Category Archives: MG (grades 2-6)

257C: The adventures of Dot (Solved)

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This was a children’s story about Dot, a little girl, around 7 years old, and her day-to-day life and small adventures with her friends. I believe the book was the first in a series, for example, the next book might have been titled, “Dot Goes to the Beach”. The books themselves were hardcover – I don’t believe they were ever released in paperback – and the stories were written for 7 year old girls. I can only guess that they were written in the 1950s or 1960s.

 

One story had Dot and her friends going on a field trip. Dot’s mother had given her a box that advertised salt water taffy. When the children arrived at their destination, the box of taffy everyone now eagerly anticipated, turned out to be a box that had *once* held taffy, but now had Dot’s lunch (or something else mundane).

256A: Tale of a girl buried in a mound

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I was 11 or 12 when I read an age-appropriate book about a mound burial of a young girl. It took place in the southeast. It had an archaeological aspect—the items found in the burial were used to tell the story of this young girl. “The Lock,” “The Tell,” “The Mound”—I recall it was a one-word one-syllable title. “The Loor”—spelling? comes to mind as possible title. I checked it out twice from my hometown library as an elementary grade student but when I went back to find it as a high school student I could not. This would have been in the 1960s that I read it.

255D: Afternoon in the garden…sees fairies (Solved)

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A chapter book (possibly), with green binding, printed pre-1950s I’d say. Suitable for the 8-12 group, I think. It’s about a girl who is home (possibly sick), and goes outside. The garden is described beautifully with winding stone or brick pathways, and as she walks down them, she finds fairies among the plantings.

255C: Mary Ann nickname Pigeon

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This particular book was written in, I believe, the 1930s, and is about a fairly large family; the youngest daughter is named Mary Ann/Marianne, but is known in the family as Pigeon. A large part of the plot toward the end of the book involves a new teacher who is mean to all of her students; someone decides to set off a stink bomb or something similar, and the teacher ends up keeping Pigeon after school until she tells her who did it, because she admits that she knows but can’t tell. While Pigeon is sitting at her desk, she notices the teacher is crying, and quietly walks up and offers her a sandwich from her lunch, at which point the teacher puts her head down on the desk and starts sobbing. She finally asks Pigeon why the kids don’t like her, and the reply is “Because you don’t like us,” which clearly gives the teacher pause. The teacher is about to let Pigeon go when one of her brothers shows up to get her for a family picnic (it’s wintertime); they bring the teacher along, and she (the teacher) makes friends w/the family and becomes a much kinder and happier person. That spring, Pigeon is picking flowers for the teacher before school when she falls down an embankment and almost into a river, getting very muddy in the process; she ends up being rescued by a young man, who turns out to be the teacher’s former fiance (now we know why she was so miserable at first!), who is hoping to mend their broken relationship. The teacher and fiance are reunited and decide to get married after the school year ends, and ask Pigeon to be in the wedding, because she helped bring them back together. There’s also a subplot at one point involving a young boy whose mother died when he was very young, who finds out that his father is planning to remarry and immediate worries that he’s going to end up with an awful stepmother. While he’s out in the woods, he runs into a very friendly, outdoorsy young woman who’s camping, who ends up telling him that she’s getting married soon to a man with a little boy, and is worried he won’t like her–needless to say, this is the prospective stepmother, and all ends happily for them. Anyway, I can’t remember the title of the book or the author, and I’d love to find it again!

255B: Children conjure a quetzalcoatl (Solved)

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Looking for kids’ fiction book between 1965-1976 that is about a quetzalcoatl. I remember that it was scary. I got it in my elementary school library so it was about 3rd-5th grade level. Children conjured up a quetzalcoatl by accident and it turned out to be evil and dangerous? Possibly turned an old feather boa into a quetzalcoatl using some magic dust they may have found in an old jewelry box.

254F: Teens travel in time

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I read a book when I was a young teen in the early 70’s and can’t recall the title or author. It centered around a group of kids who were friends. I think they were very young teens, like I was at the time. They could stop time and go to the world of mythology. I’m pretty sure it was Greek mythology. I recall them being bored in school and being able to do this several times in class. I think they were helping the Greek gods, or at least trying to. I also remember one boy earning a bowl from a god, and in it he could have whatever he wanted to eat by just imagining it. It was the most amazing book–and it obviously left its mark!

Thanks so much and good luck! I’ve been wanting to find this book for many, many years!

254C: A girl called Chan (Solved!)

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Mid-1960’s chapter book for 3rd to 7th grade. Characters are twins Gregory (called Gory) and Marcus. Their sister is the main character and I believe her name was Chaneth (called Chan), whom I think was a blonde. The book may be a mystery and may be British. There were some illustrations featuring the girl and at least one of the boys. One twin was more gregarious than the other.