title exactly
like that.
There was another series of books in the 1950's
that was similar to Little Golden Books called Jolly Books. One
of the Jolly Book titles is The Magic Key - perhaps this
is the book.
I too had a 20 year search for this book after
giving our copy to a doctors office when I was a child. My sister (born
in 1949) always held me responsible for losing "her book" so we had
a
20 year quest along the east coast to find it. My first bit of luck was
finding the cover in an antique shop (near home), the shop owner
thought
it was cute and that someone might want to frame it. It was a bargain
at
5 cents. It gave us a starting point. The book is The
Magic Key by Mary Francis, illustrated by Sylvia
Holland
it was published by Jolly Books NY , Avon
Publishing, with a copyright of 1952. I
called my sister in VA for the storyline (since after locating it from
a book dealer, I gave it to her for Christmas in 1998). The storyline
is,
Tommy and his sister are walking through the woods when they find a key
on the ground, They look around and notice a hole in a large rock or
boulder
and when they put the key in, they are transported to a new
place.
In this place the toadstools seem to grow (or are they getting
smaller?)
and as they explore they come across fairies and elves building
tables
and benches. They meet the head elf, Gruffy who asks them how
they
got there and if they know the magic words. Tommy tells him the only
magic
words he knows are "by hickory and by dickory" (which happen to be some
of "the magic words of the elves" ) and Gruffy takes them off to the
Queen
Fairy to decide what should be done with them. They go to the biggest
tree
in the forest and a door opens for them to enter. Once inside they meet
the queen and it is decided that the children will have to stay till
after
the Queen's party. The children get to see the fairy party dresses and
Tommy gets to sail in an Oak leaf boat.(about 3 pages from the end of
the
book is a full page illustration of Tommy in the boat.) Whoever
was
asking about this book had a pretty good recollection to remember the
boat
part. For me it was the fairy party, the toadstools and the Big rock
with
the keyhole.
---
Hi - hope someone can help me find the titles/authors/sources of
2 stories I dimly remember from many years ago. ... The
other
had a child, boy I think, finding a mysterious key which opens a door
in
an old stone wall - I think a horse and a crow or raven also appear in
there somewhere. Anybody out there ever read anything that sounds like
these beginnings? I can't remember anything more than that, and
would
like to know how the stories finished!
The second story ounds like stumper S69 stone
wall holds key to mystery
Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden,
1911. Regarding the second part of this request: There are two
main
boy characters in this story, and a girl- she finds a key to a locked
garden,
and helps her cousin to discover the real world, after being bed-ridden
all his life. They make friends with Dickon- a boy from the moors
or dales, who has a pony and a crow or some other bird.
I think I missed the second part of this one previously. Also
check out The Magic Key on the Solved Mysteries page,
that's
one that eluded me for a long time since it sounded much like The
Secret Garden, but clearly wasn't.
---
1955. This was an illustrated story
of a brother and sister who found a gold key in the woods. It opened a
tiny door at the base of a large tree, and that led them into
fairyland.
My memory tells me the illustrations of fairies were wonderful.
The Magic Key by Mary Francis, illustrated by Sylvia Holland, Jolly Books, 1952. It's on Solved Mysteries.
Took me a moment, but here it is: Elizabeth Koda-Callan, The Magic Locket. Workman Publishing, 1988.
|
Condition Grades |
Elizabeth
Koda-Callan, The Magic Locket. Workman
Publishing,
1988. Used copy, VG but lacking locket. $6
Elizabeth Koda-Callan, The Magic Locket. Workman Publishing, 1988. New copy. $12.95 |
 |
Key, Alexander, The Magic Meadow,
Westminster 1975. Maybe this one - "The author here writes, as he
did in a number of books, of isolated children with extraordinary
mental
powers. In this fantasy/science fiction tale, five crippled kids,
confined
to a hospital ward, are about to be separated because the hospital has
been condemned -- then one boy discovers that he has the power to
teleport
them to the beautiful other world that they had conjured up in their
imaginations."
