I read this fantasy book in late 80s/early 90s as a child. Featured a brother and sister. At least one had magic (maybe both). I believe brother had a magic scepter. Possibly had a large bird they rode to get to places. The cover may have shown the brother with the scepter riding the bird, but I may just be making that up. Good luck and thank you!
Category Archives: MG (grades 2-6)
314R: Magical Powers to Teach Lessons
As a child in the 1980s, I remember reading a chapter book (or a series of chapter books) about a older woman who had magical powers and befriended neighborhood children. I recall that the woman could cast spells and that the spells were used to teach the children lessons. One spell I recall is that if a child said a curse word, a black cloud would follow them around for days. I also recall that the woman had an old book with rose petals dried between the pages.
I recall the book fondly and would like to read it to my children.
314N: Magic Siblings Avoid Abduction
This book was found in the children's section at my library around 1985, although it was likely older than that. A group of three or four (or more?) siblings have magic or psychic powers. I believe they can all move things without touching them and maybe fly? I think I remember two scenes: 1) the children were flying in the living room and broke a vase. They used their powers to clean up before mother saw. 2) Villians have followed the children to a movie theater. They escape by crawling under the seats.
Thanks for your efforts!
314D: Encyclopedia Brown without Mysteries (Solved)
I have strong memories of reading a chapter book in my grade school library where Encyclopedia Brown (or maybe another boy genius) plays harmless pranks on this hometown with the cooperation of the other kids. I remember it as a special edition of Encyclopedia Brown outside of the series where he solves mysteries.
In one story, the kids take all of their change from purchases as pennies for a few weeks, building up a huge stockpile of pennies — and then on a predetermined day, they go on a spending spree all over town making payment with pennies, leading to overflowing cash registers and befuddled clerks. In another story, the kids
In another story, the boy genius bets a friend that he can fool the whole town into believing that an imaginary person exists, and manages to get a library card and open a bank account in that fictional person’s name. He also describes the appearance of that person enough times that he convinces a whole crowd that they have seen him. He eventually reveals his duplicity and everyone is shocked to learn that they were fooled.
I have done hundreds of keyword searches on Google to track down this book, and have completely failed. I hope you can help me!
314A: “Second Sight” Saves the Prince
I’m looking for a children’s/ young adult novel I found in a school library in 1977. I thought of it then as an “older book,” so I’m guessing the publication date to be between 1945 and 1965. It’s historical fiction that takes place during Scotland in the Jacobite period. The main character is a teen girl who sometimes has visions via the “second sight,” a gift that allows her to help save the prince at the end. It’s not a Sally Watson book.
311G: Jacobites and Second Sight
Hello. I’m looking for a children’s/ young adult novel I found in a school library in 1977. I thought of it then as an “older book,” so I’m guessing the publication date to be between 1945 and 1965. It’s historical fiction that takes place during Scotland in the Jacobite period. The main character is a teen girl who sometimes has visions via the “second sight,” a gift that allows her to help save the prince at the end. It’s not a Sally Watson book.
309X: Cereal Box Mansion
Mom sends young boy to buy cereal. Instead of the supermarket, he goes to run-down neighborhood store. The cereal is not good, but the back of the cereal box is part of a set that combines to build a model of a Victorian mansion. Boy returns to store to buy more of the cereal, builds mansion. Ghost of sad young woman appears. She was the daughter of the cereal manufacturer. The mansion had been torn down, the rest of the cereal boxes had been discarded, and this is the last model of the house existing. She had been in love, forbidden to marry, and died in grief. Meanwhile, the boy befriends a sad old man. Eventually, he realizes that the man and ghost had been in love, many years earlier. He races home to get the house, and finds that his mother has cleaned his room, and burned the house in the incinerator. Pre-1970s.
309U: Illustrated colour hardcover short stories from around world
I am looking for a children’s book I had as a child. It had short stories (1-2 pages) per story and they were different stories from around the world. There were a lot of different stories – at least 25 plus.
I recall three – one was the leprachaun, another about a boy who had egg nest soup and I think there was one about ananzi
I got the book as a gift – it would have been late 1980’s or early 1990’s. I think it would have been published in South Africa.
309T: Poems, myths, legends, fables, bios and much more
I am looking for an anthology of children’s literature that I received as a new book in the late 60’s or very early 70’s. It was a single volume and quite thick. It was divided by genre similar to, but not exactly like, THE CHILDREN’S HOUR 16 volume collection. It was also on a similar reading level. There were poems, myths, legends, fables, bios and much more. I remember those categories because they were my favorites. I specifically remember Pandora’s Box, Arachne, The Oak and the Linden. Any tips or information would be greatly appreciated.
309M: White sheep in a green field
I do not know the author or the name of the book but it was published about 1947or 1948 It was the same time I read Elizabeth Enright's "Four Story Mistake."
It was about a girl who had very little in common with the kids in her school and had few friends and believes it will be worse now that she has moved. She is standing on a bridge in the new town and down at a field when a boy joins her and says "white sheep in a green field, doesn't that remind you of "Kim". That was just what she was thinking and she makes her first of many friends in a school that shares her interests.