Category Archives: Status

371Q: Book about psychic Welsh boy and a mad bomber (Solved!)

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The book was about a teenager in Wales who how can see visuals of other peoples thoughts.  He can’t hear anything so doesn’t know for sure what they are thinking, he can only see what they are visualizing.  His older brother is involved with a militant Welsh Nationalist group, but he can’t read his brother’s mind since the brother doesn’t “think in pictures”.
He keeps seeing thoughts of grey squiggles on a mustard yellow background but doesn’t know who they are coming from (it’s the bomber).
He eventually realizes his grandmother had an affair with his grandfather’s friend Hugh.  The grandfather and Hugh were killed in a mining accident.  The grandfather was also psychic so probably knew about the affair.
I read this book in the mid 1970’s but it might have been from the 1960’s.

371O: Children’s book about boy who writes poems outside on a typewriter

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Looking for a children’s picture book we read at our local library about 2-3 years ago about boy (maybe called max) who sells/gives poems out on the sidewalk (maybe at a stand?). Kids pass him on the street and ask for poems. One is about buttons and repeats the word multiple times, like, buttons on your buttons buttons, one is about seashells after a friend is headed to the beach, one is about kittens because someone is giving them away and the last one is a gift for his sister whose birthday it is the next day.

371N: Vintage teen romance – California in the 1950s or early 1960s, boy next door, high school (Solved!)

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Hoping for some more of that Bookstumper magic to strike again!
I loved this book in the mid-1970’s! It was old-fashioned even then, so I think it was written in the late 1950s or early 1960s, probably pre-Beatles.  I guess it’s what they used to call a “junior romance” and what we would describe as Young Adult today. I read it many times as a pre-teen, mooning over the sweet “boy next door” romance, and waiting for my own love life to begin. By the time I was actually dating in the late 1970’s I was too old for this book, so I’m sure I was reading it around 1975 or 1976, before I had moved on to Barbara Cartland’s historical romances.

It’s the story of a pretty and popular high school girl in a typical white, middle-class California family and her male buddy, as they begin to date. He woos her with many fun outings, fancy restaurants (I remember she saves her cocktail umbrellas and swizzle sticks) and a boat trip to Catalina Island.  Her name might be Lori?? I definitely remember she has an older sister named Andrea, because I fell in love with that name for a while. 
Our romantic heroine finally declares she’s won over by her suitor, just in time, as he empties out his pockets and reveals that he’s down to his last pennies. He spent all his savings in his pursuit of her heart.
In the meantime, she has given a starring performance in her high school play, with all her family attending to see her.  This is quite a success for her, because although she is bright and talented, she’s lackadaisical and  usually doesn’t stick with anything. There was some sort of trickery involved with her date and the whole family being in on some conspiracy to encourage her to stay with the play all the way to its performance time.  I believe they try to make her jealous by raving about another girl who is a wonderful actress, and arouse her spirit of competition.
I particularly remember the trip to Catalina and the trickery about the school play, and all the dating souvenirs. 
This is not a Beverly Cleary book, although it’s in the same family. I’m sure hoping someone else remembers this!  Thank you.

371M: Stubborn Muslim nobleman leads to death

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I am trying to recall the name and author of a work of historical fiction.  It is set on an island kingdom in the Mediterranean.  A Muslim nobleman ends up on the island and is taken prisoner as an “infidel.” He refuses to convert to Christianity despite the threat of execution by an Inquisitor.  He warns his captors that his nation will send a fleet to rescue him and destroy them if he is harmed or killed. Ultimately he is put to death.  At the end of the book a fleet is on the horizon in search of the now dead leader.  Destruction of the island kingdom is assured.  Can someone help me call the title and author of this wonderful and thought provoking tale?  Thanks.

371L: Fantasy I read ~8 years ago, vague plot, probably obscure

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All I know at this moment: I know it was fantasy. There were characters named something similar to Demonicus (evil dragon sorcerer, quite powerful) and Heregio (evil fire sorcerer). In addition, I know the main character, a boy, lives in the modern world and works in a library or bookstore, or his parents own it, but he then travels to a fantasy world (I am not sure about the detail) and lives a life there? Eventually, falling in love with the daughter of the evil dragon sorcerer. I also remember that at one point in the book, that daughter comes with the main character to the real world, where he’s in an awkward position as his real girlfriend is also there.
I know that the tone was likely relatively dark? and the story itself quite intense, but I am not quite certain.

I also remember that somewhere in the middle, there was a clash between Heregio and the protagonist, but the protagonist survived, and Demonicus actually beat Heregio for betrayal.

It’s a book I read about 8 years ago in print from my local library in Dutch (likely a translation from another language)… I was still in primary school, but I read anything fantasy. I have been searching for this book for years, and it’s frustrating me I can’t find it.

371K: Young woman who falls into drug use in the 60’s or 70’s (Solved!)

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I am looking for a book I read as a teen circa 1999-2001. From what I remember, it was an autobiography written by a woman who fell into drug use and ended up in a cycle of addiction and prostitution. The book seemed dated even when I read it. The author mentions breaking open Benzedrine Inhalers and chewing on the cardboard on the inside. She also discusses how her boyfriend had to hide his drugs in a shampoo bottle so she would not find them. I am pretty sure she wound up in prison at some point because she discusses sending secret letters to the men’s side of the prison during movies. I do not remember where the book takes place, making things a bit hazy. I think it may be Christiane F, but decent copies of that book are pretty pricey, and I’d love to know if that is the one I need before I buy.

My mother does not remember what the book could have been, but I remember seeing it whenever we moved because I always helped her restock our bookshelves in the living room. It was pretty beaten up, which points me right back to Christiane F because many of the copies I see online have not aged well.

It is not Go ask Alice.

Thanks for any help, I know this is very vague, but after 24+ years, things are hazy for me.

371J: One Morning (Solved!)

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I am looking for a children’s book, possibly called “One Morning” or something similar, that my parents read to me sometime between 1993-1997, although it could have been published earlier. I think it was about a businessman getting ready to go to work early in the morning. It had very few words, but I remember the illustration style being pretty distinct. I believe the illustrations were collages, although not as textured as, say, Eric Carle’s work. The page I (think!) I remember most clearly was from the perspective of a person on the street looking at a house very early in the morning, with a backlit window and a cat sitting on the windowsill, maybe peeping out from some venetian blinds or possibly just behind glass. My parents remember the book I’m thinking of and seem to think it had Japanese or Scandinavian roots, or at least design influences, but the book was at very least translated into English. The copy I remember holding was a relatively small, square white hardcover. The overall energy of the book was calm and cozy, but I really can’t remember anything else. Google searches for “one morning children’s book” always return the classic Robert McCloskey “One Morning in Maine,” another favorite but definitely not this mysterious and elusive title! I wish I had more to go on, and I so appreciate any leads!

371H: Girl Loses Doll on Bus Trip (Solved!)

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I’m hoping someone can help me find the name, and maybe the author, of a children’s book. It wasn’t very thick, had illustrations, I believe it was published in the 1960s and was aimed at readers ages 6-10. I read it between 1969-1971. 
A young girl was allowed to take a bus trip by herself once school was done for the summer. She may have been visiting her grandmother. She took her doll along. I seem to remember the doll was made of cloth and wore a dress and pinafore. The bus stopped for a rest break, and the girl took the doll with her. She had a chocolate bar at one point and may have bought it during the stop. She got back on the bus but didn’t notice until after it left the rest stop that she left the doll behind. I don’t recall if she got the doll back.
I would appreciate any help finding this book as the memory of it has always stayed with me.