"Five crippled children in Ward Nine--Brick, Diz Dobie, Princess,
Charlie
Pill, and Lily Rose--play a game of imagining themselves in another
world.
Just imagine what happens when one of them finds out he can really take
them there." The adult is Mrs. Jackson. Oh yeah, this is it - the first
chapter is called The Dandelions.
Alexander Key, The Magic Meadow.
Brick, Diz Dobie, Charlie Pill, Lily Rose, and Princess are the
Incurables.
They can't move their bodies much but they play the "traveling game"
every
night and imagine themselves away from Ward Nine. One night Brick
is able to go to their magic meadow and no one believes him when he
returns
until Nurse Jackson sees a dandelion under his neck. He is able
to
transport all of the others to the meadow in the nick of time since
their
hospital has been condemned and the kids are going to be split
up.
Very memorable story.
Thank you, thank you. Too bad The
Magic Meadow is out of print and hard to find. However, I did
find a website to re-read the book online. What a gem.
---
A story about a group of hanicapped children
who find a way into a different world (maybe through a construction
site?).
Once there they notice that they develope psychic powers (and I think
their
handicap challenges resolve) The stronger (maybe older) children help
the
other ones to "come over". There are a few back and forth visits until
finally they decide to stay. The natives of this new place sing to
bring
up the sun and everyone communicates telepathically.
Key, Alexander, The Magic Meadow.
Several severely handicapped children in an institution manage to
escape
by using the power of their minds. They travel to another place
(earth
in the future)- the one with the most ability has to make several trips
back and forth to bring them all there and he almost doesn't make
it.
Their nurse caregiver comes with them and they all start on a wonderful
new life. The people already there do sing to the sun and are
welcoming
and kind.
My sister just lent me this book and the details
match the poster's memories. There is more information on the solved
mystery
pages.
Alexander Key, The Magic Meadow,
1975. This is definitely the book. See the Solved Mysteries
M page for more information.
Alexander Key, Magic Meadow
Alexander Key, The Magic Meadow,
1975. H196 sounds like it *might* be The Magic Meadow by
Alexander
Key. "Five crippled children in Ward Nine--Brick, Diz Dobie,
Princess,
Charlie Pill, and Lily Rose--play a game of imagining themselves in
another
world. Just imagine what happens when one of them finds out he can
really
take them there."
Sounds like THE MAGIC OF MILLICENT
MUSGRAVE
written
and illustrated by Brinton Turkle, 1967. A magician gives
Millicent
a doll instead of a rabbit, and she and her father try to find the
magician
again.~from a librarian
Brinton Turkle, The Magic of Millicent
Musgrave, 1967.
"Turn-of-the-century
story of a little girl, a deceitful magician & a doll named Melinda
Melee " and "outwitted by a magician who gives her a doll instead of a
promised white rabbit, Millicent and her father travel to Paris and
London
in pursuit of the trickster."
Turkle, Brinton, The magic of Millicent
Musgrave, 1967. Viking
Press,
written and illustrated by Turkle. Outwitted by a magician who
gives
her a doll instead of a promised white rabbit, Millicent and her father
travel to Paris and London in pursuit of the trickster.
#H24--Hucka Pucka: Man, I JUST saw this
in a local thrift store! Was looking at it just before the answer
to the "Pot called Peep" stumper was posted. Looking in the store
just now, I couldn't find it, meaning it was probably sold, although
things
around there do have a funny way of disappearing and reappearing.
Anyhow, it was called something like The Imp in the Pot
and
was about an imp that took the form of one of those large black
three-legged
cooking pots. It was one of those small cheap hardcover easy
readers
which appeared in profusion in the '60s. The pot kept jumping
around
and the imp popping up shouting, "Hucka pucka!" Seriously weird,
yes.
