Category Archives: MG (grades 2-6)

322U: Girl Befriended By Ghost Boy

Hello, I’m looking for a children’s book, or possibly young adult book, about a male ghost. It is a chapter book. I was born in 1973, and I am guessing I read this book between the ages of 8 and 12. The main character was a girl, and a male ghost befriends her. I *think* this happens after she moves to a new area, and I feel like her family becomes concerned about her. This is all that I remember.

322R: Poor Girl Helps Former Affluent Girl Find Lost Ring (Solved!)

I’m hoping you can help me find a book.  I remember a wonderful book being in my library at Elementary School, I checked it out so often I wasn’t allowed to check it out anymore – and now I can’t remember its name.  I think it was a children’s or young adult book?  This would have been mid to late 80s.

It was about a poor girl who lived with her father.  They were very, very poor and the book mentioned they couldn’t afford heat so she had to take cold showers but often went dirty.  She didn’t have many friends but then befriended an affluent girl.  This affluent girl’s family then fell on hard times and the affluent friend lost a ring – I think a garnet ring?  The poor girl thought if she could find the ring she could solve her new friend’s family’s money issues.  I think she found the stone of the ring in her friend’s dress belt/sash.  Her friend may have contracted a disease like polio in the book.

I’d love any help you may know about this!

322Q: Daily Life In Ancient Civilizations

When I was in the 3rd grade, my language teacher would take the class to the library to check out books we wanted to read. My favorite were a series of children’s books which taught daily lives of people from ancient civilizations: who they were, what they did, what they were known for, & the tools and weapons they used in warfare. It was from these books which I developed a passion for arts & crafts and also the value of history at a young age.
I am 44 years old now and I would like to find these books to have them as part of my knife and weapons collection. It was those books which sparked my interest for this hobby.
I can’t recall the author but do remember the titles:
1. The Stone Age
2. The Aztecs
3. The Romans
4. The Vikings
5. The Egyptians
6. The Phonecians
7. The Greeks
8. The Celtics
It was around 1984-1985 was when I discovered these books. I was wondering if you can offer assistance in helping me find them or a publisher that can reprint them.
Any assistance you can offer is greatly appreciated.

322O: Girl Makes Best Friend, Gets Matching Puppies

Best Friend(s) - title, I think, children's book. I read it about 1960. 3-6th grade reading. Girl's mom is her schoolteacher and she gets called teacher's pet. Grandfather lives with them and she has a great tree house. Half-French girl moves in next door and they become best friends. Archenemy is Millicent. End of story the girls get "matching" puppies. Remembering where it was in library, the author's name began with A-H. Hardcover, minimal illustrations. I think the phrase, "no more sense of time than a cricket" was used.

322N: Aliens Use TV For Mind Control (Solved)

Seeking a Kid's Book, I believe I read it in the early 80’s. About aliens invading and a group of friends trying to stop it? Or kids who had a machine that allowed them to make people think aliens were invading via TV. . . sort of a kid's War of the Worlds. Or kids get a machine from aliens to control people via the TV. May have had some device for mind control like TV or remote control. I think it took place in a big city. Had a cartoon-like cover. . . there may have been similar illustrations throughout the book. It was for kids 8-12 range I’d guess. I know it’s not the book series “Tripods”, for younger kids than that. I was young when I read it. . it's driving me nuts!!! Thanks

322D: Magical Wooden Box (Solved)

A description of the book, with helpful details:

  • Children’s books, maybe for ages 10 – 13 years old.
  • Red cover (?) with possibly a tree on it
  • Small book, probably less than 200 pages
  • Main character was female (maybe 12ish years old) with a father who gave her a magical wooden box, when she opened it her and her friend were transported to another place (/world.)
  • My foggy memory remembers the two kids standing next to a tree at some point in the other place.
  • The girl finds out her dad has also been to the other place. He may have been a king on the other side or the kids thought he was the bad guy when he jumped through the portal (?)

I’m sorry I can’t recall anything more than this, I’m going off an 11-year-old’s mind over a decade later.

321V: A Gazing Ball And Balloons (Solved)

So when I was in 6th grade (1992), I had a wonderful teacher. She pushed us to read and loved books herself. We had a project at the end of the year. I can’t remember if this description I’m about to give you is of 2 books or one. My 11 year old son is an avid reader and I’d love to find this/these books for him.

There was a gazing ball (like a mirrored one) in a garden. It was not scary, maybe some mystery but definitely not scary. Maybe a young girl.

And my other memory is of a hot air balloon. I feel like there were a lot of people on the balloon. It could have been actual balloons and not the hot air version. And I want to say they were on a huge piece of wood not a basket. I’m thinking it may have been an award winning book but I’m not for sure on that either. I have no idea if it is one book or two and this has driven me crazy for years. I’ve looked it up every way I know how.

320U: Wizard Teaches Children Life Lessons (Solved)

1968 – 1970 I read a book about 4 children (2 boys, 2 girls) who lived on the edge of a wood. Their ages ranged from 8 – 12-ish. The setting was not a specific geographical location although the story was written as realistic fiction… with a bit of fantasy thrown in. I believe the author and publisher are English (from Great Britain) because of where I was living at the time and the phraseology used.  
     Each Saturday the children would visit a wise old man (wizard ?) who lived in the woods behind their home, at the top of a magical tree. His quaint little cabin in the tree was never visible to adults, only children.  During each visit, the children would ask what special “place” or “kingdom” had stopped at the top of the tree, which could be reached by climbing a ladder (inside his living room) that went up into the clouds that would settle on top of the tree. 
     Each chapter in the book told a new adventure the children had in the different magical places that stopped for brief time periods at the top of the tree.  Each adventure also taught the children a life skill, or a positive character trait.
     One such adventure was of a Carnival, where everyone was riding rides, playing games, purchasing trinkets and sweets. But, the children soon discovered that in this place they could not purchase anything for themselves, but only for someone else.  They realized they must work together and pair up to enjoy the day by learning what each other would like and then making the purchases for the other person.  At the end of the day, when they come back down the ladder to the wise man’s living room, he talks with them about what they learned.
    
I wish I could recall other adventures, but it HAS been 50 years!
I believe the book was newly published at the time, so circa 1966-68?  
Here’s hoping that someone knows (or can find) the title/author.

320F: Kids Find Clues To The Pirate Treasure


I read this book when I was in elementary school sometime between 1960 and 1964, so i know it was written before then but don't when. It was a big book, not very high quality paper (not expensively bound). It contained many different stories (each with entirely different characters). One of the stories in the book was about a family (with children) who move to a seaside town for a summer. The kids aren't all that enthused until they start to discover clues. They follow these clues to a hidden pirate treasure, at some point becoming close friends with some of the local kids from the town and solving it all together. I seem to remember there being a big old empty house involved (perhaps the big old house they rented for the summer had attics or basements or something where they found clues? Maybe there was an old house that the townie kids thought was haunted?) I LOVED this story as a kid and have been stumped on what it was called for years until my daughter suggested I contact you! I'm sorry I couldn't be more helpful with the details, and I hope someone is able to track this down!