Category Archives: Solved

179E: All I can remember about it is that there were two really tall couples (solved)

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Trying to identify a book I used to love as kid. All I can remember about it is that there were two really tall couples, two sisters who married two brothers I believe (but all were extremely tall and lanky). I want to say it was set in the Edwardian period (or thereabouts) as the men were dressed like Edwardian dandies and I think they had handlebar mustaches (a la Edward Gorey). I believe the women were dressed in Edwardian white lace dresses and may have been wearing those Edwardian straw boater hats. This is really all I can remember about it; while I doubt this will be enough to go on, I figured I’d give it a shot. Thanks

178G: magic old stamps (solved)

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When I was a kid in the 1970s, I had book of wonderful/magical tales – the one short story that I loved (and have been looking for) is about a boy who finds these old, strange postage stamps in some box in his house – they have pictures on them that depict beautiful, exotic places that he’s never heard of.
He puts one on an envelope and it gets whisked away through the air, only to return a little while later, roughed up and postmarked. He puts a stamp on a package and it too gets whisked off – only to return, appearing well-travelled and postmarked. Then he puts his old pet cat in a box and puts stamps on it – the box is whisked away to this magical land, only to return with the cat seemingly younger and rejuvenated. I think it may have ended when he sent himself off on the same journey.
I don’t recall the name of the book or this particular story – but I suspect it had “stamps” in it.

178F: 90s ChickLit with carreer change plot: From working at bank (or offfice) to working at a zoo. (solved)

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Female lead character gets the sack and turns to an agency to help her find a new job; ends up at zoo. Has to take care of vicious donkey (I think at petting zoo) and subsequently falls for oddball and fellow warden, caretaker for the penguins. There is a ‘Princess Leia Doll’ subplot, in which protagonist realizes she only ever started her job at office-setting to stick it to fellow graduate who mutilated her doll when they were children. Happily the oddball zookeeper is also a collector of star wars dolls.
Probably british author, was baught in ireland in 1999 or 1998 and, of course, lost.

It is not a book by sophie kinsella, m. keyes, c. ahern, fforde, j. mansell, r. sisman. I have been searching for the last couple of days without any luck and hope you can help me (because this is driving me crazy). Thank you very much in advance!

 

178C: Competing neighbour gardeners (solved)

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Looking for a children’s book I had in the 1970s/80s about two neighbors who begin competing to have the best garden. It’s very beautifully illustrated and their gardens grow bigger and more elaborate until eventually I think they grow together. It is possible they are forced to become friends and cooperate at that point, but I don’t recall very well.

177A: Revolutionary war, clever sister captures sneaky British spy (Solved)

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During the revolutionary war a family of patriots lives on a farm/estate and there is a very sneaky British spy that no one can capture. British spy captures brother at farm, sister serves spy tea and drugs him and captures him. Spy in jail, breaks out, sneaks back to ask sister to wait for him until war is over and he will come back to marry her. He does come back after war. Light hearted book.

176F: Mister Donutn (solved)

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I am trying to find a large format picture book that was my son’s favorite. He checked it out of the school library multiple times so it was likely published from the early to mid 1980’s. I believe the title was something like “Mister Donut” and every page had extremely detailed drawings in black and white of all sorts of doughnuts with special things to find on each page (sort of like an early “Where’s Waldo”).

175D: boy, ghost, orchard (solved)

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i don’t know the title or author, which is why i need you. this is a YA type mystery or horror (not sure how they categorized things back then) from the late 70s early 80s. I probably got it through scholastic at school (i was in 4th or 5th grade at the time). i’ve searched and searched book covers for years and am hoping you can help.

i don’t remember much, but finding this book means so much because of events surrounding it during that period. dark green cover with a broken gravestone on it, possibly a crow, possibly trees (an orchard or grove) as well. the story itself was a boy gone to live with his grandparents (? or relatives in general?) and befriends a ghost in the walls/closet/something in the house. ends up in the orchard out back. finds the boy’s grave. god that’s not a lot to go on!

Thank you in advance!!

174D: Spooky Quest For Cookie Recipe (solved)

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I’m trying to find a chapter book about a young boy and an older woman who search for a prize-winning cookie recipe.

They want to win a cookie baking competition, so the older woman searches the library in her house for her family’s best recipe. She either loses it or can’t find it. She had a pet named Peeves who might have been responsible somehow. She realizes that they can use the second-best recipe, which originally belonged to one of her female relatives, if they can find it in time. The search takes them to either a shack or an abandoned house on a hill where they find a recipe for aniseed cookies. There may have been ghosts or a graveyard involved. The old woman rushes home and bakes the cookies in time for the contest, where they win first prize.

The book was for middle readers; I think it was about the same length as an Encyclopedia Brown book. I read the book before the year 2000, and I’m fairly sure it was written after 1960.

174C: Tales of a family that lives on an unusual farm (solved)

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Family buys land from a crooked farmer. He tries to trick them & sells them a pond, but the water evaporates and it’s the richest dirt ever.
Mean farmer uses shotgun to plant seeds b/c his land is so hard, family has to jump out of the way when they plant seeds b/c plants shoot up so fast.
Many odd animals live on the land: one has different length legs so that it can walk on the incline of the sides of the pond/hill. Another is a “hide behind” that you can never see, just leaves tracks. Once when a member of the family is working they get pinched/poked & turn around so fast that the “hide behind” tires to hide behind itself.
Father eats biscuits hot out of the oven – then a tornado comes & the rest of the family is blown away. The biscuits cooled in his stomach & turned to cement, so he’s weighed down & saves his family.
Every time the mean farmer tries to cheat the family, they end up coming out ahead. The stories (tall tales) are funny & geared toward younger children.
I hope you have luck finding this story – it would be wonderful to read it to my son.