Junior Bookshelf review again: Patricia
Coombs
"The Magic Pot" published by World's Work, 1979, 32 pages
"The
demon who turns into a black iron pot with a 'Hucka-pucka' and robs the
rich to feed the appreciative poor, hucka-puckaing off with the rich
man
in a fine mystery ending ... enchanting two-colour crayon illustrations
in fine red frames ..."
It is The Magic Pot! Thank you so much
for finding these, your site is priceless!!
Maurice Dolbier, The Magic Shop,
1946. This was also anthologized in "Best in Children's Books,"
Vol.
28, Nelson Doubleday, 1959.
Could this be David Cory, The
Magic
Soap Bubble (N: Grosset & Dunlap, '22), part of a series, Little
Journeys to Happyland, in which Ned journeys to Happyland, rather
than
the moon? There is a voyage to the moon in Bobbie Bubbles(Chicago:RAnd
McNally,1916), but this is a longer book, with both b&w &
color illustrations
Could this be Lilian Moore, The
Magic Spectacles & Other Easy-to-Read Stories , ill. Arnold
Lobel (Parents' Magazine Press,'65)?
I have often wondered the same myself. Grandfather Owl wears
spectacles and answers questions and solves arguments for all the other
animals in the woods. Little Toot aspires to be as knowledgable
and
attributes this knowledge to Grandfather's Spectacles. One day he
gets to try them, but alas, they tell him nothing. Grandfather
Owl
explains
"Spectacles are for seeing and not for knowing. Knowing
comes with growing and growing." Not exactly the same as the
stumper, but in case the story became confused over the years, I do
have
a copy for sale!
Moore, Lilian. The Magic Spectacles and Other Easy-to-Read
Stoies. Illustrated by Arnold Lobel. Parents'
Magazine Press, 1965. Cover slightly soiled and binding worn,
otherwise
G. $10
Just another possibility, if it was the
grandmother
instead, but probably too recent: Beattie, Ann Spectacles
New York, Ariel Books, 1985 "When Alison puts on Great
Grandmother's
glasses, they become magical and enable her to understand some of her
grandmother's
frustrations and unfulfilled aspirations."
---
My grandparents used to read my sister and me a book that featured
a train (freight train, locomotive), I believe at night. There was a
boy
in his bed, who either couldn't sleep and was told a story about this
night
train, or dreamed of this train speeding through the countryside at
night.
Most of the illustrations were dark and pen-and-ink-like, and I
specifically
remember a page where the train was out of control and the boy or
conductor
(or both) were pulling back hard on the throttle to stop it. I believe
the cover was dark, like night. It was a relatively thin hardback. I
would
love to find this book for my sister, who is now a reading teacher. We
read it in the mid- to late-70s, but I think it was used even then.
Chris Van Allsburgh, The Polar
Express.
Just a suggestion.
David M. McPhail, The Train,
1977. Could this be it? When Matthew lets baby brother
operate
his train, the youngster crashes it Matthew goes to the rescue in
a life-sized dream. Ages 4-8.
Lilian Moore, The Magic Spectacles, 1965. I was the
original requester and I found it! The train story was a part of "The
Magic
Spectacles, and other easy-to-read stories," by Lilian Moore,
illustrated
by Arnold Lobel. Published by Parents' Magazine Press 1965. I found the
other stories (The "Now Really" Time, Janey's Boss, The Pet that Benjy
Wanted, The Silver Bird Express, Wait for a Windy Day, Little Willie)
and
it rang a bell! Thanks!
Magic Stone
I read this book sometime in the 1970s. It was about a girl
(I think a teenager) who found a special stone, which I recall had a
sliver
of metal stuck in it. She eventually figures out that when
she touches the stone at the same time as another girl (whom she
doesn't
know very well initially), something magical/supernatural occurs.
For some reason I can recall the first girl walking across a field to
get
to the second girl's house. I definitely can picture a book
cover,
with a girl with long dark hair walking across a field. I think
the
word "stone" may be in the title but am not sure. The book was
more
"dark" than "fun" magical in tone.
