Category Archives: Anthology

319N: Stories Where Teenagers Reflect on Becoming Adults

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I read a collection of short stories in the late 80’s (maybe very early 90’s.)  The stories from the collection that impacted me involved teenage girls coming of age.  One story involved two teenage girls shoplifting at a Woolworth’s (this helps date the collection maybe.)  There was a story of a teenager babysitting some little girls whose mother was in the hospital after a terrible car accident.  The mother passes away during the time the young woman was babysitting.  She must act as an adult to break the news (or not) to the girls.  This story had mermaids within the title.  Another story involved a young woman at a wedding in a faux chalet-like event space.  She goes off by herself (in a bridesmaid dress?) to have a moment alone reflecting on her new near-adulthood when some creep exposes himself to her.  I’m unsure if the collection was classified as YA, but the stories definitely resonated with me as teenager at the time.

319A: Aeronautical Adventures

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1930s or 1940s adventure books (of short stories) for boys featuring airplanes.  I remember a story that featured a crew of men attempting a record breaking non-stop (transcontinental? Transatlantic?) flight, in a 3 engine plane that could be refueled midair.  I remember a scene where one engine was shut down for in flight maintenance. 

One story featured two pilots flying an old biplane in a barnstorming content that was won because the co-pilot dumped itching powder down his partner's back.  Another featured WWII aircrew captured by Germans and they manage to escape and steal a German plane equipped with skis for the snow.  These books had belonged to my father, and were probably given to him by his uncle, who was a pilot.

318Y: He Fell Down In The Mud

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Greetings!  My “bookstumper” originates from a story my grandmother read to my brother and me in the 60s.  I don’t know how old the story is; I think the story might have been in an anthology of short stories.  The operative phrase is “I fell down in the mud.”  It could even be a bit of a poem, as I remember a dialogue between seemingly mother and son, as the mother rages on how could the boy have done this, how could he have gotten his clothes so dirty, etc.  After each of these Mom rages, the boy simply says, “I fell down in the mud.”  My brother and I have not been able to find hide nor hair of this on Google and other search engines.

318T: A Runaway Train and a Human Cannonball, Plus More

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The book is a collection of short stories, documentaries, and possibly some poetry and such.  I remember stories about a runaway train, a human cannonball and possibly some sort of road trip.  I think there was a board game printed in the middle of the book that related to one of the other stories.  There were black and white photographs of the human cannonball performers, and they talked about knowing lots of languages and sometimes switching languages mid sentence.  I remember it having a blue cover but that may not be very applicable.
I know it was published before 1980 and probably before 1970 or possibly even in the 60s.

318A: A Princess on a Hill at Sunset

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In the late 1960’s a friend gave me a fairy tale book that she owned.  I LOVED IT!!!  It was a plastic coated hardcover, perhaps 8×10 (it was a larger book) with various scenes (in color) depicting the stories inside.  One cover picture that I vividly remember was a princess on a glass hill at sunset.  In the body of the book were a lot of drawings (black and white from what I remember).  I think there was a knight in armor on the cover, but I could be mistaken.  I also think there were pictures on the front and back cover.  I LOVED the interior pictures and traced many.  Stories that MAY have been inside were one about “Roland”, definitely princess on the hill story.

I kept the book for years, but thinking that I would not have children to share the book with, I gave it to my stepdaughter, who promptly lost it.  (I love her a ton, but of course she didn’t value the book as much as I did – reading material is a hugely personal preference).

I did read fairy tales to my daughters, but I would love to have this book to share for possible grandchildren.

 

317Z: My First Book of Poetry

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I received a poetry anthology of about 20 children’s poems titled something like “My First Book of Poetry” in the 1960s. It had one poem per page and simple black ink drawings. Some of the poems included: “The Fog” by Robert Frost, “Alexander Beetle,” by A. A. Milne, “The Spider and the Fly,” by Mary Howitt, “The Neighbor” (?) by Edna St. Vincent Millay and “Poor Tired Tim” by Walter de la Mare. I lost the book in moving and have not been able to relocate it for years. Any help would be much appreciated.

316H: The mer-folk take over the island

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I am looking for a short story that I read a few years ago about an island that belongs to the mer-folk/ sea beings. The island lies off a coastal town who connect it to the mainland via jetty/pier and build a dance hall on it. The mer-folk throw up a huge storm on a dance night and separate the island from the mainland once again. They claim back their island. There was good description of the storm and its effect on the dancers I think. I read it in a compilation of spooky stories but I have never found it since. I would love to read it again.

314E: She Recalls the Word “Willow”

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I am looking for a children’s book.
This book was published around 1959-1960 give or take a year or two. It had a medium blue hard cover and was approximately 8 x 6 and 100 pages give or take some.
It had many short stories and poems. The illustrations were primarily black ink and the drawings remind me of Irene Haas illustrations. This book may have been part of a Harper and Brothers adult book club selection because I have another book my mother had from this club and it is titled “The Day Christ Was Born” By Jim Bishop. She said the children’s book was offered as a special selection. My sister recalls the word “Willow” she thought maybe that may have been in the title of the book or possibly a title to one of the stories. I have been looking for this book for quite a few years and any help would be appreciated.

314B: Mer-Folk and a Stormy on Dance Night

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The short story I am looking for was from a compilation of stories, probably a compilation of spooky stories. Not sure whether it was set in the United States or the United Kingdom. I think it was the UK.  I read it a few years ago; it was about an island that belongs to the mer-folk/ sea beings. The island lies off a coastal town which connect to the mainland via jetty/pier and build a dancehall on it. The mer-folk throw up a huge storm on a dance night and separate the island from the mainland once again. They claim back their island. There was good description of the storm and its effect on the dancers I think. I would love to read it again.

313U: Mer-folk and a Stormy Dance Night

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The short story I am looking for was from a compilation of stories, probably a compilation of spooky stories. Not sure whether it was set in the United States or the United Kingdom. I think it was the UK.  I read it a few years ago; it was about an island that belongs to the mer-folk/ sea beings. The island lies off a coastal town which connect to the mainland via jetty/pier and build a dancehall on it. The mer-folk throw up a huge storm on a dance night and separate the island from the mainland once again. They claim back their island. There was good description of the storm and its effect on the dancers I think. I would love to read it again.