Category Archives: Unsolved

342D: Talking Clock Sends Boy to the Past

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My brother read a short children's book when he was a kid in the 1970s. The book was about a kid (boy) and a talking clock, the parents of the child are lost (died), the clock takes the boy back to happier moments in the past. At the end the boy is reunited with his parents. My brother said the book only had a few pages similar to Golden Books. If you know someone who could point us towards finding the book it would be appreciated.

342C: A house with a magic door

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There’s a girl who lives in a house or has just moved to a house, and in the house lives a cat. She goes up a staircase into a room with many doors in it, and through one of the doors, the cat brings her to a world full of snow. I believe there are other doors with other places through them but I can’t remember. This was a picture book I believe and likely was written in the 90’s or even early 2000’s.

341Z: UFO Light Causes Boy to Grow Third Arm

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As you might expect, I’m searching for a book.  I probably read it in the 1978 to 1980 time frame, so publishing occurred before that.  It is possible I read the book as late as 1982, but I don’t think so.
The book may have been a Scholastic publication, but they didn’t find anything matching the rest of the description.
The book was a short story collection.  I do not remember the title or author or authors or editor.  I think the version I read was a trade paperback, borrowed from the school library.  During 1978 to 1980 I was in 5th and 6th grade.  I suppose I could write to the librarians in those schools and ask if they still have books matching the descriptions.
The story I remember from the book had a boy in probably 5th or 6th grade walking alone in the woods one evening.  A UFO appeared through the trees (maybe he was in a clearing?) and shone a blue light through the center of his chest.  Not long afterwards a third arm started growing where the light struck the boy.  He was teased at school for being different, and he thought of having the arm surgically removed.  But the arm proved to be useful when the bullies in his school started a fight with him.  He elected to keep it.  He finished the story by saying other people around the world were getting struck by the same blue light and were growing arms as well.
I do not remember the remainder of the stories in the book.  I’m not sure I actually read them; I may have had to return the book to the library.

341X: Boy Attends Cinderella’s Ball In A Dream

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The book I am searching for was a children’s chapter book that I read in the 1950s. 
 
The story was a retelling of the Cinderella story from the point of view of a young boy (Teddy?) who makes his way into the palace where they are getting ready for the ball.  He and the rather silly king get in the way of the queen. They go on to have an adventure that at one point involves a mound of butter and buttons (pictured in what I remember as a pen & ink illustration). At some point the boy unlocks the palace gate with a small key. I believe it is indicated at either the beginning or end that the story is the boy’s dream – perhaps he dozed off while reading the fairy tale?
 
It had, of course, the ubiquitous blue cover. I think it was a hardback about 6”x8” but memory may be failing me. 
 
My childhood copy was destroyed years ago and I would love to read the book again.

341V: Same Street (??)

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Looking for a children’s book about people who live on same street. Each one of them breaks the mold of their boring houses and the end of the street is a collection of fantastical and amazing houses.

Each time someone changes their house, someone says, “He’s popped his top!  He’s flipped his lid!”
That’s all I can remember other than loving the book.

341U: Similar to the princess and the frog

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When I was quite small, I remember having a favorite fantasy book along the lines of the princess and the frog, but I can never seem to remember more than a few details. I’ve tried really hard to find it, but no one in my family even remembers the book aside from me...

What I can remember is this:

- Two people are turned into frogs

- There’s a witch that captures them

- When they escape, they steal a vial of dragon's breath that is used later for a spell I mostly forget... I think it’s used to turn either them or the otter human again? Or to trade for something?

- There’s a magical bracelet which they both must put an arm in to be returned to being human

- There’s an otter, who once was human, who gets them the bracelet because the woman (possibly fairy?) that was keeping it was once his lover before he was turned by the same witch from before

- I believe at one point someone pretends to be a fairy, and that fairy finds out and gets offended?

And that’s mostly all I can remember, aside from the scenery I imagined along with the story as a kid. I’ve been searching for around 5 years now and would LOVE to get to read it again!!