Category Archives: Solved

214B: Collection of Life’s Lessons For Children (Solved)

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This book is probably from the 40s or 50s. It was a series of stories that taught children how to make good choices. One story featured a greedy little boy who always grabbed the biggest cookie or cupcake for himself. To teach him lesson someone makes a nice spread of food featuring one very large muffin or potato etc. but something is always wrong with the biggest piece. For example a large pie has almost no filling inside! When he grabs the biggest one he always gets disappointed.

213E: Performing family in a covered wagon (Solved)

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I am trying to remember the name and author of a children’s novel I received as a present when I was in third grade, in 1976 or 1977.
I believe it was a Yearling book. I received it at the same time I received a Yearling book about Sitting Bull, and I remember the two books had similar insignia on them that must have represented the publisher.
I think the title may have had the word “Day” in it, as in “XXXXX Day,” but I could be wrong about this. I will explain more about this below.
The book was about a family that traveled around the Old West in a covered wagon with a cow tied to the back. They were a performing family, and in each town they reached, they made money by putting on a show that included different acts typical of entertainment at that time. The main performer was the father, a grandiose, kind, eccentric and wise man. I remember little about the mother other than that she was the more sensible parent. I think there were two children, an older daughter who was probably a teenager and a son who may have been a preteen or a bit younger. If there was a third sibling, I don’t remember her or him. The cow was somewhat considered an important part of the family as well.
The father and mother were somewhat strict, but being a funloving family they had a family tradition called something “… Day.” This is a key part of what I don’t remember. Each child could declare it was “XXXX Day,” and on this day they could get away with anything.
Early in the book, the family is traveling across the prairie from one town to another, when suddenly they realize the cow is missing. It turned out the boy had untied the cow, so they had to retrace their path for miles to find the missing cow. But the boy declared that it was “XXXXX Day,” so they couldn’t punish him.
One of the family’s acts in their show featured the son as a disembodied head looking through a box and giving oracular advice to the crowd. One of the main plots featured a mystery of some kind in the town where much of the action takes place, possibly solving a crime. The daughter and son figure out the answer, or believe they have figured it out, but they’d get in trouble if they told anyone. So the boy essentially tells townspeople the solution to the mystery when he is the disembodied head looking at the crowd through the box.
This is all I can remember. I would love to get this book for my children, or at least those still young enough to enjoy it.

Can you find this book?

212F: Boy with ability to copy other’s skills. (SOLVED)

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I read the book in 6th grade (1990-1991.) The book most likely printed mid to late 1980s or early 1990s. Set in modern times in North America/USA. Male lead age 13-15. Junior high or high school student. He finds out one day he can some how summon abilities. Example in the only scene I remember he’s being followed. He confronts his stalker and summons the abilities of a boxer and fights off his stalker. Through out the book he summons skills. Sometimes he can do it other times the power fails. Doesn’t understand how he can do it.

Can anyone help?

211C: YA mystery series (Solved)

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I’m attempting to find two YA novels (may be part of a longer series) featuring best friends Kim (tall, thin, blonde) & Alexa (name may not be exact; small, brunette), 13-15yo, amateur detectives. One book features them at riding camp, investigating twin sisters who may be planning to kill male counselor who impregnated one sister. In one scene, they hike through a cave with stalactites and stalagmites. The other book features a mysterious death at a neighbor’s house where college/20-smtg friends of neighbor’s child(ren) are staying; they are involved in drugs and may have faked friend’s death by drowning him/her in swimming pool. I seem to recall the author had a woman’s name. The last I saw these books was in my secondary school library in the late 1980s/early 1990s. I would guess they were published in the late 1970s or early 1980s. Any help appreciated!

210G: Boy uses coal chute to recreate clown car (Solved)

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Full-color picture book published between 1940 and 1980. At the beginning, a coal delivery to the boy’s basement through a chute. Then the boy’s father takes him to the circus, and he sees a clown car but can’t figure out how they do it. Somehow, he thinks of the coal chute and figures out that there must be a trapdoor under the car for the clowns to go. Then he makes his own clown car.

210F: written phonetically (Solved)

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I am searching for a book that I read between 1969 and 1975. By the time my mom bought it for me, I was already reading fairly well (I was born in 1968). It was a challenging book for me as it forced me to think about pronunciation, and below my level plotwise. The really remarkable thing about the text, though, was it was written phonetically. For instance, there was a plot line about seeing a bee, but the text was, “C D B?”
There were pictures on the same pages as the text. The pictures could have been a watercolor-style with soft edges, a bit like the PBS TV show Caillou. However, I don’t recall perfectly the illustrations/pictures.
The cover was yellow, it was a fairly thin volume, it might be considered a trade paperback measuring maybe 7″ x 7″ or 8″ x 8″. I don’t remember the title or the author.
I’m interested in finding this book because it helps demonstrate that abbreviation, like that used when texting, is not new.

210C: Couple Move To Alaska (Solved)

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This couple move up to Alaska. As they prepare for the trip the wife insists on buying all her clothes from a ski shop rather than an ordinary heavy clothing store. Once they arrive a nice older man teaches her how to make sourdough bread and cook beaver tail. The couple hopes to earn a living by writing articles on their adventures of living in Alaska. At times it is so cold in their house the ink in their pens freezes up! At the end of the book they weigh themselves and the wife has gained a lot of weight from all her pioneer activities. This book is not Winds Of Skilak which is much newer. This book was published sometime in the 1970s I believe. I read it in the early 80s.

209B: Telepathic Spelling Bee contestant (Solved)

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Brother and little sister with male friend try to save a neighborhood park slated for demolition by entering little sister into a series of spelling bee contests for the prize money. Sister can read the minds of the boys while the boys look up the spelling of each word in the dictionary during the spelling bee while it is her turn to spell. Don’t know what ending is because the school year ended and library closed while librarian was reading the book to our class. Please help!

208C: little girl that goes to a fairy or elf wedding (Solved)

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This will be fairly vague (sorry!) When I was little (late 70s/early 80s) I had a book that was about a little girl that goes to a fairy or elf wedding. The things that stick in my mind are that it had these really amazing illustrations and a Lupine Fairy who had blue hair that swirled all around her head, there were also fairies who were parachuting in on milkweed fluff. The husband fairy (elf?) had long pointy ears and a crooked nose… Unfortunately that’s all I can remember, none of the actual story except that it is all about them getting prepared for the wedding but it’s one of those things that pops into my mind occasionally and I’ve never been able to figure out what book it is. Any help would be amazing!!