Category Archives: 1980s

323R: Teen Girl Loves Horse But Cannot Ride After Accident

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Ya fiction series with a horse, rich girl has an accident and can't ride. Her rich grandmother buys her a brand new Datsun (car), so she's at least 16 or 17, set in the 70s or 80s, published during that period. I think she was nasty to a few girls and tries to make up for it after the accident. I think she may have been in a coma. Her boyfriend might have cheated as well. I think it had a yellow cover with the old style oval centre that contained the image. I think she had a rich sounding name, Courtney or something but I'm not 100% on that. The horse accident was bad and she desperately loved her horse but was too afraid to ride it. I read this series in the late 80s, early 90s, but my sister threw them out before I could finish them. I never forgave my sister, who dares throw out a book? The books were paperback, they had maybe 100 to 150 pages, so not very thick. From the content, I think they were targeted towards ages 16 and up. I think the girl went to college as well. Her grandmother was some type of business woman.

323Q: Town Gets Rid Of Laws And Other Stories (Solved)

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Growing up, I was born in 1982, we had a book that was a compilation of short stories and some poems and other things. It was a light blue/teal colored hard back book with a paper cover. It was a bigger book, like maybe more of an 8.5×11 size. There was a story in it about a town that got rid of all the rules and laws for the day and people didn’t wear their seat belts and sped around town. And there were pictures in the book. There was also another story about 2 teenage sisters who got in an argument and one sister ripped the nose on the other sister’s David Lee Roth poster and tried to cover it up. The book was definitely super random with stories ranging from life lessons to fun little kid’s stories. At some point my mom has lost or gotten rid of it and I’ve been trying to remember what this book was for about 3 years now. It’s been driving me nuts and both her and my brother have no recollection of it. Please help!!!!

323N: Magical Teen Elizabeth

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When I was a teenager in the 80’s I read a book called “Elizabeth”.  The book was about a teenage girl who either had magical powers or magic was somehow insinuated.  The cover was black and I believe it had a broken mirror on the cover.  In the story she had a red mark on her upper thigh that she received from a spider bite maybe but it was identical to another character in the book, like an aunt or something.  She would remark in the book how older men were attracted to her and she enjoyed it.  I have looked everywhere online for the book and even called my local library.  I guarantee the book is not about Queen Elizabeth or Elizabeth Taylor because that is all that I find out there.  Please help!!

323L: Mermaid short story/book of ironic stories

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I believe there was a YA book of ironic stories that I read between 1979-1983. Story I’m looking for: A teenage boy discovers a mermaid living in a pond at the bottom of a quarry. She never breaks the surface of the water, but looks beautiful underneath it. The quarry will soon be dynamited and caved in, so he decides to save her and move her to another pond. When he does capture her, with much difficulty, she is a hideous monster (the water had distorted her features) that nearly kills him. He lets her stay in the pond. The next day the quarry is dynamited and she is buried under the rubble. Have asked for years on every search site I could find. Please help! Thank you!

323H: Tree On A Hill

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Children’s Chapter Book, 4-Book Series, 1 for Each Season (Around late 80’s). These books may have also had a boy and a dog. There were frequent pictures along with the words. My guess is that the length of the books were around 30-40 pages. I can’t recall anything else. Thanks for your help!

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.

322R: Poor Girl Helps Former Affluent Girl Find Lost Ring (Solved!)

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I’m hoping you can help me find a book.  I remember a wonderful book being in my library at Elementary School, I checked it out so often I wasn’t allowed to check it out anymore – and now I can’t remember its name.  I think it was a children’s or young adult book?  This would have been mid to late 80s.

It was about a poor girl who lived with her father.  They were very, very poor and the book mentioned they couldn’t afford heat so she had to take cold showers but often went dirty.  She didn’t have many friends but then befriended an affluent girl.  This affluent girl’s family then fell on hard times and the affluent friend lost a ring – I think a garnet ring?  The poor girl thought if she could find the ring she could solve her new friend’s family’s money issues.  I think she found the stone of the ring in her friend’s dress belt/sash.  Her friend may have contracted a disease like polio in the book.

I’d love any help you may know about this!

322N: Aliens Use TV For Mind Control (Solved)

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Seeking a Kid's Book, I believe I read it in the early 80’s. About aliens invading and a group of friends trying to stop it? Or kids who had a machine that allowed them to make people think aliens were invading via TV. . . sort of a kid's War of the Worlds. Or kids get a machine from aliens to control people via the TV. May have had some device for mind control like TV or remote control. I think it took place in a big city. Had a cartoon-like cover. . . there may have been similar illustrations throughout the book. It was for kids 8-12 range I’d guess. I know it’s not the book series “Tripods”, for younger kids than that. I was young when I read it. . it's driving me nuts!!! Thanks

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.