Category Archives: MG (grades 2-6)

373K: Supernatural spinning top

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I am trying to locate a favorite childhood book, probably published sometime in the mid sixties. I do not recall the title of the book, but it is in the “supernatural” category, geared for pre-teen or early teenage years. The main character is called Dorcas and she has a spinning top that allows her to access her supernatural power. I believe she is an orphan. There is also a young man that is her advocate. She acquires damaging information through her “gift” that implicates stalwart pillars of the community; they come after her as the book comes to a climax, with her being trapped in a cave by one of these perpetrators. She is rescued at the end of the book by her young protagonist who, at one point, had given her a red scarf. I always thought this book was called “The Spinning Top”, but any and all efforts to locate it by that title have been completely futile! I have been searching for this book for nearly 50 years and hope that, with your help, it can be found.

373F: Horse and Sugar Bowl

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I am so thrilled to hear of your service!!   For the last day of school of my second grade, the teacher let us read books from the small classroom library. This was in 1962.  (Yes, I’ve been hunting for this book for over sixty years.). After lunch she made us pass up the books. She would not let me finish it. I watched as she packed all the books in cardboard boxes. The box with my book was likely shipped to the school district warehouse since it was so old.  And it wasn’t on the shelves when I snuck into the second grade classroom the beginning of my third grade.
What I remember, which is hardly anything, is that it was a larger format cloth cover.  The corners were worn and soft. (Maybe ten x fifteen? It was a thin book, perhaps green.) It looked “old fashioned” and I would guess it was published in the 1940’s.  The images were a type of collage with cut outs of real objects (like the sugar bowl) and a drawing of a horse cut and posed.  Then the scene was photographed in color.  That’s it :   a horse romping on a kitchen table and a sugar bowl.
It vaguely had the feel of a “Gumby” cartoon.   Hmmm….I never thought to hunt down the creater of Gumby.
I realize this is a long shot, but it would enable me to strike off one of the few items on my bucket list.

372P: Petey and Friends

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As a child I would periodically visit my grandparents, in the mid 1960’s. They had a children’s book at their house that I still remember (as does my cousin). If I could find the name, I’d love to get us each a copy for the holidays. 

Children’s chapter book, green cover, we think, but aren’t 100% on that.

Published definitely prior to 1970, more likely in the 1950’s.   The story line was pretty didactic, and that would fit the era. Also, while folks had cars, the vegetable man had a cart.

Generally simple plot: family with several kids move to a new location. The youngest child is named Petey, and he is the main character.  Each chapter basically follows one event in Petey’s life. Chapters I can remember:

** Petey makes friends with the vegetable man who comes into town to sell his veggies. Petey and family are invited to go out into the country to visit the veggie man’s family.  There was some cross-cultural awareness, but I can’t remember what. 

**Christmas is approaching and all the townspeople ask Petey what he wants for Christmas. “Oh, just one of those little cars” (referring to Matchbox cars). Everyone is astounded he wants so little. In the end, everyone in town gets him a little car.

** Bad snowstorm keeps Petey and his siblings indoors. After complaint about nothing to do they all sit and start to create a quilt from leftover fabric. They work all day and succeed in creating quilt.

It wasn’t great literature, but it has sentimental value for us. ☺️

Thank you for any help you can provide! I have been searching for this book for over a decade! 

372M: Alliterated Named- Animals

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Hi, I’m searching for the name of a series of children’s books I read in the 1960s and 1970s. I don’t remember much about them except that all the characters were animals
and they had alliterated names.  There was a firefly in the books. The coverwas very cute. These books gave me a lifelong love of reading. I was in grade 5 at the time, going to school in Hull, Quebec, Canada. The books were in English. Unfortunately that’s all I remember.

372L: Boy Beaver

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The book I’m looking for I read in 1970 – 71.  A fourth grade teacher selected it from the school library for me.  It was a children’s chapter book about a boy who either dreamed or had a vision that he was was a beaver.  It had Native American motifs and all the other characters were also animals. I really don’t remember much more than that.

