Category Archives: Unsolved

163E: Creepiest Book in the World

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….And I found it in my high school library. It was newly released I think, so it must be six years old or so? Give or take a year or two on either side
It was this incredibly, indescribably creepy story about a young (pre-pubescent) girl living in a nightmare-version of government sponsored housing, a huge tower with individual apartments. If I’m remembering right, nobody was allowed to leave. The entire story took place indoors, and all of the characters, except a new resident and maybe the protagonist were horrifying, terrible people. The protagonists was the only kid mentioned, she didn’t have any parents or guardians, and survived by trading items/favors/information with the other residence.
There was a murder, and she was looking into it, I believe. There was a sub-plot about cannibalism in there somewhere, and the big climax of the book was this man (who the protagonist knew and did business with) carving a possibly Japanese-inspired design into her chest with knives and saltwater. Prior to that, he’d seemed like one of the nicer/saner characters.
At the very end, there’s a scene with the protagonist showing the new resident (she was a social worker if I remember right) how the business of trading worked in the tower and the new resident gave the  protagonist jelly beans.
I think the protagonist’s name was Jem. But don’t quote me on that.
It was the most disturbing thing I’d ever read at that point in my life, and I’ve never been able to find it again.

163D: Adventure led by Indian “Chief Matchstick”

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An adventure/fantasy/fiction styled like opiate-induced hallucination involving an adventure through the kitchen with the Chief strike anywhere matchstick where all the items found in a refrigerator/freezer have lives and conflicts. The protagonist is amazed by the life that occurs under their very nose??, but there is an overture of fear and danger driving the trip.  Somewhere, the freezer items are quite upset as they are melting and other dangers pop up as well.  I read this in the last 10 years, but have no other hints……hope I didn’t dream it up.

163B: GNOMOS (Gnomes)

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The real book title is unknown to me. But here are the details I know about it:
Language: Spanish, I don’t know if it had an english release.
Size: I think it was Folio (If not, something big), Ring Binded (maybe tan flat plastic rings)
Cover: Hard Cover, Color Light Brown With Draws & Details in others (maybe green, blue, etc.)
Genre: Fantasy, Fairy Tale. The book was about gnomes/dwarfs and dragons, not too epic, fun to read and with short stories and/or poems (I think)… I just remember the little guys

 

163A: illustrations, dragon toothache, Li Po moon, princesses, mountain climbing

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I am looking for a large (coffee-table sized) book of children’s stories that are beautifully illustrated by watercolor in full color with glossy pages. The illustrations could be kind of scary–they were artistic, but not childish or cartoonish. The stories were involved, with lot of text.
One was about a dragon that had a toothache because a baker’s apprentice brought him so many cookies and donuts. Another about the Chinese character Li Po trying to get the moon in a cup.
Another about dangerous mountainous adventures.

 

160I: Old YA sci fi book

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I’m looking for a YA sci fi book, maybe from the 70s or 80s, about a girl who lives in an orphanage/juvy work camp type place. She has the ability to move thru (time/space/another dimension?). There is a scary, mysterious maintenance man that works at the orphanage who turns out to be a boy shares her same ability, but tried it with his pet dog and somehow they merged beings. She befriends him and tries to help him and ultimately is able to un-merge them, and they have an romantic attraction. There is also an old lady that lives in a mansion near the orphanage who all the orphans go to meet. In the end it turns out the old lady is actually the girl’s grandmother who has been looking for her for years.