Category Archives: Series

200D: Orphaned Girl Lives with Grumpy Grandpa

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This was a group of shorter chapter books about a young girl (maybe 12 or 13?) who goes to live with her Grandpa. He’s the classic crotchety but with a heart of gold character. She’s a typical growing-up girl, trying new things, dealing with friendships, etc.

The characters live in a small, quintessential American town. If I were guessing, I’d say they’re set in the 50s. I read them in the late 70s and they seemed “old-fashioned” to me then — but there was electricity, cars, etc.

I recall maybe 3 or 4 books in the series. I’m sure one was set at Christmas. Another was about her entering a Bake-Off.

I think she had a very ordinary name, and this may have been in the title — Margaret, or Elizabeth?

I also sort of think they were published by Scholastic, and I also think that the Christmas book was made into a made-for-TV movie, that perhaps aired in the early 80s?

196I: Uncle Gives Boy Magic Gifts, Other Magical Things Happen Too (SOLVED)

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I recall this being a series, but it may be a stand-alone book — in it a boy gets a magic pencil from his uncle that will only allow him to write correct answers even if he tries to write the wrong answer. He is ready for a big test, then his dog chews the pencil. In another chapter his infant brother is supposed to be in a TV commercial, but the boy reads the dictionary while watching him and the baby says big words like “grappling hook.” A childhood favorite I would love to share with my daughter!

 

171A: Book of Poetry and Stories

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When I was a child, we had a set of books that included 6-8 volumes. I don’t believe it was Childcraft, but something similar. The first volume was gray and blue, I believe. The illustrations were absolutely stunning. I remember many of the poems – Robert Louis Stevenson; one about digging in the sand at the beach; a diller, a dollar, a 10 o’clock scholar; two little kittens, one stormy night, began to quarrel and then to fight. There were also stories – Christmas at Hollow Tree Inn; one about fairies.

170A: Blond siblings with a Crazy Aunt (Setting may be Europe) (solved)

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This series of books was in my intermediate school library, which I attended in 1984-86. The main characters were sisters, maybe twins or just close in age. I believe there were only two or three books in the series and the girls kind of came of age during the series. One plot in the first book involved a mentally ill aunt. When the girls visit her, she tells one of them that her shoes are “shit brown,” and the librarian or administration at my school had very noticeably blacked out the word “shit”. I think in one of the books a death in the family is also dealt with. There were occasional black and white illustrations in the books. They were probably each less than 100 pages. I have a sense that they may have taken place in Germany or Austria. If not, then maybe the characters were immigrants to the USA from one of those countries. I’m picturing a purple or light blue cover/binding. Thanks for any leads!

134A: Burgundy tooled leather children’s storybook set sold w encyclopedia 1950s

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The books were regular sized, approximately 8.5 x 11″ and were numbered. Maybe 8 to 12 of them? Illustrations were art deco or art nouveau (I get them confused). Not lots of vivid colors. Heavy black lines/white/gray/yellow/rose colors. Each book had stories and poems. I am not positive that they came with a set of encyclopedias, but that is my general recollection. I could have been World Book or Encyclopaedia Britannica, since we acquired both around the same time. Any ideas?