372H: A boy named Junior tries to fly (Solved!)

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The book was found on the shelf of my grade school library near the Boxcar Children and my best guess of pub date is 1960s to 1990s-early reader chapter book/ middle school reading level. In the first book of the series a young boy jumps from the roof of the family barn with homemade (airplane?) wings and breaks both legs; I think the boy’s name is Junior- the story follows a sibling set who i remember being cared for by an older (non parent) male relative – there is a pet companion involved, a dog? At one point, Junior knocks on the front door to the home from the inside to ask permission to come sit outside with the older male relative in one of the series’ culminating scenes
This book has haunted my dreams for almost fifteen years and I badly want to find an old copy to read. please let me know if it sounds familiar and thank you for providing this essential service to society- that sounds facetious, but I promise I am serious as a heart attack, thank you. 

371V: Dark illustrated ghost book

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I remember this illustrated book from when I was a kid. It had dark drawings somewhat similar to Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark but not quite. Some of the elements I remember are that there’s a ship or boat?
There’s at least two men. One man is possibly stabbed. I remember a ghost maybe. Blood as well.The men’s bodies are shown from various strange perspectives to look stretched out and ghostly or long.

Fiction.

Plot: Not sure.

I read this between 1997-2005 roughly.

Book’s intended audience: Seems too scary to be a kids book but there wasn’t much text. It was definitely heavily based in illustration. 

I read it in Ohio, USA.

That’s about it !

I know it exists.
Thanks for your time.

371E: African American Orphan Stands Up For Herself (Solved!)

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I am looking for a book that I cannot remember the title of, that I read in sixth grade, 1979/80 school year, in Macon, Georgia. I would like to purchase a copy. 


Subject: Middle Grades or YA- African American Female – Fiction – Coming of Age – African American Female empowerment- Mystery


Published: 1970-1980, but I believe closer to 1979


Synopsis:In the 1970s, an African American girl of about ten years old, from a close knit, education supporting, financially struggling family, is left an orphan, along with her teen brother, after their parents die when their Northern city apartment complex burns. I believe that she is burned. She is uprooted from a Northern progressive city when she goes to live with a wealthy middle class aunt and uncle who live in the deep south, in the country, in a house that is disappointing on the outside, but fantastically remodeled on the inside. For the first time she has her own room, beautiful clothes, amusements, books and plenty of delicious food. She is painfully shy and has PTSD from the death of her parents and the fire. She attends a school that is racist and newly desegregated, yet segregated in the classroom by putting all African American students in a low learning group. She has to learn to be assertive to her very racist and patronizing vapid young teacher in order to be placed in a gifted learning group.  The aunt is very wise, loving and encourages her niece to grow in confidence, independence, love and learning. The uncle is sullen, intimidating,  quiet and grieving over his own private matter. There is a mystery about a pregnant teen girl runaway, who is hiding out in an abandoned church in the woods, somehow related to the uncle, whom she finds when playing in the woods. 
This booked moved me and was written in a way that allowed me to grow with the character. It was bold in its description of racism and sexism and the need for individual female power through self confidence and self acceptance and assertiveness. It was a book that sought to enlighten and build a bridge between the racial and gender divides of the 70s post desegregated South. 
This book was recommended by my middle school librarian, who was very progressive and excellent at ordering and promoting to every student multicultural African American books. She placed it in a book grouping display, so it may have been a book award nominee or showcased as African American fiction.  I believe that the author was an African American female. 
Let me know if I need to amend or refine this description.  I’ve exhausted Google and the library librarian.

371D: French Fantasy Book

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I’m looking for a French kid’s or adolescent’s book. I read it in French class in middle school. It had watercolor illustrations and had to do with color. Maybe color leaving the world or being stolen? I think the main character was a boy with colorful wisps for hair. He was on a journey? I remember a villain, but I might be mixing up another book. It had a wide, white face and big eyes. Sorry, I know this might just not be enough!