Might be Penelope Farmer, The Magic
Stone.
When I read the description I immediately thought of this book, and
went
looking for descriptions on the web to confirm. Couldn't find
any,
but I'll make the suggestion anyway. I think it's Farmer's The
MAGIC
STONE which I remember featuring two girls, and a piece of stone
(white,
IIRC) with a sliver of metal stuck in it, and when they touch it
together,
or try to pull out the metal something magic happens. Hope this
helps.
Farmer Penelope, The magic stone,
1964. In this remarkable fantasy a girl from London's slums &
a girl from the country find a magic stone that gives them heightened
perceptions..
Farmer, Penelope, The Magic Stone.
Yes, this is definitely it. Thank you!
Magic
Summer
Later: This was probably set during
the
second World War and involved about 4 children, siblings I believe, who
were sent to the country to stay with an elderly relative. The
only
good clue I can give you is that the one of the children's cats was
named
Ozymandias. I tried looking under Noel,
Streatfield and Ozymandias but no luck.
I have read a lot of the titles, hoping to recognize my description,
but
no luck. I did find references to lots of other books I
read
as a child tho!
I have this book. It is called The
Magic Summer by Noel Streatfeild. The children
stay
with an aged great aunt who is extremely eccentric, to say the least.
Hi-I found the Noel Streatfield book I was
looking for about the children and a cat named Ozymandias -it's the Magic
Summer. I hope you can find a copy cheaper than $121, which
was
what was offered on amazon.com. I don't know why this book has
become
so important for me, but I am getting the strong desire to own the
books
that were important to me as a kid, and I hope I can find them
here.
I can think of no more rewarding collection that the pursuit of books
one
has loved.
Thank you so much for your info!! Magic
Summer is out of print and it would be great if you could find a
copy
for me.
|
Condition Grades |
Streatfield, Noel. The Magic Summer. Illustrated by Edward Ardizzone. Random House, 1967. First edition. Ex-library copy with usual markings. G/G. <ON HOLD> |
|
I may have the answer to stumper A20-
Anthology,
multiethnic It may be MAGIC TALES retold by Frances
Ross,
Elisabeth Harner, Wilhemine Mohme, Stella M. Rudy and Eugene Bahn.Illustrated
by Arthur Griffith, helen Osborn and Phoebe Flory. Published by Charles
E. Merrill Company, 1946, 1950. The stories included are The Pig
That
Was Really a Troll; The Fisherman and His Wife; Little Daughter and the
Lion; The Ugly Duckling; The Lost Axe; Rapunzel; The Bear and the
Goblin;
The Prince of Engalien; The Silver River; East O' the Sun and West O'
the
Moon; The Rabbit and the Monkey; Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs;
Cinderella;
The Straw Ox; The Green Monkey; The Flying Ship; Blunder; The Emperor's
New Clothes. I did not find one about a magic fruit tree and a
tortoise.
However, The Straw Ox matches the description. The Rapunzel in
this
book does kill the witch by cutting her hair at the right moment. And a
troll (who turns himself into a pig) does kidnap three sisters (on
three
separate occasions) and the one sister saves them by making the troll
bring
sacks of wood to the mother, but instead of putting wood in the bag, a
sister goes in instead. Illustartions are black and white. The person
who
wants this book should try to get it through his/her local library
first
to make sure it is the right one. At the very least, the person has the
names of two of the stories- The Straw Ox; The Pig That Was Really
a
Troll.
Thanks, I'll assume it is Magic
Tales. Now does anyone know how to
find
the story about the tree and the tortoise? Another detail: the other
animals
keep trying to find out the magic word but they all forget it on the
way
home, but the tortoise is more diligent and simply keeps repeating it
as
he returns.
