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260E: Ball

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No author that I recall.  It was a small [~3-4″ by ~6-7″] hardback book with glossy color cover. A leaf-green border and white center background with a red ball [it might have had a yellow stripe around it].

The first line on the first page is: “The ball lay on the ground wanting to be thrown.” It is the tale of the adventure of this ball being tossed from place to place by random individuals. Not more than 20 pages total, probably less. It ended on the last page with: ” … wanting to be thrown again … ”

I thought it was from Germany; my husband thought it was from France. But neither of us recalls ever actually reading the publication/copyright page.

We bought it in a little boutique toy store [long gone] in Pasadena in the mid to late 80s.

I wish I had more details. It disappeared from my goddaughter’s room, and was never found. I have a new grandson, and would love to find it for him.

260D: Brothers trapped by tides meet a dragon

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I am trying to remember the title of a children’s book i read in the early 1990s. It was a short paperback chapter book. The story was about 2 brothers (they may or may not have been truly biological brothers) and they were opposite and did not get along. One was very athletic and the other was nerdy and more brainy. They go on a summer vacation together (grudgingly) to the East coast. I want to say the Maritimes? Somewhere with very high tides. Anyway they go exploring some caves together, but time passes faster than they expected, the tide rises and they are trapped in this cave together. But they find some magical way into a fantasy world. And there are dragons and magic. And the nerdy brother is the one who is more clever and able in this world than the jock brother. And there is a part where i think they have a riddle contest with a Dragon and the nerdy brother outsmarts the dragon. The brothers become friends in the end.

260C: Older Teen Romance Book

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I want to say this book was set in the 1950s – I read it as a child in the 1970s – part of the collection of young adult books at the Jonesboro Library in Jonesboro, AR.

It was about a young teen girl who was plump and had some skin problems. She had an older sister who was slender.  I remember one specific scene – the younger girl was eating a tuna salad sandwich for lunch and her sister told her she shouldn’t eat that because it was bad for her skin. She was going to do her usual sneering retort, but instead she asked her sister what she should eat instead – what she was having? The younger sister started paying more attention to her appearance. She met a boy who was new in town – her parents invited his parents over for dinner (I think they worked together). She put on too much of her sister’s makeup and borrowed heels and made a grand entrance to the dinner. Her parents were horrified and sent her back upstairs to change, so she was humiliated. The boy actually did like her already, but she didn’t have any self-confidence. Over the summer she started eating better and slimmed up. She eventually ended up with the boy who said he’d liked her all along.

260A: Shorts stories with biblical references

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I’m looking for a collection of short stories, possibly by Saul Bellow.

The book may have chapter headings which are names of Bible books, such as Job, Exodus, Psalms, etc). The collection may include a humorous story about a man on a ledge, ready to jump, but he keeps moving, and so do the well-meaning people down below who are ready to catch and help him.

259H: Bored retired train engineer

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My husband (currently 62) fondly remembers a short book about a retired train engineer who was bored at home.

The engineer’s wife suggested he build a backyard railway – which he did – and the neighbourhood children flocked to it for rides and happy times.

This made the retired train engineer very happy and no longer bored.

Sorry I have nothing more to go on other than the book would have been purchased in Montreal, Quebec (in English, not in French) and it may have a

British connection as Andrew’s parents were born in England and moved to Canada in the late 1940’s.

Any assistance you can offer in helping me to locate this book would be invaluable as Andrew is an only child and both his parents have passed on.

It is a memory he speaks of often and I would dearly love to find the book for him.

259G: Daughter of Maine Lobsterman (Solved)

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This is an old (perhaps 1950’s?) children’s chapter book about a young girl living in a small Maine coastal lobster town, where her father is a lobsterman. I don’t specifically remember her mother being in the story… The main story line is that someone is stealing lobsters from traps in the town and somehow her father becomes a suspect – I think related in some way to a red sash from one of her dresses that he has in his pocket, that people think is the mask that the thieves were using. Somehow, his innocence is confirmed and I think she has something to do with it….

There are other pieces to the story as well, about her daily life, and I remember a part where she talks about listening to the rain pattering on the tin roof of their house.

Unfortunately, I do not remember any other specifics. Any help would be sincerely appreciated!

259F: Girl Plants Magic Trees (Solved)

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A picture book that I checked out repeatedly from my elementary school library. No idea of title. I was checking it out 1986-1988ish, and I remember it being newer, so I’d guess printing would be late ’70s-early ’80s. The girl plants different things on one page, and then when you flip the page, the tree has grown from those “seeds.” I specifically remember her planting diamonds/gems and getting a tree covered in necklaces (I remember that tree as a shimmery blue-white). I feel like there was also a hat tree that grew. There were definitely several different ones. I also feel like there was an old man/grandfather character. I think the ending was some moral about planting love and getting a family, but I’m least certain about that.

 

Would love to get this book for my daughters. Many thanks for your help!

 

259E: Young girl and woman who lives alone who can’t see well

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I read this book in 1984 in the fourth grade. Actually my teacher read it to us. I recall a school age girl who visits a woman who lives alone and can’t see well. I’m not sure why she visits, perhaps to help her or get tutoring, but she visits regularly. The girl thinks the woman is blind and lies to her and/or steals, though I think she lies about her own appearance. She learns at the end of the story that the woman wasn’t blind after all and could see her the whole time.

259D: Flowers with Faces

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I remember this book from when I was a kid (I’m 29, but have no idea how old it was). I’m not sure that it’s a book for children, but I do remember that it was illustrated with these beautiful pictures. The characters are flowers (with faces?) and I believe the main character, which may be a dandelion or daisy dies. I remember it as being very dark and sad, and it really stuck with me, but my parents have no memory of it. I’ve been trying to figure out what it was for years. I hope someone can help!