Category Archives: Unsolved

344O: Children’s picture book about girl who dances with shadows

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Looking for a children’s picture book about a girl who lives in a village (likely indigenous, maybe based on cliff dwellers?). The villagers see scary shadows on the walls of the cliff they live at the bottom of and thinks they are monsters. Eventually the girl climbs to the top of the cliff (maybe with a grass? ladder) and discovers that the shadows weren’t monsters, but friendly (people or animals, can’t remember.) I read this book as a kid around 2000, my grandparents had bought it, so likely published between like 1990 and early 2000s. They’d traveled to Australia and American Southwest, and I think book was purchased one of those places. It was a hardcover with full color illustrations. Tried googling key words but can’t find it so far, help!

344M: Historical Women Biographies For Kids

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During the 1968-69 school year, when I was in fourth grade, I read a series of biographies on famous historical women from my school library. The ones I remember are Harriet Tubman, Joan of Arc, Florence Nightingale, and Clara Barton, but I think there were others as well. I believe they were hardcover in the style of Nancy Drew books, but possibly a different size. I’ve found many books about these women on Ebay from that time frame, but none that “match” as parts of a series. Does anyone recognize this book series? Thank you for any assistance.

344L: Brother and Sister Run Amuck Through Restaurant

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My book Stumper is a children’s book that I predict comes from the 90s (even 80s maybe). I had it read to me everyday when I was a kid (I’m 22 now).

I have no idea what it’s called, but the cover depicts night time (Navy blue) with a restaurant illustration! I remember the book being rather large and rectangle (long). To give you a visualization, it sort of resembles Van Gogh's “Cafe Terrace at Night” painting!

The book follows a brother and a sister who run amuck through the restaurant - they run through the chefs kitchen and hide under the tables. They also do a lot of magic tricks. I vividly remember a white rabbit in a hat and the extending handkerchiefs!

The girl has black hair in a short haircut, and I can’t remember what the brother looks like.

I suspect that it’s not a popular childrens book as I’ve looked at countless lists and it’s never been there!

If you can find this book, I will be beyond happy. I have literally been searching for it for YEARS!

344K: Love Stories Around the World

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Daughter of the Sun (I thought) was the title.

The book was given by my great grandmother to my mother. My mother is now 60 for reference.
The book was bound in a green fabric with gold accents.
The book was three separate love stories in one book .
Story 1
The first story was Daughter of a Sun. Main characters name is Charlie (Charlotte).  Charlie’s father disappears in the mountains and she ends up backpacking with a former student of her fathers through the mountains to solve the mysterious disappearance of her father. They end up finding her father who lives with a lost civilization. Takes place in South America.
 
Story 2  
 
Woman is an antiques appraiser and falls in love with an engaged client and helps the family find the missing will – that I believe was hidden in a door stop. Takes place in Europe.
 
Story 3
 
Gill has arranged marriage with one brother (I think his name starts with an F) and falls in love with the other brother. She fell asleep in the wrong limo and ended up at a castle-like estate. The man she loves did a business merger with her grandfather. Lover calls her mouse. There is a problem with a landslide. Additionally, he is a race car driver. Takes place in Italy
 
This is the most important book I ever read because it came from my great grandmother. I have no idea who wrote it or if it is even possible to find. I would be humbled by any help.

344I: Teen Romance From the 50’s or 60’s

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Looking for a book I read as a young teen.  Early 1970’s, I expect it was written in the later 1950’s or 60’s.

The book was a young adult high school romance. I remember nothing except the girl was not one of the popular girls (she may have been new in school) and her name in the book is Beth (could have been Elizabeth but she was called Beth).  The boy in the story line was the popular boy in school.

Outside of Little Women, the name Beth was not one found often in books and since it is my name the basic story stuck with me.

344H: Cool Kids Book About Southern US During British Rule

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I’m looking for a childhood book that was my favorite:

1. Children’s book
2. Takes place when the British were in charge of America
3. Takes place in southern USA
4. General plot is a boy travels south through the swamps of Georgia and Florida. He ends up in New Orleans (?) in the office of a British officer who holds a scented/perfumed handkerchief over his nose because of the stench from the boy (and others?).
4. It was a grey hardback, typical of good quality children’s books in the 50’s & 60’s. It may have had red highlights or bands.

344F: YA Fantasy Fae Man With Backwards Bird Feet

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A young female (I think orphan) takes a train to a mansion (orphanage?) with just a suitcase. The master of the house is a man with backwards bird feet. The young girl finds out everyone’s fae and she’s the daughter of powerful fae (king & queen?)

A pair of the fae are twins, I think. There’s a werewolf in the woods…there is some sort of fae event in a tent…I don’t remember anything else.

It was a paperback.

I believe there’s at least a sequel which is why I’m trying to find it.

Not sure when book was set.

Average length book. Maybe 250-300 pages?

English.

I think it was newish when I read it a few years ago and I think the sequel was due out a few years ago but I could be wrong.

Thanks for any help! It’s driving me nuts. I thought it was Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children but started reading that and it’s definitely not it lol.

344E: Childhood Picture Book about Boy in Forest

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There is a book that absolutely transported me as a child. It was in the late 90’s that I read it (’97-’99). It was a picture book about a boy that enters a deep dark forest and encounters strange creatures in the trees. It was a rather eerie book and left me with a sense of mystery and awe. My friend from a conservative family read it too and he said it was demonic, if that tells you anything hahah! So it definitely had a dark, ominous tone. I don’t recall anything else, except that it had a lot of dark green.

Thanks so much for your help! I have been searching for this book my entire adult life. It would mean the world to me if you found it.

344C: YA novel from 1960s; English girl fall in woods and breaks leg

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I am looking for a chapter book or YA novel I read in third grade in 1971-72. I believe it would have been published in the 1960s or between 1970-71 but it could also have been in 1950s.

It was about a girl in England who lived with her mother and no father. They lived in a flat, which was the first time I had encountered that word. The only thing I can distinctly remember was that the girl was hiking in the woods, alone, I believe, and fell and broke her leg and then had to figure out how to get help.