---
This is part of a collection, I think. The
story I remember is about hungry animals and a tree that drops its
fruit
only when the right word is spoken - the animals keep travelling
to find out the magic word but they all forget it on the way home. The
downtrodden tortoise is more diligent and simply keeps repeating it as
he returns and is lavished with gratitude. I think the word was
something
like "Bonjo".
How about this - The Bojabi Tree,
by
Edith Rickert, illustrated by Anna Braune, published originally
in 1923, reprinted by Doubleday in 1959, 46 pages "This
once-popular
picture book 'adapted from an African folk tale' will with its
satisfying
adventure, repetition of action, humor, and precise, colorful details,
give fresh delight to kindergarten storytelling. In the land of
All-the-Beasts,
the so-HUNGRY animals seek the name of a strange fruit so that they may
enjoy eating it. It looked like an APPLEORANGEPEARPLUMBANANA but it
smelled
like a BANANAPEARPLUMORANGEAPPLE. Four visits to King Leo are required
before one of the creatures can remember the name of the fruit.
Amusingly
illustrated with pencil drawings." (Horn Book Feb/59 p.32)
The Bojabi Tree was published in at least one
collection - Told Under the Magic Umbrella, collected by
the Literature Committee of the Association for Childhood Education,
illustrated
by Elizabeth Orton Jones, published
Macmillan 1939. The first story is Ask Mr.
Bear, by Marjorie Flack, and the last one is Elsie Piddock
Skips
in Her Sleep, by Eleanor Farjeon.
Well, Edith Rickert's version certainly fits
the plot - but the one I'm looking for is much less cutesy - the
animals
have no names, IIRC, and they certainly don't wear clothes. In all,
it's
more streamlined. I remember that one animal forgets because he bumps
his
head and another because he falls and rolls and bites his tongue too
often
to pronounce the word properly. The one picture I remember is that of
the
tortoise looking sadly at the angry wise man.
B96 bonjo: aha! there's another version of this
story - The Bojabi Tree: a Folktale from Gabon, written
and
illustrated by Gerardo Suzan, published Scholastic, isbn
0590728903.
I haven't been able to find a publication date or any more information
though.
This sounds a lot like a book I spent years
looking
for... it turned out (in my case) to be an African Bantu folktale
commonly
known as The Name of the Tree. I found a nice
description
of it online
about halfway down the page. One version is The Name of
the
Tree by Celia Lottridge. Sun-bleached
illustrations
by Ian Wallace are intended to convey the shimmering heat and noon-day
mirage of the African landscape. In this Bantu tale from Africa, a
humble
tortoise saves his hungry animal friends. Only those who know the name
of the tree can reach its fruit. When haughty Gazelle and Elephant fail
to bring the tree's name all the way back from the king, Tortoise
attempts
the task. On his journey, Tortoise repeats the name over and over until
he reaches the foot of the tree, where the branches respond by bending
down to the waiting animals. An enjoyable retelling conveying a theme
common
to folktales - effort and dedication succeed over talent and pride.
B96 bonjo: another version is called The
Magic Tree, and is found with other stories in The Magic
Horns, by Forbes Stuart, illustrated by Charles
Keeping,
published Abelard Schuman 1974. "The Hare and the Tortoise
apparently originated with the Hottentots - and
it is good to see our old friend Tortoise once again the hero, in a
delightful
story called 'The Magic Tree', the humour of which is typical of these
African tales. Charles Keeping's running lion, prancing ox and snapping
alligator add to the delight of this collection." (Children's Books of
the Year 74, p.42)
I posted both stumpers and here's the real
answer to both: Magic Tales, retold by Adelaide Holl, 1964. The
contents are similar to the other identical title, but not quite. They
are (in this order): The Bojabi Tree, Wishing Gate, Cat and the
Parrot,
Cinderella; Five Peas in a Pod, The Flying Ship; Golden Pears, East O'
the Sun and West O' the Moon; The Lost Axe; The Monkey's Heart, Troll
of
the Cave, The Silver River; Prince of Uppland, The Rabbit and the
Monkey;
Rapunzel; The Straw Ox; Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs; The Steadfast
Tin Soldier, & The Tinderbox. Three tales are from India. The
illustrations,
unfortunately, are annoyingly generic. Other than that, the collection
is unique and quite good.
