Children or young adult historical fiction book, set during late 1800s or early 1900s. Girl is on cruise ship with silly female relative who believes in spiritualism, meets stage magician (Anton?) who smokes something distinctive (briar root? cheroot?) and teaches her how to do magic tricks. Author emphasizes logic over belief. Mystery involved? Published between 1950 and 2000, probably late 20th century.
Dear Book Stumper, 15-20 years ago I acquired a children’s book that was old at that time (it had been in a library that was being closed). I didn’t have the book long before I somehow lost it and since then I’ve not found another copy, nor have I found anyone who has ever heard of such a story. I don’t know the title, but the story line is this:
A man decides he wants a wife so goes to a Wife Store and selects one. After a while the couple decide they want children so they go to a Children Store and select several. As the story goes on, the children are given “names” (numbers or letters), pets, and I think the family gets a home and/or land. Several other stores are involved in the story. I seem to remember that the man’s/ family’s last name was “Hunkendunk,” but am by no means sure about it.
I’ve tried local libraries, local book sellers of new and used books, online, entering what information I remember, without success. Does this story line ring a bell with anyone out there?
Illustrated young children's book about a chef who buys a little bush, thinking he'll grow figs, but it turns out it's a Pig tree. After many shenanigans and difficulties, he replaces his bush with what he thinks is a proper fig tree bush. . . however it looks at the end like it's gonna be a frog tree! I was a child in the 1970s and guess the book dates from early 70s, but could be mid 70s, or possibly late 60s. The book was probably written for age range 4-7. My searches on Google/Amazon/eBay for "The Pig Tree" or "The Fig Tree" - the titles my memory has provided - haven't found the right book.
I only remember a character. It was an old woman and her body had healing properties. I think it was ground down to a powder and used topically on wounds. She gave the main character her pinky finger and her other hand had already reduced to a stump. It wasn’t a gory process. She just broke it off as if it were stone.
I read this book in the late 70s/early 80s. It featured a young girl maybe around 10 or 12 years old, only child, who moved with her parents from the city to the country to take care of her younger cousins whose parents were in a car accident (or something like that – maybe one was sick and the other was with them?) They all moved into a big rambling old house that her dad had loved as a kid. The girl wanted to grow up to be a writer so she picked the garret room that had a skylight over her bed. Initially she resented having to move and share her life with her cousins. Over the course of the book she grew to love them. She had a friend whose parents owned a bookstore. She loved the bookstore but her friend wasn’t thrilled with it. At one point in the book, a cat had kittens in the big old house and the bookstore girl fell in love with a fluffy black one she named inky. She wanted to keep it but her parents said no (allergies maybe?) so the main character girl kept it so her friend could come over and play with it whenever she wanted. I think at the end of the book the parents were well again and could take their kids back and the girl was sad that they were splitting up. I think her parents decided to have another baby? I might be making that part up though lol!
Any help would be appreciated! Thank you!
Boys shop for their mother’s birthday but buy gifts for themselves. They use the purchases to make Mom a gift. Possibly 70s children’s book club selection.
Children’s fiction book set during WWII in England. A group of evacuated children, abandoned or lost are hiding from enemy troops in ruined building or cellar in rural England.
The oldest girl is the “mum” taking care of the little ones. They make it homely using stencils of pineapples? (that may be a different book?)
When they are finally rescued by friendly troops, they are given treats by soldiers: a bar of chocolate and one orange to share between them. The youngest girl slowly unwraps chocolate foil like it is priceless treasure, but ultimately decides the orange is the best thing she has ever eaten.
I am looking for a novel which I read in the early 1960s, a gently humorous story of the eccentric inhabitants of a seaside town located along the Atlantic Ocean. The name of the town was “Plankton”. Three of the inhabitants were retired school teachers who shared a house, one of whom spent her days entering and winning contests. There were other residents, but since I was in either the 7th or 8th grade at the time, it was the school teachers who made the biggest impression on me.
A young single woman and a young man who loved insects and the study of bugs came into Plankton, eventually falling in love.
The young man was recruited to appear on a game show on television, where he dazzled the audience with his knowledge of bugs.
Of course, he won large sums of money.
The three school teachers took these two lonely people under their collective wing. Living in Plankton seemed to restore their confidence and their purpose in life.
When the two young people do fall in love and marry, they decide to live in Plankton. Their house was outfitted by the household items won by the content-winning school teachers.
I thought the title of the book was “By the Sea, By the Sea”, and the author’s name was Barkley or Berkely.
I remember that I had a paperback edition; the book may have been published in the mid to late 1950s. While I was a young teenager when I read this book, it was definitely a grown-up’s book.
I hope one of the book researchers will be able to find this charming, memorable book for me.
I think from the 80s, it was an anthology with chapters of different kids stories in it. I think there was a Judy Blume chapter (Fudge), a story about a boy picking between a blue or red toothbrush, a story about a kid not wanting to touch the gunk in the bottom of the sink that is left after the dishes, maybe the Mrs. Piggle Wiggle story about the kids not hearing their parents so they put powder in their ears, maybe a Wayside story chapter. I think it was a big white book (hardcover with a white jacket).
I am looking for the name of a book about a boy who draws pictures that come alive(read in the 80’s to my kids). He draws money/treasure for a “gimpy old man” in the park.(And other things for other people?) People fight over it so he rips up or erases the drawing and the money/treasure disappears. He decides to draw a small dragon which comes to life and he goes home. Thank you