Author Archives: admin

235A: A young girl shares her weathervanes with her neighbors (Solved)

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I was born in 1953 and think maybe the book was for 8-10 year olds so, if it was newly-published, maybe it was from the early 1960s? I have only vague memories of it, of course.  The story of a girl who has moved somewhere new–a place that, to a kid like me from Los Angeles, stuck with me as exotic, like maybe Florida? I think the plot is that the girl has this collection of weathervanes and, when family relocates to a housing development where all the homes are identical, she gets this great idea of giving each neighbor one of the different weathervanes to make life easier for everyone! (The movie “Inside Out” made me think of this book–what happens when a plucky little girl moves?)

234H: A sketch book of imaginative designs

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No idea about the title. I first found this book in the early 2000’s, but it is probably older–90’s or 80’s or even earlier? No narrative. Contains (mostly?) black and white sketches of many silly and imaginative designs for ordinary items and new inventions. Just one example: a contraption that completely encloses a desk to allow a nap in the office. I also remember a page full of funny-looking footwear; a memorably risque one was modeled after the nude female figure.

234G: A Mechanized Life

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Hello~

For about 20 years, I’ve been looking for a children’s book that I loved in the 70s. It was a picture book (or at least an illustrated book) about a boy whose house was fully automated, with an ejector bed that popped him out in the mornings to be dressed robotically, and I think a slide took him to the kitchen, where his breakfast was served mechanically… I wish I had more info. I’ve hit up quite a few children’s librarians, and haven’t had much luck. The book charmed me so much as a kid, I really wanted it for my kids.

Thanks for any help you can give me!

234F: 1980s book that features child abuse

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Looking for a YA novel, 1980s, title and author unknown. About a girl living with a neglectful/abusive mother. In one scene, her mom leaves her alone in the house for days with no food (may or may not have locked her in) and when she comes home, tosses some groceries at the girl, who opens a can of spaghettios (or similar food) and the girl eats the contents of the can ravenously while the mom calls her an animal. I think the girl takes up painting (with watercolors?) under the tutelage of a neighbor. Title might include words like house (of)…, child (of)…, glass, light.

234E: A Book of the World (Solved)

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This book is at least 20 years old. It was a book for children showing all the different ways people live around the world (what they wear/eat/keep as pets/do for fun). There was little text, and what has stayed with me are the beautiful pen and ink illustrations. I also remember that the last pages showed how boring life would be if everyone was the same: a two-page spread of a street scene with everything all the same in drab colors, and then the next two pages a spread of a vibrant, colorful street scene instead. The book seemed quite large to me as a child, big enough to have lots to look at on each page… perhaps 12″x14″? Most vague of all is my memory of the cover… possibly, it had a drawing of the globe on a white background, and was just called “The World,” though that may be some other book! I’m from the US, but it’s possible this book was brought as a gift from another anglophone country.

Thank you for your help!

234D: Large Children’s Anthology of Short Stories from the 90s

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I’m looking for a treasury/anthology of short stories for children that was most likely published in the early to mid 90s. I can’t remember too much about it, but the pages were yellow (or maybe had a thick yellow border?). It was about 2 inches thick, and was about 8 1/2″ x 11″. There were all different types of stories and were unrelated to each other. The only one I can actively remember was about the father of the family was trying to cure sunspots. The book contained pictures with most, if not all, of the stories. The stories were probably geared towards ages 6 to 11, as opposed to younger children. I have no idea about author/title/publisher because for as long as I can remember, the front and back covers had torn off!

234B: A witch flies on a vacuum

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A children’s book about a witch (probably with red hair) that befriends a young girl next door.  The book has illustrations that are very bright. The witch dresses like a gypsy and flies on a vacuum. Only the girl knows she’s a witch. It’s not The Wednesday Witch, The Witch Next Door or The Witch Down the Hall. The witch is friendly. The book is 15-20 years old. It was a large book probably 10cm wide and 30cm tall.

233H: Adult fiction with descendants of Jesus of Nazareth

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Twins, Roslyn Chapel, descendants of Jesus of Nazareth
Adult mystery about the secret descendants of Jesus of Nazareth. A girl and her grandfather are the main characters. At the end of the book they come to Roslyn Chapel where they go into a hidden underground chamber and where they meet the girl’s grandmother and twin brother, whom she didn’t know existed. It’s not The Da Vinci Code, I must have read it 10-15 years earlier.