Tag Archives: British

349I: Children’s ghost story U.K.

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It was a collection of horror stories for children I think and one of them was a lady with a burned or scarred face who possibly came out of a painting. She was called Rhoda or Roda or something like that. It had these simple ink illustrations and I remember that one.

It had another story where a boy (I think) was hiding and heard the ghosts of some body snatchers - it may have been a retelling of Burke and Hare.

I’m English if that helps and I think I would have read this sometime in the 90’s.

Sorry, that’s so vague but those are the two that I think I remember.

349B: Man disappears from London, found years later in French circus (Solved!)

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I think this was an English mystery or part of one, maybe from the Golden Age of mysteries (Christie, Allingham, Sayers?) where a City man leaves his home to go to work, is seen by a tradesman at one end of a block, but never reaches the other end and is never seen again. Much publicity about his disappearance. Years later, someone — perhaps a young relative — finds him as part owner of a small circus in France, with his partner the neighbor woman with exotic snakes whose high brick wall in the middle of the block he vaulted over to live with her.

348W: Who Kidnapped Toddler? (Solved!)

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British psychological thriller, probably 2019. Small child disappears from yard while young mother carelessly supervises her playtime.  Meanwhile, a married woman is in  a relationship which begins to reveal itself as rather strange and secretive. Her evasive husband becomes a suspect when coworker points finger in his direction, but his alibi is that his delivery route is far from the kidnapping site. Clues and suspicions build until his wife can no longer avoid suspecting his cagey behavior and question his guilt.

348C: British family children’s novel

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I’m trying to find a book I read in the late 80s. It was about a British family with several children. The book was told from the perspective of a younger brother. His older sister was named Helen and he didn’t get along with her at all. At one point in the book he leaves a towel balanced on the bathroom door as a “Helen-trap.” I remember thinking this book was hilarious but I don’t remember much more about it.

 

346R: Medieval prince feigning illness (Solved!)

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Looking for a children’s picture book from the 1970s. It was about a prince trying to get out of something. He draws red spots on his face to pretend to be ill. It’s set in medieval times, as he wore tights and those pointy slippers/shoes that turn up at the ends. That illustration or the cover was purple. Hardcover, portrait and about 8x10” or letter size. Might be British.

340B: Younger Brother Acts Possessed, Acts Like An Alien, Returns To Normal

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Looking for a YA horror book (?), possibly British or Australian, 2000s or earlier, about a girl whose younger brother starts acting strangely. It's split into three sections: in the first he is acting similar to a person possessed by a demon (and a priest is called to exorcise him). In the second section he calms down and starts to become obsessed with the stars, implying that he is an alien. In the third section he calms down a little more, and the novel ends with some sort of climax/sacrifice? after which he returns to normal. The cover had a very pale ghostly looking boy on it, and I think the title was a one-word, strange sounding (making starting with a?) name that the boy called himself (I think based off a constellation). I read this book in the early 2010s as a child and was very disturbed but fascinated with it.

321J: Girl Solves Mysteries On Rugged Terrain

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British young adult adventure/mystery book featuring young girl alone, about 12 or 13 years old. She would venture into caves and various outdoor settings, pursuing the mystery or hiding from someone. At times, it seemed to be rugged terrain, but I’m not certain about the location. She would take “tins” of food and her “rug” (blanket) with her. This is how I surmised it was British.
There were at least two books like this by this author. I read them in the 60s, but I think they were written before that. They were available in my local Midwestern library, (St. Joseph, MO). There were no illustrations or pictures that I recall and, as far as I can remember, the covers were blank. They seemed to be fairly lengthy books, as well.

306S: Peopled with birds

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A British import that I read about 15 years ago, similar to WATERSHIP DOWN, except that it was peopled (ok, bad choice of words) and narrated by birds, and one specific bird on a quest that involved a long distance flight. This wasn’t by any means a children’s book.