Category Archives: Unsolved

357I: A 1960’s book about a lost lamb

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Looking for a fiction YA (perhaps adult) book from the early to mid 60’s that I read in junior high. I was given the book as a present. It’s about a lamb that gets lost in a forest/jungle. I remember that it had a jaguar, panther or puma that befriended the lamb and helped keep it safe. There were no illustrations that I recall; strictly text. It was a fairly long novel, about the length of the Harry Potter novels. The book had a green hardcover with the lamb and trees on it. I want to say that the lamb on the cover was black, but can’t be sure. Does anyone remember this book? I know it sounds vaguely like The Jungle Book, but that really isn’t it.

357H: The Monster Encyclopedia

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I don't know the name of it. It was a book of black and white sketch like drawings of different pretend monsters, but not cryptids. They may have been monsters that looked like household objects, one of them was possibly a coat hanger type thing. Each page had a description of a monster and then a black and white picture/sketch of them. It was definitely published before 2015 and was meant for either children or preteens.

357F: Wizard vs. Seriously Overgrown Plant

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I’m looking for a short story that was published in a compilation of sci-fi stories, probably somewhere between 1995-2005. Sci-fi short story was about wizard and a plant that was taking over the earth. The wizard was trying to kill the plant to save the world, but no matter what he tried, he couldn’t do anything about the plant and it ended up taking over the world. Wizard also had a globe or orb that was an exact replica of the earth. The orb displayed live and the wizard could zoom in and see anything and anyone and what they were doing. The only thing that didn’t show up on the globe was the globe.

357E: Female Protagonist, Brooding Vampire

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I’m trying to find a book I read in the late 1990s, early 2000s. The parts of the plot I remember are as follows:
1. The main character is a female journalist who at one point is cornered in an alley by a would-be rapist but manages to escape. I think she let the attacker fondle her breasts before kicking him in the groin and escaping.
2. The vampire love interest is brooding, and at one point watches the heroine from outside her house. I have a vague memory of him being described as wearing a long leather jacket.
3. I think there’s some kind of crime element? Like she’s a crime reporter or something like that.
4. The journalist lives alone and has a pet cat.
I think it was a paperback, and it had a film noir sort of vibe to my pre-teen self. I’ve thoroughly scoured the vampire genre on https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/, but can’t find something that seems to fit.

357D: Adventures with a small bald alien

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I think that I started reading this book in 1961 or 1962. A boy stumbles across a small alien individual ... male and bald ... and they have adventures. I remember that I liked it and re-read it several times.

I know, it sounds like the plot to ET.

I believe that a woman was the author of the book.

Thanks and good luck.

357B: A Rural Cat’s Life

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It was published sometime before 1991.

It was the story of a cat's life, I think it was living on a farm, or generally somewhere rural. It starts when the cat was a kitten and ends when the cat is old. The book had large pages, probably 12"+ tall. The pages were mostly taken up by large drawings done in just black and white lines, like a comic book.  I think there were brief sentences at the bottom of the page, captions for the drawings.

357A: Teens in a mental (?) hospital, one named Bonnie, one called Zero

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This book was probably published in the 70’s. Story of teens in a mental (?) hospital working with a new (?) young doctor trying to connect with them. One character is named Bonnie and she is mute or doesn’t interact with people but likes when the doctor (?) sings “My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean” so he starts to change the words and sings things like, “My Bonnie Lies Over the Pizza”, etc. Character called Zero was, I think, male, and I think, dies at the end. It was a small paperback size book with a hardcover that I read in the 80’s from my public library. I believe the cover was white.

356Z: Elephant Picture Book

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Trying to find an old picture book about elephants. Pre-1980 probably. At least definitely pre-1985. The main thing I remember is it’s extremely sad. I think it has watercolor illustrations. And it’s about how elephants bury their dead and (I think) always remember where they are buried and even go back to visit.
I remember it as a story, but it’s so sad, I suppose it could have also been a non fiction picture book.
If you have any thoughts on what it might be, would love to hear.

356Y: No Silverware

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I don't remember the actual book title but here are some details that I remember: 1) I read it around middle school 2) It has a female protagonist 3) The plot involves a girl or young woman who gets lost at sea and winds up on a mysterious island where time doesn't exist and people don't use silverware. 4) Eventually she is found and returned to her family but the island seems to have disappeared, and she can't remember how to use forks anymore. 5) If I remember correctly it was either a middle grade or young adult book, and was most likely published before 2006.