Category Archives: 1980s

257E: Magical Gifts

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This is a fairly recent book, having had my hands on it sometime between 1996-1998.  It was definitely a picture book.  I can’t remember if the classroom copy was paperback or hardcover, but I don’t think the book was published any time before 1985 and it was more likely to have been put out after 1992.

 

My clearest memory is of a page showing a slim girl with cropped black hair who, as a thief, had a magical belt or girdle that made her invisible.  The belt may have been silver.  The story took place in an imaginary land or in the past; I think she was dressed in a very sort of medieval page way.

 

I am certain there were other girls with other specific talents and magical objects in the book, but I am unsure as to how many.  Judging from trends in children’s literature it was probably 3 or 7.

 

Thank you so much!

256E: Big book of fairy tales

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The book I’m looking for is definitely older. It is a large, aged, dull lime green or olive green hardcover. I can’t remember what’s in the front, but there is a picture of what may be a friendly green-faced (again, duller green) troll with a white wig and a red shirt doing a cartwheel on the back cover of the book, along with a short description below it.

It is about a foot tall, 8″ wide, and 3-4″ thick. It has 600+ pages, I think… definitely more than 300.

This book looked old to me back in the 90s, so I’m guessing it is from 1990 or earlier.

Looks like it might contain a collection of Aesop, The Brothers Grimm, and Hans Christian Andersen tales as well as some other stories.

Some of the stories definitely include (from memory):

– The Nightingale (Aesop)
– The Water of Life (Grimm, German)
– Sinbad the Sailor’s 4th Journey
– Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves
– The Tinderbox (Aesop)
– The Emperor’s New Suit / Clothes (Aesop)
– Stone Soup
– The Pied Piper
– The Twelve Dancing Princesses (Grimm)
– The fisherman and his wife
– The Golden Goose (Grimm)
– The Princess and the Pea

There are illustrations in the book with the stories and it is done in a very old-fashioned art style… I would think to date it to before 1980, but I’m not an expert.

I know this is pretty hard considering the lack of detail. I’ve been looking for this book for a long time. =(

254E: Ella in the Woods

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Hi there,

I’m looking for a book that my parents bought for my sister and I in the early 90’s. It was soft cover book.
The illustrations are art nouveau-ish ( I remember that they have that “stained glass” look to them). The story is about a young girl with long dark hair who is wearing, to my memory, a flowing red dress who is either deliberately walking though or gets lost in the woods and she happens upon an abandoned castle what she wanders through. I seem to remember that there were climbing roses throughout the castle and animals that are watching her as she explores the castle. I don’t remember how it ends unfortunately. I feel like the girl’s name was Ella, but I could be completely wrong.

I have looked for YEARS to try and find this book; my parents remember it, but don’t know what happened to it and don’t remember what it was called or where they bought it; no idea if this is helpful, but I remember reading it on the ferry to Prince Edward Island, so I’m wondering if maybe my parents bought it in a nearby bookstore?

254A: Small chapter book on solving mysteries (Solved)

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Okay, this book was maybe from the early- to mid- 90’s, and is a “mystery” book, but wasn’t a series – it had several small chapters, with a story and a picture. Based on the story, and the picture, you had to try and solve the “mystery”. They were simple – one took place in a school classroom where a small windmill made out of popsicle sticks had been broken, and the reader had to figure out if the open window and a strong gust of wind broke it, or if another classmate did. The answers (and specific hints about the clues that helped to solve it) were all in the back.

253D: Secret Ancient Ruins (Solved)

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I read this book when I was in middle school in the mid-90s. This student (at a boarding school?) is blindfolded by another student and led through the woods following a windy path so he won’t be able to retrace his steps later. They reach a secret cave or something where the other student has discovered ancient ruins of tiny buildings (like maybe pygmies lived there, or some unknown tiny people?). Together, over a long period of time, they excavate these buildings. Then for some reason, (maybe this knowledge is going to get into the wrong hands?) the main character decides he needs to get back to the site on his own. He’s never seen the way, since he’s always blindfolded, but he remembers the twists and turns by feel. Once he arrives there, he destroys the buildings he worked so hard to uncover so no one will ever know they were there.
Thanks!

251D: A boy must find his strengths and his mother

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I am looking for a young adult book that I read between 1983-1990. (It may be marginally sci-fi or dystopian, I don’t recall.)

The story is: A boy/teenager’s mother disappears. As he tries to find her, he comes into his own skill-set (maybe as a mathematician, scientist or problem solver — something.) In the end, he finds his mother, and she explains that she is part of a group who intend to start a new society or colonize off planet — something along those lines. She left her life behind and vanished in order to begin preparations with the group because the time to start this new colony or society was drawing near. (I believe her skill is agricultural or scientific, etc)

The big revelation is that she couldn’t tell him about what she was doing or bring him along because every member of the group must have a special skill or contribution to make to this new society that they intend to form. She could only hope that her son discovered his skill and could follow the clues to find her. (Essentially, now that he has become worthy, they are reunited and he can be part of this new colony.)

Thanks in advance,
Jana P.

251C: A story combined with crafts

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I am searching for a children’s book, the name I do not know. We took it from the library in the late 1980s. The reader was instructed to have a newspaper with them while reading the story. It was not an instructional book only, it had a story and directions to fold the paper this way and that way. At the end the reader would cut the rolled or folded newspaper . At the very last you would pull at a particular spot and VOILA, a beautiful firework or similar creation was yours

249G: Treasure concealed in a barn

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I read this book in the 90’s but do not know if it was published prior.

There is a young boy whom begrudgingly goes to a family members home (may be a grandparent although I do not recall this aspect specifically). I think it was for his summer vacation. There is a local legend of missing treasure, maybe it was stolen? Many people have looked for the treasure over the years, but of course the boy finds it in a barn. I think the barn was on the property where he had been staying for the summer.

The treasure had been melted down and molded/crafted into items commonly found in a barn and covered or painted to conceal it. I believe he chipped off some paint of a candle stick or something, and the wagon in the barn actually was made of gold and also painted or covered in disguise. I hope this is enough to figure this out, I really loved the book as a kid and now want to read it to my children.