I am not sure about the secret language part,
but Ruth Sawyer's Enchanted Schoolhouse has to do with
an
Irish lad bringing a leprechaun to America! Might be worth a look!
I can't identify the book but was wondering if
it might be one of Patricia Lynch's many books possibly one of
her
Brogeen books.
L99 I think this one may MAGIC TO BURN
by Jean Fritz, 1964. It is technically a boggart that stows
away
with them on the ship, but I remember thinking that the illustrations
or
description made him sound like a leprechaun. I don't remember him
speaking
in code, but that doesn't mean he didn't. I think he travels with them
because the woods are being torn down to make a road. He comes to
America
and is really freaked out. Magic happens when he smokes his pipe. I
think
it ends with the boggart knowing some important information or having
an
important document of a famous author, which helps the children's
father
who is a historian/professor/writer? ~from a librarian
L99 Fritz, Jean Magic
to burn illus by Beth and Jo
Krush
Coward, 1964. Irish boggart [like a leprechaun] goes to America -
secret code - every 10th word gives the message
Magic
Touch
I thought this book was titled The Magic
Cookbook, but I haven't been able to find it under that
title.
I do not know the author's name. I can only date it to the 1980s or
earlier
(probably earlier). It was a fictional book for young
adults.
I seem to recall the book was bound with a rough-textured material and
it had a very bland, beige color. Here is what I remember of the plot,
setting and characters: There were 3 (?) children (I believe
there
were two boys, one very small, and a girl) who lived at a house on a
beach
for the summer. I think this was a European setting. Their
parents may not have been there. They had a (new?) cook named
Fanchon
who delighted in cooking rich, fancy foods, which the children could
not
stand. There was another boy who lived down the beach from them, I
think,
and they all became friends and he helped them out whenever he
could.
One day, they found a cookbook filled with magic recipes. This
was
a lifesaver to the three siblings, since they were starving for not
being
able to eat the cook's food. Following these recipes they were
able
to transform their group into various animals. One time they
changed
into dogs. Another time they changed into cats. Still
another
time they changed into birds. The recipes involved simple foods and
incantations.
For example, to change into cats, they had to cook hamburger seasoned
with
catnip, then recite the incantation, and then eat the prepared
meal.
Then they'd all lay down for a nap and when they woke up they would be
a cat (etc.). They would have to eat a prepared remedy to turn back
into
humans. As cats, for example, they had to drink milk stirred with
a crust of bread. I also remember that the youngest boy always
changed
into something especially beautiful or different. I also seem to
remember that at the end, they finally told Fanchon their problems with
her cooking, and so she made them hot dogs (or somesuch).
THE MAGIC TOUCH by Peggy
Bacon,
1968
The standard musical adaptation is John
Morley,
Pinocchio
-- lots of song & dance, but I don't think it's the play you
recall.
Thre is a musical by Patricia Clapp called
The Magic Toyshop,
but I don't know anything more than the title. She's been writing since
the early '70s.
Thanks for your e-mail. The reply certainly sounds promising and
I am keen to find more information about "The Magic Toy Shop" as
it could well be the play that I recall. A search on the internet
uncovered a play by Patricia Clapp called something like "The
Toys That Took Over Christmas" about some toys in a toy shop that
were
brought to life, but was advertised as being a 10th anniversary
performance,
which dates it to 1990. Perhaps Patricia Clapp has written several
plays
along similiar lines -- the play I recall was performed by us as seven
or eight year olds in about 1975 or 1976. As well as groups of toys
having
their own songs, I seem to recall a toy train taking all the toys to a
location outside the toy shop. Pinocchio had a leading role, but I am
pretty
sure that this was not a musical adaptation of the Pinocchio story.
