Category Archives: 1990s-

329O: Time Traveling Girl Becomes Subject In Colonial Sampler

My search is for a children’s book, probably in the 1970-1997 time frame.  The book was a time traveling mystery involving a shy, loner-type girl who escapes to sit in a nearby very old tree.  On rare occasions, while in the tree, the girl time travels back to colonial times where she meets two girl friends in the tree.  At this point, the tree is much younger.  The colonial friends remark about the traveler’s shoes and how different they are.  The shoes are modern sneakers.  On a subsequent meet up, the time traveler brings an alphabet book which shows a picture of a giraffe listed for the letter “G.”  The colonials have never seen a giraffe.  At some point, the time traveling stops and the loner girl wonders what became of her colonial friends.  On a library day, the loner looks up colonial samplers.  She finds the sampler her colonial friends made when they couldn’t find her in the tree anymore.  The antique sampler is of the alphabet with a giraffe for the “G” letter and a stitched picture of the modern girl with her sneakers!  The title of this book is not known to me and i remember it had nothing to do with the possible subject matter of the book; therefore, not colonial samplers, mystery, time travel, etc.  The author was a woman, but I don’t know the name.  Please help locate the title and author of this book.  I am sure my two grand daughters would love this book, which  my daughter read years ago in Virginia.  Thank you!

329N: Magical World Past A Hole In The A Hedge


Seeking children’s picture book, pre-1999 but probably after 1980. Round brothers and sister with straw hats (maybe sailor outfits too) find a hole in a hedge. They get all dirty in a mud puddle and find a magical world with a very geometric castle on the other side of the hedge. One of them might get lost/want to stay. Found in a library in 90s. Driving me insane.

328Y: Magical Friend Is Bad Influence

I’ve been looking for this book for about 12 years and would have first encountered it sometime before about 2007. It’s a children’s book about a lonely child (I believe a girl) who’s always writing in her notebook. One day she gets contacted by an imaginary friend, who communicates with her using the notebook, and this friend begins to teach the child magic. (I believe at one point, a potion using the wings of lacewing flies.) This imaginary friend’s help grows more and more sinister as time goes on, until they try to convince the child to burn down their school.
All help in finding this book would be much appreciated!!

328V: Early 2000s Fantasy Novel

I'm looking for the title of a book that's been bugging my bf for years - he read it in the early 2000s (he thinks that's when it came out) and when I asked him for a description, he said he thinks they were teens and all versions of classic monsters. One of them was Medusa in disguise hunting some kind of agents (and there are cutaway chapters where she's hunting them) and she maybe had braided hair? They may have either been ON an island or IN Ireland and were maybe collected together because they were told that Medusa was after them, but she was actually after these agents/government guys and there to protect them. Also, one of them was maybe a swamp monster?

328R: Red Head Girl Falls In Love With Ghost Of Civil War Soldier

When I was in high school, likely 1999-2002, I read a young adult romance novel that I thoroughly enjoyed but cannot remember much about it.
I believe it was a paperback book and the cover artwork was drawn…no photos…likely 1980s or early-bird 1990s looking work. There was a red headed girl…high school age I believe…sitting at a headstone in a cemetery…with the ghost of a soldier looking on.
I believe the plot, from what I can recall, is that this red headed high school girl was somewhere back east visiting family…aunt and uncle, perhaps, for the Christmas holiday. She was a history buff and helped her aunt in the family antique shop. She somehow met the ghost of a solider…Civil War, perhaps? He died as a young man and they fell in love and had a relationship. I think it’s the same book but…I believe she met a living young man in town who wanted to romance her over her holiday break, and threw a New Year’s Eve party. Hope this helps. I remember wanting to read all the authors’ books because this one was so enjoyable!

328N: Four Elements Represented By Four Girls

I’m looking for a book published between 1980 and 1995. It’s about 4 girls representing the 4 elements (air, water, fire, earth). It’s told mainly from the point of view of the fire element, I believe. She might be called the fire brand but I’m not sure. The girls have to connect and retie the knot of elements that is holding the earth. There is a very vivid description of the knot, and the four colors of the cords making it. This book might be part of a series and it might be considered young adult.

328M: Adventures Of Royal Fairy Family (Solved!)

I am trying to remember a book I read back in about the late 90s. Here is everything about the book I can recall.
The book was printed in green ink, to include the illustrations.
The story was about a fairy (I think) that was able to ride on clouds. I think the name was Mica or Micah. He went to a kingdom of humans and met a princess. The princess’ kingdom had lost a war with the other kingdom and was being taken to be married to the ugly princess of the other kingdom.
The fairy arranges the escape of the princess and takes her to his world. While there, they arrange to get married.  They have two children, a son and a daughter.
The book continues with the lives of the children. The son ends up saving a princess from a curse and marries her. The daughter makes friends with a knight and a dragon. An angry mob goes after the dragon. The knight helps defend the dragon. The knight and the daughter marry.
It was a bit of a strange book.
The writing level from what I remember was the same as the Harry Potter books.
I wish you luck.

328I: Boy Destroys “Talking” Gorilla Costume

I read a book when I was between 9-12, I’m 38 now, I’m not sure if that helps with the timeline, I borrowed it from my grandma but it wasn’t really old, and it was paperback.
There was a little boy, maybe 11, he found a gorilla/orangutan costume (but enough for a grown man) and he started to believe it was talking to him. I remember him holding his hands over candle flames and if I’m remembering correctly, he ended up destroying the costume in the end by throwing it in the fire.
It would be amazing if you can find it, it’s been bothering me for years! Thank you again for your time and I look forward to hearing back!!