Category Archives: 1980s

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.

321L: Amnesiac Girl Buys Horse (Solved)

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I am looking for a 1960-1980 era book, about a girl with amnesia that ends up working on a horse farm, buys a horse from going to slaughter, and then discovers she used to be rich and jumped show horses. Her step parent [I want to say father] ended up being the culprit. The point of view was from the girl, and I want to say the book starts with a car accident, which causes the amnesia.

321G: POW Rescued By Woman Of The Night

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I’m looking for a book I read many years ago, probably around the mid 1990’s, but I’m sure it was written much earlier than that, likely the early 80’s. From what I remember, it was a story about a POW or prison camp escape and/or rescue of a woman by a man who falls in love with her. I believe she may have been a prostitute and it may have been set during or adjacent to the Vietnam war era.

I remember one character, an older woman (perhaps a brothel Madam?) saying something like “she ain’t nothing but two hips and a hole” or similar when referring to the girls being prostituted.

321D: Mythical Animals From The 80s

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Hi! I am looking for a book that my son adored as a child, but neither of us can remember the title or author. It was an illustrated book about a mythical land with strange creatures: snake-like reptiles that coiled into circles to roll downhill and sometimes blew a flat, zebra/horse creatures that had to walk backwards, because their knees bent the wrong way. That’s all I can remember. I hope someone else knows it! Thank you!

320V: Snail says slug needs to get a house

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Dear Stump-Solvers, I'd love to find a children's book I read to my kids in the late 80s-early 90s. Here's what I remember: A slug is moving along and ridiculed by a snail, because the slug doesn't have a shell. The slug suffers a loss of confidence and sadly slimes along. I remember the slime to cross hot pavement. SPOILER: Eventually the slug meets another slug and is happy. Thank you!

320Q: Fairy Tale Book(s?) From 70’s Or 80’s

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I am trying to identify one or two books from the following two images (I cannot remember if they are clues to two books or if they are both from the same one.)

I remember a rather thick book with a mix of fairy stories, myths & legends from around the world, probably printed in the 1970’s or 1980’s. (I was born in 1981.)

The first image is of my Grandma reading us a book, although it is blurry.

The second image, is a sketch by me of a calligraphy detail in the book, on a title page, I think, which I loved to trace as a child.

I am trying to identify the book(s) represented in each of these photographs, whether they are one in the same or two similar books with collections of stories.  If you could help solve the mystery, I would be much obliged.

Please find the two picture clues below:

320O: Animals’ Body Parts Switcheroo

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Have fun with this one. I'm taking a shot in the dark here that anyone knows what I am talking about, because my mother doesn't. It is a children's book from as late as probably 1982. Guessing possibly around 1975-1980? Literally all I can remember is an image of animals with switched body parts. Not sure how many animals or how many different body parts were switched. Could have been only 2 animals. Different heads for sure. One might have been short with the head of a taller one and vice versa. They might have been barn animals. And something about one of them getting stuck under a fence. Because he was too fat maybe? Like a chain link fence. And that's it. A flash of a memory of one page of a book that, if I can figure it out, is for sure my first identifiable memory.