Category Archives: Unsolved

256A: Tale of a girl buried in a mound

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I was 11 or 12 when I read an age-appropriate book about a mound burial of a young girl. It took place in the southeast. It had an archaeological aspect—the items found in the burial were used to tell the story of this young girl. “The Lock,” “The Tell,” “The Mound”—I recall it was a one-word one-syllable title. “The Loor”—spelling? comes to mind as possible title. I checked it out twice from my hometown library as an elementary grade student but when I went back to find it as a high school student I could not. This would have been in the 1960s that I read it.

255C: Mary Ann nickname Pigeon

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This particular book was written in, I believe, the 1930s, and is about a fairly large family; the youngest daughter is named Mary Ann/Marianne, but is known in the family as Pigeon. A large part of the plot toward the end of the book involves a new teacher who is mean to all of her students; someone decides to set off a stink bomb or something similar, and the teacher ends up keeping Pigeon after school until she tells her who did it, because she admits that she knows but can’t tell. While Pigeon is sitting at her desk, she notices the teacher is crying, and quietly walks up and offers her a sandwich from her lunch, at which point the teacher puts her head down on the desk and starts sobbing. She finally asks Pigeon why the kids don’t like her, and the reply is “Because you don’t like us,” which clearly gives the teacher pause. The teacher is about to let Pigeon go when one of her brothers shows up to get her for a family picnic (it’s wintertime); they bring the teacher along, and she (the teacher) makes friends w/the family and becomes a much kinder and happier person. That spring, Pigeon is picking flowers for the teacher before school when she falls down an embankment and almost into a river, getting very muddy in the process; she ends up being rescued by a young man, who turns out to be the teacher’s former fiance (now we know why she was so miserable at first!), who is hoping to mend their broken relationship. The teacher and fiance are reunited and decide to get married after the school year ends, and ask Pigeon to be in the wedding, because she helped bring them back together. There’s also a subplot at one point involving a young boy whose mother died when he was very young, who finds out that his father is planning to remarry and immediate worries that he’s going to end up with an awful stepmother. While he’s out in the woods, he runs into a very friendly, outdoorsy young woman who’s camping, who ends up telling him that she’s getting married soon to a man with a little boy, and is worried he won’t like her–needless to say, this is the prospective stepmother, and all ends happily for them. Anyway, I can’t remember the title of the book or the author, and I’d love to find it again!

255B: Children conjure a quetzalcoatl (Solved)

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Looking for kids’ fiction book between 1965-1976 that is about a quetzalcoatl. I remember that it was scary. I got it in my elementary school library so it was about 3rd-5th grade level. Children conjured up a quetzalcoatl by accident and it turned out to be evil and dangerous? Possibly turned an old feather boa into a quetzalcoatl using some magic dust they may have found in an old jewelry box.

254G:Girl in Apartment look out her window and imagines life in the building across the street

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A sick girl is home in her room in a building or high rise apartment. In order to pass the time she looks out at windows in the building across from her. Based on what she can see she (torn blind, potted plant) imagines what’s going on in the apartments.

One apartment has a plant family who walk around in dirt. One has a dog who sits at a typewriter all day.

This was a favorite book of mine as a child in the 70’s.

254F: Teens travel in time

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I read a book when I was a young teen in the early 70’s and can’t recall the title or author. It centered around a group of kids who were friends. I think they were very young teens, like I was at the time. They could stop time and go to the world of mythology. I’m pretty sure it was Greek mythology. I recall them being bored in school and being able to do this several times in class. I think they were helping the Greek gods, or at least trying to. I also remember one boy earning a bowl from a god, and in it he could have whatever he wanted to eat by just imagining it. It was the most amazing book–and it obviously left its mark!

Thanks so much and good luck! I’ve been wanting to find this book for many, many years!

254E: Ella in the Woods

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Hi there,

I’m looking for a book that my parents bought for my sister and I in the early 90’s. It was soft cover book.
The illustrations are art nouveau-ish ( I remember that they have that “stained glass” look to them). The story is about a young girl with long dark hair who is wearing, to my memory, a flowing red dress who is either deliberately walking though or gets lost in the woods and she happens upon an abandoned castle what she wanders through. I seem to remember that there were climbing roses throughout the castle and animals that are watching her as she explores the castle. I don’t remember how it ends unfortunately. I feel like the girl’s name was Ella, but I could be completely wrong.

I have looked for YEARS to try and find this book; my parents remember it, but don’t know what happened to it and don’t remember what it was called or where they bought it; no idea if this is helpful, but I remember reading it on the ferry to Prince Edward Island, so I’m wondering if maybe my parents bought it in a nearby bookstore?

254D: Toothsome, savory and oh-so delicious pancakes

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My brother and I are searching for a childhood book. I remember having the book read to me when I was two, so about 1957.  It was a story about a nun who made ‘toothsome, savory oh-so delicious pancakes.”  I don not remember the title, nor the author.  It was a picture book.  Not much to go on, but I will not give up, lol.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

253F: Collected rock n roll tales

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I read a book,12 or so years ago, which I found in my library (I think it had a white cover with black writing and was quite thick), which included articles/chapters about the history of popular culture. there are only two chapters that I can remember- one is about a journalist meeting Dylan in a cafe and Dylan arrives without any bodyguards as he has somehow managed to project a kind of defense around himself and the other chapter had a title along the lines of ‘and the pilgrims visited Kerouac’s grave’ about how ‘kids’ go on a pilgrimage to visit Lowel to see Jack’s grave

I can find no trace of this book anywhere and have been looking for a few years and as stumper has helped me before I place myself in your very capable hands again!
thank you