Trying to find a fiction book probably published between 1980 and 1990 that takes place in Washington DC. It is about a boy that gets in adventures in all the landmarks such as the museums in the DC area. I don’t recall much more but it was geared to late elementary school children.
Author Archives: admin
322X: Lassie-like story, dimly recalled
It’s a book I read in the 1970s (but it may have been published much earlier). The central character is a family’s pet–a cat I think, but I’m unsure. Maybe a dog. The family lives on a river, maybe the Mississippi. (My family was living on the river at the time, and the story may have been presented as a “local” tale.) By accident one day the pet floats away on a raft. Far downstream it comes ashore. The heart of the story is akin to Lassie-Come-Home: the pet struggles to return to the family. In the closing pages I believe it does return to the house–but the family is just leaving and somehow there is no reunion. Possibly the pet is even in the yard as the family packs out, and it hears the son’s voice as he laments that the pet never got back. I could be imagining that last bit, but I’m pretty sure there’s no reunion. I recall weeping at the near-miss, but all the other details are fuzzy.
322W: Delightful Arabian Folktales
Looking for a children’s book with a yellow cloth cover and a drawing of a red tree on the front. It had stories about djinns in it and a story about a tree with three different colored branches, and a story about a dress woven from spider webs and so fine it fit into a walnut shell, and a story about a prince who disguised himself with tripe on his head to pretend to be a beggar.
My friend thought the book was Arabian folktales. She saw this book when she was a child, about 20 years ago.
Thanks!!
322V: Nerdy Girl Dates Abusive Popular Boy
This is a YA book I found in the new book section of my middle school library, probably in 1996 or 1997. It’s about a nerdy-ish girl who starts dating a popular boy after they meet at a carnival. He becomes controlling and abusive, and it escalates to an assault in his car. Her boyfriend calls her “Cone.”
322U: Girl Befriended By Ghost Boy
Hello, I’m looking for a children’s book, or possibly young adult book, about a male ghost. It is a chapter book. I was born in 1973, and I am guessing I read this book between the ages of 8 and 12. The main character was a girl, and a male ghost befriends her. I *think* this happens after she moves to a new area, and I feel like her family becomes concerned about her. This is all that I remember.
322T: Hardback Children’s Classic Horror Anthology
The book I’m seeking would have been published no later than the summer of 1981, which is when I read it. Most likely it was published in the mid- to late seventies. It was a large hardback anthology of horror stories for children. It contained a number of tales by Poe as well as an abridged and rewritten version of Stoker’s “Dracula,” which took up a big chunk of the entire volume. (The Poe stories may have been rewritten too; I don’t recall.) It was illustrated with black and white art throughout, and my memory tells me that the monochrome art was accented with at least one spot color: green or purple. It may even have been both green *and* purple. Anyone remember this book?
322S: The Purple Dog
Hi, I am in search of a children’s book my friend remembers from her childhood. It is about a dog that had grape juice spilled on him and turned purple.
Thank you for helping!
322R: Poor Girl Helps Former Affluent Girl Find Lost Ring (Solved!)
I’m hoping you can help me find a book. I remember a wonderful book being in my library at Elementary School, I checked it out so often I wasn’t allowed to check it out anymore – and now I can’t remember its name. I think it was a children’s or young adult book? This would have been mid to late 80s.
It was about a poor girl who lived with her father. They were very, very poor and the book mentioned they couldn’t afford heat so she had to take cold showers but often went dirty. She didn’t have many friends but then befriended an affluent girl. This affluent girl’s family then fell on hard times and the affluent friend lost a ring – I think a garnet ring? The poor girl thought if she could find the ring she could solve her new friend’s family’s money issues. I think she found the stone of the ring in her friend’s dress belt/sash. Her friend may have contracted a disease like polio in the book.
I’d love any help you may know about this!
322Q: Daily Life In Ancient Civilizations
322P: Chickens Go Too Far Trying To Outdo Each Other (Solved)
Children’s book about two chickens getting ready for a dance. One buys a hat so the other buys a hat. They continue trying to outdo each other with necklaces and feather boas. At the dance they realize they can’t enjoy it because they have too much stuff on. I think ones name is Fran. I owned this book in the mid 90s.