Author Archives: Julie Beckers

338H: English girl falls in love with the boy next door, eventually (Solved!)

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I have been searching for a book I remembered for years and then I heard about you guys. I have no idea if you can help me because it isn’t a children’s book, but it’s worth a chance. It’s from before 2006 because I read it when I was in high school (wow!) from the library.
I believe it is set in England. The main character is a girl and she is friends with the boy next door since they were little kids. She goes to prom with a guy, has sex and ends up getting pregnant. I think she continues to live with her parents after she has the baby, which is a girl. Her friend ends up needing to move to America. They stay in contact over email. Some of the book has the reader read their conversation like an email.
Her dream is to manage a hotel one day and after working her way up the ladder, she does. I remember her describing how the chandelier looked in the hotel and how elegant and beautiful it was. Eventually, she realizes she loves the boy (now a man) next door. He has a child with someone and it was a boy. I think at the end of the book he moves back to England and their children become friends or something and I am pretty sure they end up professing their love for one another.
I look forward to seeing if you can find the book. It’s the last one from my childhood I couldn’t remember that I can’t get out of my head.

338F: Big Nate, Little Nate

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I am almost positive the book’s title is Big Nate, Little Nate. I cannot find it so I could be wrong. I have been stymied in my searches because after this book was published, the Big Nate series by Lincoln Peirce came out and most searches end with those books.

The book I’m looking for I read to my son in the late 80’s or early 90’s but it could have been published much earlier. It is about a young boy who wants to do everything like his father. It is set in the old west. The one thing he doesn’t have is a pair of overalls like his father. He has to wait for the travelling peddler to make his rounds to their town to get the desired pair of canvas or denim overalls.

It may be out of print. The newer Big Nate book series seems to eclipse most attempts at searching for it.

338E: “I like Men and I like Dogs”

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I bought a collection of short stories over 20 years ago and lost the book.
Didn’t realize that book meant so much to me.  Was changed by every story.
I only remember the book was by a woman whose last name was Kennedy and it was an award winning collection—and what award I don’t remember.  The author was not a British author, the first name was not Cate and not Louise
SoftCover was electric blue with yellow text.  On the back of the book there was a quote from the opening line of one of the stories: “I like men and I like dogs.”
Have searched all over.
And lastly, this book was written by a direct, frank woman – nothing flowery,

338D: Childhood Series – Encyclopedias?

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I attended Plat Elementary School in Colgate, WI and as a child in the 1st-4th grades I recall going to the tiny school’s library and viewing a series of books – larger hard cover books – almost set up like an encyclopedia series. In one book there was a story featuring a giant eagle (possibly a thunderbird) carrying a little girl away on a mountain (or wilderness path of sorts). She had a gold dress on and wore pigtails. She was reaching out in the air in panic and there was a gentleman who was running after her in the background – I believe he had a green cap on and possibly suspenders – I thought he was German or Bavarian or from Europe (possibly the Canadian thunderbird story). The graphics looked very 50s – full color. In one of the other books of the series, there was a story about a tribe from Africa and they were showing them with spears defending against a giant and wild baboon with his mouth wide open attacking the men. They were carrying shields as well and this was also in full color.

That’s all I remember but wish I knew what this series was. Any help you can offer is greatly appreciated.

338B: “If Pigs Could Fly”

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I am searching for a book from my childhood.  I believe it is titled “If Pigs Could Fly”, but may be titled “When Pigs Fly”.  It may have been a collection of stories or poems.  The most memorable thing about the book were the illustrations.  Intricate, stunning, and enchanting illustrations … almost magical.  On the cover, there is some sort of kingdom – maybe a castle in the background.  A young girl is riding a pig through the air, but she is only a small part of the cover illustration.
My Inside Self, which I believe is a poem by Rachel Field, is one of the poems I recall.  The illustration is of a little girl, short and portly, standing in front of her mirror dressed as a ballerina.  In her reflection in the mirror she sees a gorgeous, thin, delicate adult ballerina.
My mom thinks a British friend of hers gave us the book, so it’s possible it was a published in the UK (but not certain).
I would guess this book was published between 1987-1995.
I have searched many, many databases and haven’t had luck.  There are many other books with this title.  One even has “funny poems for kids”… the one I’m looking for was more about dreaming big and reaching for the stars — I think!

 

338A: The Mystery of the Missing Twin (or maybe sister)

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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!

 

337Y: During WWI, Grumpy Old Man Befriends Teen Girl (Solved!)

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So the book is set in America in WWI around 1918 during the flu epidemic. I want to say Philadelphia or New York. The main character is a female teen or preteen. Prior to being sent to the country to escape the flu, there was a scene with the mother’s favorite tea cup boiled in milk to repair a break.
The girl is sent to live with an older man in the country. She gets sick and he has her shining vinegar as a curative. After she’s well, they collect peach pits for gas masks, knit scarves and socks for soldiers, sew gauze masks, etc for the war effort.  The old man also fries fresh donuts as a treat for him and the girl.
I know they eventually become great friends, although she thought he was scary and grumpy at first meeting.

337X: Brother Who Grows Pot and Sister Who Works As Barista

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This book appears to be written by an ex-boyfriend and girlfriend who agree to write alternating chapters. The book includes their email conversations as they struggle over where the plot will go and rehash relationship mishaps.  It is very funny.  The mystery plot involves a brother and sister who live in a rural area.  He grows pot illegally and she works as a barista….

337W: Scared Ghost Loses His Candy

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I had this book back around kindergarten and now I’m a senior. I remember it was a block book, (I could be wrong, however) it was small, and it was a Halloween book. Sadly, the only piece of plot I remember is that the ghost ate candy, and then when it got scared, the candy fell out of him. I hope this helps!!