Hopefully
someone might have details about "The Magic Toy Shop". Thank
You!
[And
later...]
Thanks to everyone who thought about the possible answer to my
stumper.I
have actually found out the answer, which is quite different from what
I expected it to be. Eventually I managed to find an e-mail address for
my old primary school of 25 years ago, and wrote to ask about the play
I remembered. After making various enquiries, the Principal wrote me
and
said that the play I recall was written by a group of teachers after
they
had gathered ideas from the children, and incorporated various popular
songs. They called it The Magic Toybox, but it is no longer
known
if a script exists or ever did exist. It's great to have an answer
after
wondering about this for so long.
I just picked this one up for the store. It's called The Magic Tunnel by Caroline Emerson, and it's $8. Shipping is an additional $3 within the U.S. for a total of $11...and you have a $2 credit from the stumper, so if you want our copy the amount due would be $9. It's a Scholastic paperback in G condition (well-loved but the title is not that common), copyright 1966. Sticker removal mark from spine and homemade? card pocket taped to inside back cover. Interested?
S192: The Magic Tunnel by Caroline
Emerson, 1940. See Solved Mysteries for details the book doesn't
cover!
Caroline Dwight Emerson, The Magic Tunnel
Caroline Dwight Emerson, The magic tunnel,1964.
Two children enter the New York subway and suddenly find themselves in
a time tunnel that takes them back three hundred years to New Amsterdam
where they watch history in the making and compare colonial and modern
ways of life.
Emerson, Caroline Dwight, The Magic Tunnel.
Illus by Jerry Robinson, Four Winds Press, 1968, c1964. "Two
children
enter the New York subway and suddenly find themselves in a time tunnel
that takes them back three hundred years to New Amsterdam where they
watch
history in the making and compare colonial and medern ways of life."
Caroline Emerson, The Magic Tunnel,
1940s. This is on the Solved Mysteries page.
Caroline Emerson, The Magic Tunnel.
"Juvenile time travel adventure of two kids who take a subway ride, but
it doesn't
let them off at the zoo."
For over 10 years I have been dreaming off and
on about a book I read when I was a pre-teen in the early 50s about a
brother
and sister who are on the NY subway and it crashes and they wake up in
Dutch New York- a book made more vivid ny the fact that I first read it
actually riding on the NY subway- and this evening on a whim decided to
try to Google a description to find the title ("new york subway
stuyvesant
children's book"), never expecting to actually get a result, and lo and
behold your site came up and there it was- The Magic Tunnel
by Caroline Emerson, first published in 1940 Thank you.
Thank you for your comments on TheMagic
Tunnel, one of my two favorite childhood
stories.
The mysterious adventure of the storybook children transported from
then-present
day New York to 1664 New Amsterdam via the underground system
captivated
me and in hindsight, greatly contributed to my own move to New York in
1971, to find adventure, mystery, and, of course, magic.
Magician:
Apprentice
Fantasy. In the initial quest, a shortcut is taken under a
mountain through abandoned mines (caves?) and a legendary sword is
found
under the mountain. The story involves men, elves (who live in homes in
trees) and perhaps dwarves. There were two or more books in the
series,
1990s.
C.S. Lewis, The Silver Chair.
I think this might be the one you are looking for.
Tolkien, Hobbit, Lord of the Rings
Trilogy.
Has
to be too easy. But in the Hobbit, Bilbo is helped by dwarves &
wizard
LoR trilogy includes men and elves
Raymond Feist, Magician: Apprentice.
There were 4 books in the original series, published late 1980's -
early
1990's.
A youth gets caught up in a war between the
people
of his world,including elves, dwarves, etc., and invaders from another
planet. While following the dwarves to safety after a battle, he
finds armor and weapons that turn out to be enchanted. His friend
is apprenticed to a magician (hence the title of the book).
Brooks, Terry, The Sword of Shannara,
1977. It's a long shot, given the date, but there
