Category Archives: 1970s

323I: Anthology for girls featuring Jane Austen and others

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I am trying to trace an anthology that was in UK libraries in the 60’s/early 70’s, but may have been American in origin. I can’t remember the title or editor but it was aimed I think at girls and was well illustrated. One of the early stories in it was an extract from Northanger Abbey – the scene where Catherine and Isabella talk about gothic novels they are reading; a later extract has the Riding in Trains section from Laura Ingalls Wilder’s On the Shores of Silver Lake. Don’t think it was part of a set and don’t think it was a Clifton Fadiman or Louis Untermeyer anthology, as I have others of theirs, but I may be wrong. It was my first introduction to Austen and hence was significant to me. Wish there was a directory one could consult that would cross reference anthologized extracts so one could look up the Austen for instance and find all the collections in which it appears..
Hope you can help.

323G: Late Bloomer Finally Dates (Solved)

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Young Adult book on library shelves in late ’60’s early ’70’s.  Has an old-fashioned feel.  Girl (first name starts with an M?) is slightly awkward, gets to date a boy she likes.  She overhears girls mocking her for wearing too much face powder.  Her yearbook quote was, “her voice was ever soft, gentle and low, an excellent thing in a woman”.  Good ending.

323F: Cassandra’s Star? Julie’s Star? (Solved)

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Looking for a Young Adult book on library shelves in the late ’60’s or early ’70’s.  Julie wants to go steady, but her mother (Cassandra) does not think that she is ready.  Set in a part of the country where there is snow.  Julie is a cheerleader.  Somebody tightens the fit of the uniform sweater and gets in trouble.  Julie wants to wear her mother’s star-shaped brooch.  At the end, Julie gets to go steady and wears the brooch.

322U: Girl Befriended By Ghost Boy

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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

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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?

322L: Historical fiction for teens, set in 1800s or early 1900s

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I purchased this book in the late 1970s or early 1980s. It was about a girl who started out very poor, but whose father somehow struck it rich (gold?). I don’t seem to remember a mother. The MC made friends with a girl who was from a proper family. Maybe they met at boarding school. The MC fell in love with the friend’s brother but it was always intimated that she might be too “new money” to be suitable for him. The MC also befriended a colorful actress named, Florie or Flossie. Her advice was to be flashy and I seem to remember the phrase “plenty of ooh la la”. But gradually the MC realized that the actress might be a bit gauche. One main struggle was the MC trying to seem well-bred and not like new, flashy money. I remember scenes of the MC being fitted for and purchasing new, elegant clothes.

322J: The Mountaineer Children (and Dog) (Solved!)

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Title: The Mountaineers – A children’s book from the 40’s
I am not sure that this is the correct title, as I have been unable to find it though any searches.  However, the book had a wonderful illustration on the cover of a number of children and a large dog climbing a mountain or hill.
I don’t remember much about their adventures, but the book was re-printed in the 70’s with the same cover illustration.
Thanks.

322A: Magical Oven Confounds Rude Neighbor Boy (Solved)

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I read this book as a child in the 70’s. A brother and sister’s family moved to a new town. Their obnoxious and rude neighbor boy, I think his name was Jamie, played with them. They didn’t like him but they didn’t know anyone else so the put up with him. They discovered an oven in an old shed on their property. They baked a batch of cookies in it. Jamie selfishly wolfed them down and turned into some king of animal. The oven had magical powers if you ate something that was baked in it. That’s all I remember. I hope someone can help.  Thanks.