This is a kids mystery book, probably written in the early 70s. The author’s last name was at the end of the alphabet–Mayba a W.
Two sisters–I think twins, but they may be triplets, where two are identical and the third isn’t. The girls are on vacation in either Newfoundland or Nova Scotia. They run into another girl who looks exactly like one (or two) of them. the non-identical sister is convinced she’s adopted, and that the girl they saw is the actual twin (or triplet) of the others. They try to find the girl again, but she’s been kidnapped.
There’s a whole mystery involving caves and some missing jewelry? The parents are kind of cagey about why they’re In Canada, so they’re not a lot of help, although they are present. They’re at a lawyers office quite often, giving the girls unsupervised time. They use the resemblance between the kidnapped girl and the sister to trap the crooks somehow, with the fathers involvement.
At the end, it’s revealed that the kidnapped girl is their cousin, which is why she looks like them. I think the parents were trying to arrange to adopt her.
I’ve been trying to remember this for awhile, but can’t. Googling just brings up a lot of results, which aren’t helpful.
Thanks for any help!
I remember reading this book in the early seventies. I thought it was called The Third Twin, but all I can find in a brief search under that title is a book by Ken Follett, which is not it, and another book about teenage twin girls who make up a fake third sister, which is also not it. I hope someone can find the right title/author. I haven’t thought of the book in years, but now I want to read it again, too!
You might try The Mystery of The Third Twin by Wilma Yeo.
Not the right cover (I remember a lot of dark olive green and girl on the side with hair blowing across her face) but the title sounds right! And the author is definitely at the end of the alphabet. I’ll see if I can get a copy to confirm. Thanks!
Unfortunately, I think I may have fused two books. This is definitely the one wirh the third “twin” which turns out to be a long lost cousin. It’s not the one iin trying to find though.
It is not the one with a kidnapped cousin, with adventures in caves and a treasure hunt. So that one, I’m still looking for. It felt a little more like Over Sea, Under Stone, which I read around the same time.
I still think that one takes place in Newfoundland, Canada. It was more contemporary, and I also think there might be four kids…triplets with the fourth girl bring a cousin who looks like them. The father is definitely more involved. One of the girls my have been called Ginny? The author could have been anywhere in the alphabet, but I think it was still near the end.
If it helps, I Don’t think there was a dust jacket, the info was printed directly on the book., with a buckram binding…it wasn’t rebound.
Any new suggestions?
I think this is the one I’m thinking of-thanks! I have ordered a copy to see.
That’s the one I remember. Thanks!
Origiinal poster here…
Sadly, this is not the book I’m looking for. I had read this one too…and I think I was confusing the author Yeo with the author of the other book.
After reading this one though, I’m fairly sure that the one I am looking for has triplets to start with–two who are identical and a third who is fraternal. The new cousin they find looks like the fraternal triplet. It’s definitely more of a mystery/treasure hunt, ani I’m pretty sure it’s set in either Newfoundland or Nova Scotia. It was a fairly short book, and if it helps, there was no dust cover–the picture was printed directly on the book. It was contemporary to the time–so set in the late 60s/early 70s. I still think the authors last name was near the end of the alphabet, but maybe s-w. Any ideas?
If it’s possible that it was twins instead of triplets,, take a look at The Kellyhorns by Barbara Cooney. It’s set in Maine, and about separated twins.