Member when I tracked down the book about the bimulous night? And how exciting it was to find it again?
Well suddenly yesterday I went on a rampage. Of book-searching. And I just bought about 10 books from my childhood – very rare, hard to find in some cases, but once I did find them – they were about 25 cents apiece. Probably crappy paperbacks, ex-library books – I don’t care.
All I care is that I HAVE FOUND THEM. My old friends!!!
From the mists of childhood memories, here are the books that I have found – I CAN’T WAIT TO READ THEM AGAIN – argh!!!!!!!
— A book long out of print called The summer sleigh ride,
. I can barely type that without screaming out loud in excitement. I know my sister Jean will remember this book – I know my mother will remember it too! I loved this book. I loved it so much that I was obsessed with it, and I would write my own stories – modeling them on Summer Sleigh Ride. All I remember about it now is this: There were 4 girls, all with different personalities (very Little Women-esque – there was the tomboy, the snooty girl, the smart girl, the peacemaker) … and somehow … somehow … they end up coming across this magical sleigh and going for a ride in the summer – and this “summer sleigh ride” takes them into an alternate universe – a futuristic Aldous Huxley type universe. I can’t remember much else – but it’s very ominous … and I loved it so much. I remember the illustrations. I couldn’t remember the author, though – and it didn’t come up on Amazon. (At least when I first checked. But yesterday I checked again – and there was a random copy – for 3 bucks or something – and my heart skipped a beat.) Summer Sleigh Ride!!!!!!
— Another book by the same author who wrote Caddie Woodlawn
(Brink, I think is her name??) Caddie Woodlawn is very easy to find. It’s everywhere. But she wrote a lesser known book that I liked better – called Louly
. The magic of this book is hard for me to describe. I read it over and over and over again. I think it takes place in the ‘teens of the 20th century, before WWI. It’s in a small town. And “Louly” is a girl who is about 13 years old … very much looked up to by the other kids in the neighborhood (who are all younger) – because she has something special, something magic. She knows how to tell stories. She is a good mimic. She is good at oratory. She wins contests. But there’s more than that. She’s the kind of person who makes the world seem like an adventure. The story is told from the point of view of one of the younger kids in the neighborhood, so Louly remains somewhat mysterious – we don’t know what it is like to BE her … but through the narrator’s eyes, we sure are glad to have met her. She has a long braid, and wears a middy blouse. I know I loved this book because, in a vague way, Louly is an actress. Louly is into transformation. Just like I was when I was a kid. I’m really eager to read it again. It’s very hard to find – I think it’s out of print. But I found it!!!!
— I also, in a rush, bought all of the Betsy-Tacy books by Maud Hart Lovelace. I used to have them, but somewhere along the way I got rid of them. I was obsessed with those books, especially the 4 that took Betsy and Tacy through high school. I remember them vividly. And now … they will be mine again!!!
Over the next week or so, the packages will start coming in. 25 cent worn-out books from libraries across America. Dear dear old books … books that totally transported me when I was a kid … coming to transport me again.
How cool!! I’ve thought of doing that too. I had this weird thing happen recently – I was trying and trying to remember the author of several books I’d bought in college (so not exactly childhood, but it’s still out of the mists for me) or at least a title of one…I had this foggy image in my mind of the cover of one, but it remained elusive and I just told myself to forget about it for now. The other day, it was like words just appearing against a background of clouds – the author’s name just showed up in my head. Hadn’t been thinking about it for a while, and suddenly, there she was. Ella Leffland, by the way, is the author. I couldn’t believe it. Went to the Barnes & Noble website just to make sure this was actually the right name, and it was. I was so excited. I love my subconscious.
Congrats on your finds!!
that sounds familiar, Jayne – what did she write??
There are other books I eventually need to track down. First one is “Gone Away Lake” – a wonderful wonderful book. I think it’s still in print although I’m not sure.
I wish my subconscious would get its head out of its ass and remember a book I’ve been looking for for YEARS.
You know, the one about a Catholic family with 11 kids that’s NOT written by Teresa Bloomingdale or Jean Kerr.
lisa – I’ve thinked we’ve talked about this before. hmmmm. it’s not cheaper by the dozen, right? It’s fiction?
It’s not Cheaper by the Dozen and it’s not fiction.
Here’s what I remember, for SURE:
The mother was the author, and I would guess it was written in the mid-60s to early 70s.
There were eleven children, the first four of which were boys. (One a year for four years — why that woman was not in a home is beyond me.) The fifth child was a girl named Mary.
One of the younger daughters was named Mackey.
At the beginning of the book, she listed the kids in order by name, with a little “personality” blurb about them.
It’s hard to find a book when you’re not sure of the title OR the author’s name. I’ve searched under “category” in every book search I can find. I usually start with Teresa Bloomingdale’s “category” because this book is so similar to hers, they must be lumped in together.
Grrrrrr. It’s very frustrating.
