I’m trying to help a friend track down a kids’ book she remembers from her childhood. She was born in the late 1970s, so the date of publication would be no later than the mid-1980s; likely earlier. She remembers the plot as having to do with farm animals – ducks, in particular – fighting in a war, and recalls an illustration of a duck or duckling using a parachute. Sound familiar to anyone? Very grateful for any leads people can offer.
This book is set on some sort of island/plantation. Written in 80s or 90s. Young woman goes there and discovers a mystery which in the end turns out to be an underground crack or meth manufacturing ring operating in the area. At one point she sees her cat playing with a crack rock but she believes it is a bath salt at the time.
I am looking for a 90s or 80s book where a teen is writing an advice column for school and no one knows she is the one giving advice. She receives a letter about one of her best friends who dresses almost always in black from a boy (Bucky??) who likes the friend. She is conflicted about the advice to give because she would tell someone else to go for it but she knows her friend would not be interested.
A young woman joins the crew of a starship / star organisation and she has green eyes, she meets an alien navigator (his hair is white blond) but changes color, they get stranded together and had kids before being rescued.
In the early/mid 80s I read a series of books I referred to as the Mr. Bumper books. No clue what the plot was, just that the main characters were an adorable plump elderly couple with round glasses who gardened. I probably have the name of the character wrong but it was something like Bumper or Bumpus. Pretty sure they were illustrated hardcover books with large chunks of text. Early readers. Any ideas?
A teddy bear goes into the forest at night and comes back home each night/morning with something different about him. A missing button, mud on him (possibly a missing hat?). There is a little boy as the teddy bear’s owner who notices these things askew. (this is not a Fred Asche book). Maybe the boy starts to go with the bear at the end, the boy might follow the bear into the woods after he notices that things are different about him.
The cover had a teddy bear forward facing (wearing overalls I think) and the little boy (blonde?). Most likely from the late 80’s early 90’s. The book was light colored and had speckles and a frame like border about an inch or so inset from the outside edge.
Possible title that I remember is Rebecca’s Island. The plot is as follows:
Mother and young daughter flee an abusive or unhappy marriage. They move to the grandmother’s home I believe. She lives with a lake behind the house and Rebecca paddles a canoe to a small island in the middle of the lake. She makes the island her sort of getaway from the troubles of her home life, paddling to the island on a daily basis. There is an ominous feeling to strange people showing up. Maybe the people are looking to find the mother and daughter for the abusive husband/father.
This was read to my elementary school class maybe in the mid to late 1980s. I got the flu and was not in school to learn how the book ended.
Description: Likely published in 80s to early 90s. Educational content about prismatic light and rainbow colors. Illustrated story book. I remember it being hard cover, but may have been published both ways.
World is grey and wizard/magician/sorcerer brings prism to introduce light and color to the people. Takes children characters (more than one) on the journey to discover the colors of the rainbow throughout the world which may be better defined as a kingdom. I think there was a king and a castle involved.
I’ve located a similar book titled The Color Wizard by Barbara Brenner. It is very close to the story line, where there is a magical person painting the colors of the rainbow. In the book I’m searching for there are children and a prism is involved in the story. I don’t remember the magical one inhabiting the castle, but as a visitor.
Thank you to anyone who is able to contribute to finding this!
Seeking a children’s book with characters named after phrases and who act like the phrase.
It was around in the 80s, but I’m not sure if it was old or new then.
I seem to recall there was a beach, but I’m not certain about that.
Hi there! Been looking for this for YEARS. Please bear with me as I read it in the 90’s and you know how memory goes.
Read it as a paperback. NOT a bodice ripper like romance. Was a Greek/Roman epic. NOT the book Empress of Rome. From the perspective of a prostitute from when she was a girl through adulthood and old age. Not necessarily first person but maybe. She went to a courtesan-like school to learn the arts- painting, singing etc. I only remember like two very specific parts of the story.
**TRIGGER WARNING- Weird old school brothel tricks and sex talk**
She “ruins” herself or some such thing with a man and she needs to be presented as a virgin to some old guy or important man whatever. There’s a part where an older woman has her put a chicken egg filled with blood or something up there so that when the chicken egg breaks during sex it’ll appear as though it’s hymen blood. Don’t ask why that stuck with me, it just did.
There’s a bunch of intrigue and scandal. A bad guy is in it for sure. There’s a bunch of parties and a nice old guy painter I think. And the prostitute/courtesan is very well renowned. She falls in love with a younger soldier and eventually is together with him for years. At the end of the book she’s dying in bed and he’s holding her hand and she dies with a smile or some such thing because he had no idea how old she was because she took such good care care of herself.
Pretty thick book. Cover had a Greek/Roman depiction (maybe a man and woman? maybe a Greek building in back?) and was creme colored for the most part, I think. Had maybe a bit of red and black lettering. Books was very much late 1960’s-1980’s
I really hope you can help!! Thanks so much