Author: mondomolly

Looking for a YA book that may have been published in the 60s or 70s. About a girl in college who has to choose summer internships/placements in public service. I think she wanted to go to a settlement house (like Hull House in Chicago) but instead goes to an orphanage and does good work there. So then she is given an opportunity to go to her preferred next placement, but decides to stick with working at the orphanage. Any ideas?? Suggestion from Lost Classics reader Cathie: sounds very much like Dear Enemy by Jean Webster, but it was written in 1915.

Ok, I think the title was maybe about sixth or seventh grade, or possibly hairspray. Protag befriends an artsy loner weirdo who introduces her to the concept of third eyes and gets bullied by Xan (maybe Zan) the popular girl. At some point they have to paint sets, and Xan gets paint all over herself, either by accident or on purpose? Can’t quite remember.

Our teacher read us this book in 7th grade (so 1985). A boy wants to ride the family’s riding lawnmower, and dad says no. For some reason, the boy is home alone (the family is away for the day). The boy gets on the lawnmower, falls off, and dies when the mower goes over him. There is a younger brother in the story also. Can’t remember the author or the title. Suggestion: Nobody’s Fault? by Patricia Hermes

The book that I have been unsuccessfully searching for is a book of short stories for girls that was published in the mid 1960’s. I recall purchasing it at a school book fair, most likely in junior high. The stories were mostly coming of age stories for teenage girls. One story told of a girl who did not fit in in high school, and she wanted new clothes that she believed would help. I remember she wanted to buy “shoes that look like ballet slippers and a string of pearls. I seem to recall that she also played the piano. Another story was about a girl who felt very unattractive and her dad said something to the effect of she was not a pretty girl but she was going to be a beautiful woman. I have searched for this collection of short stories for many years and have found many collections, but not this particular one. I would be very grateful if you might have any information about this elusive book. Thank you for any suggestions you may have. Partial update from Barbara: the specific story,  “In Tempo” by Sue Moskowit, has been found in another collection, A Matter of Choice, but we’re still on the look out for another short story collection in which it appeared! 

I only read the 1st few chapters of this one; it had been left in the lounge at my local YMCA and wasn’t there the next time I went. A Jewish American girl gets a letter from her German boy cousin describing how he’s being bullied at his school after Hitler comes to power. I think it was published in the late 70s/early 80s.

I’m trying to remember the title of a book that I read, probably as a tween in the late 70s, early 80s. It was set in the first person, I think, and it was meant to be more funny than dramatic. The main character was maybe 11-13. She was shy, maybe a bit of a social outcast and hated school. It seems to me that her home life wasn’t that great either. I think I remember that she was sent to the AV closet at school to retrieve something and found a place where she could hide and watch TV all day. She did this every day. Nobody seemed to miss her and this went on for quite some time. Eventually she was discovered by a guidance counselor and she agreed to stop trying to escape her problems and stay in class. It might be a Scholastic book, and I have this memory of an orange and pink cover but I don’t remember anything else about it. I’m Canadian so it might have been Canadian and style-wise, I think it was maybe from the mid 70s. It would be great if someone could prove that it isn’t a figment of my imagination.Suggestion: Wendy and the Bullies By Nancy K. Robinson