But yay! for you.
damn – sounds like something i would have loved … but it’s not ringing a bell.
My mother’s FAVORITE book is Bimulous Nights! She recently sent me a copy with a picture of me at five inside. Love it.
Sheila – the books I remember owning were “Rumors of Peace” and “Last Courtesies and Other Stories” – I’m not sure if I had any others. Another one I bought and read around the same time was “The Hounds of the Morrigan” by Pat O’Shea. Ever read that? It’s categorized as a kids’ book…I loved it.
The Betsy-Tacy books are special to me – not just because I loved the stories, but because my Grandma lived in the real life Deep Valley (Mankato, MN)… and we used to go to the Big Hill and find Betsy’s house, Tacy’s house and the Chocolate House (which was a horrid shade of blue when I was young, but otherwise JUST the same).
The library there has the Maud Hart Lovelace Wing (the children’s area), with a mural map of Deep Valley.
I love, love children’s books.
I’ve done just what you talked about – tracked down books I remembered and loved and bought them. And also bought ones I wanted to read but the library didn’t have, and which I didn’t have the money to buy for myself as a kid (and somehow, strangely, other than those Scholastic books – the ones advertised in the little newsprint flier at school, with the little long rectangular order form – remember those? – I don’t remember buying many books).
One of the big ones for me was “No Flying in the House” which was one of the first books I remember reading – from first grade well into my 20s I was haunted by the image of Gloria the faery dog sitting down, straightening her collar, and willing herself to turn to a small gold statue.
I’ve also tracked down all of the Moomintroll books (the few my town library had were big favorites of mine when I was a kid), the Borrowers books, “101 Dalmations” (the real, Dodie Smith book, not the Disney variants), and the Miss Bianca stories by Margery Sharp. (Well, okay, I HAD those – the set had been a Christmas present when i was a kid and I never got rid of a book I loved, even when I was 14 and desperate to look “sophisticated” and grown up).
I’ve also bought new books that didn’t exist when I was a kid – I think I have every Toot and Puddle book written.
The funny thing is that of everyone I know, I am the person most opposed to the idea of someday having children. And yet, I have this library of kids’ books….one of my goals someday is to own all the Oz books, too, but they’re kind of expensive, even in reprint form.
Oh Sheila, I’m so glad you mentioned Louly! I hadn’t thought about that book for centuries.
In third grade we had a remarkable substitute teacher for two days. I remember the excitement of knowing we were going to have a sub – something about that when you’re young that’s a life-shaker. Anyway, the sub was a very old, very kindly little woman with her hair in a bun, granny glasses on a necklace, a cream-colored cardigan over a pansy-covered dress, heavy ace bandage-like stockings and those clunky granny lace-up shoes that look like men’s dress shoes with heels. She truly was frail and old, and all of us responded to her in a knee-jerk protective way. One of the girls in the class grabbed her hand and held it practically all the time.
She really was incapable of leading the class in any real way, so about fifteen minutes into the day she said, “Would you like me to read you a story?” And we said, “YEAH!” So she got out her personal copy of Louly, which was as ancient and as delicate as she was, and began to read. I thought to myself that she was reading a story about HER, because it was quite conceiveable that this was the grown-up Louly sitting before us.
She read the book animatedly and sweetly, and cast a spell on all the kids. We were transported to that story’s time and space. And we grasped the idea that time passes, that history happens, and that girls with braids grow up to be sweet grannies.
I have no idea what the name of that dear lady was but I think of her as “Miss Louly.”
stevie – you are literally the only person i know who has heard of Louly. your story is incredible. i love that woman!!!
i can’t wait to read it again. of course i will post many excerpts. it is truly a transporting book.
melissa – wow!!!!
ricki – we’re a bit like kindred spirits. I have my “kids book” shelf in my apartment – and it’s one of my favorites, the one I dip into most often. Many of the old favorites are there … but it’s still incomplete. I’ll continue to build the collection as life goes on.
I’m suddenly reminded of my elementary school library. First shelf to the right, near the window that overlooked the… office (I don’t remember what was outside the window). The Lloyd Alexander Prydain books were there. And John Christopher Tripods books. And something I remember fondly about the “Mushroom Planet”. And a thing about a Hobbit.
Ah, yes. That was it.
Hi Red.
Your post brought a smile to my face. I also collect children’s books, though my emphasis has been on illustrated books more than chapter books.
But it was great to remember some of my favorites. I loved Caddie Woodlawn as well, L’Engle’s Wrinkle in Time trilogy (of course), The Girl with the Silver Eyes (she has telekinesis and other powers, which make her feel freakish and introverted, but she ultimately blossoms), Bridge to Terabithia, the Amy and Laura books, Jackaroo, and anything by Frances Hodgson Burnett or L.M. Montgomery…
Jeez, you get going on a list like that, and it can take off without you. I’ll stop here.
Next time I see my parents, I’m going attic-spelunking!