Category Archives: MG (grades 2-6)

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.

254B: Witch whose hair floats above shoulders and beds become boats (Solved)

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I am looking for a children’s book, published in the 1970s or earlier (I was born in 1975, read this sometime between the ages of 7 and 12, and recall the book itself physically feeling “old” at the time). Most probably published in the 50s or 60s.

Two children were the main characters, I think they were a girl and a boy. I don’t remember any names of characters, unfortunately. They lived next door to a witch whose property included a walled and gated yard. When the witch did magic, her hair “floated above her shoulders” or something like that. I remember that rowan trees figured heavily in the story line; either they were searching for them or there was something about them the witch needed.

At the beginning of the adventure part of the story line, the children’s beds turned into boats and they were magically transported to a river or creek while they were asleep – one of the children wakes up because they become aware that their hand or the bed linens are trailing in the water.

I loved this book – hope someone can help me find it.

Thanks!

254A: Small chapter book on solving mysteries (Solved)

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Okay, this book was maybe from the early- to mid- 90’s, and is a “mystery” book, but wasn’t a series – it had several small chapters, with a story and a picture. Based on the story, and the picture, you had to try and solve the “mystery”. They were simple – one took place in a school classroom where a small windmill made out of popsicle sticks had been broken, and the reader had to figure out if the open window and a strong gust of wind broke it, or if another classmate did. The answers (and specific hints about the clues that helped to solve it) were all in the back.

253D: Secret Ancient Ruins (Solved)

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I read this book when I was in middle school in the mid-90s. This student (at a boarding school?) is blindfolded by another student and led through the woods following a windy path so he won’t be able to retrace his steps later. They reach a secret cave or something where the other student has discovered ancient ruins of tiny buildings (like maybe pygmies lived there, or some unknown tiny people?). Together, over a long period of time, they excavate these buildings. Then for some reason, (maybe this knowledge is going to get into the wrong hands?) the main character decides he needs to get back to the site on his own. He’s never seen the way, since he’s always blindfolded, but he remembers the twists and turns by feel. Once he arrives there, he destroys the buildings he worked so hard to uncover so no one will ever know they were there.
Thanks!

252D: : Children’s Book series from 1980’s

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I remember a series of children’s mystery books from when I was in 1st grade, which would’ve been 1987-1988. Each book in the series had the same color hard cover. The hard cover was thin and maybe glossy. I remember a series having an orange cover, but there was a different series from the same author or publisher that had a different color hard cover.

From my memory, I seem to remember there being a British-ness to the books. Some took place in a city, others in the country.

I remember liking the books and now that I have children, I’d like to read these books to them.

Thanks!
Augustus