# Obscure: trying to find a book title from youth **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 21, 2002, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-trying-to-find-a-book-title-from-youth/137839 "2002-11-21T01:03:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![sj2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/65b543/32.png) [@sj2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sj2)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2002, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-trying-to-find-a-book-title-from-youth/137839/1 "2002-11-21T01:03:26Z")
When I was a child, I read this one book over and over and now I can’t seem to remember what it was. And this seems to be the place to find all the answers so here goes. It was about a girl who found (perhaps in an attic?) all these magical things. Once was a shoe that when she put it on carried her many leagues away with one step. There was also a horse that had some sort of magic ear she could tug. It wasn’t a fantasy-type book per se, more of a kid on your block that had amazing adventures. I don’t think it was a serial publication. I believe she may have traveled to Mexico with her magic shoe… That is all I can seem to remember. No author or title. It’s driving me crazy. Well, crazier. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![dinahmoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8797f3/32.png) [@dinahmoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dinahmoe)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2002, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-trying-to-find-a-book-title-from-youth/137839/2 "2002-11-21T23:41:11Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by sj2 \* > \*\*When I was a child, I read this one book over and over and now I can’t seem to remember what it was. And this seems to be the place to find all the answers so here goes. > > It was about a girl who found (perhaps in an attic?) all these magical things. Once was a shoe that when she put it on carried her many leagues away with one step. There was also a horse that had some sort of magic ear she could tug. It wasn’t a fantasy-type book per se, more of a kid on your block that had amazing adventures. I don’t think it was a serial publication. I believe she may have traveled to Mexico with her magic shoe… > > That is all I can seem to remember. No author or title. It’s driving me crazy. Well, crazier. > > 😕 \*\* I think you’re looking for _What the Witch Left_ by Ruth Chew. Please let me know if this is correct. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2002, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-trying-to-find-a-book-title-from-youth/137839/3 "2002-11-21T23:50:46Z")
_What the Witch Left_ was published in 1993, according to my sources. I think it would help if **sj2** would give us an approximate date of publication. Something like, “I read it sometime around 19–, so it must have been published before then.” ---
**Author:** ![dinahmoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8797f3/32.png) [@dinahmoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dinahmoe)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2002, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-trying-to-find-a-book-title-from-youth/137839/4 "2002-11-22T00:00:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by KneadToKnow \* > \*\*_What the Witch Left_ was published in 1993, according to my sources. I think it would help if **sj2** would give us an approximate date of publication. Something like, “I read it sometime around 19–, so it must have been published before then.” \*\* I’m pretty sure I read _What the Witch Left_ when I was in the 4th or 5th grade, which was late 70’s, early 80’s. Maybe it was re-released? Or Ms. Chew is repeating herself, and I read a book with the same plot but a different name. Maybe Ruth Chew is another way of saying “V.C. Andrews” 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2002, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-trying-to-find-a-book-title-from-youth/137839/5 "2002-11-22T00:07:43Z")
I stand corrected and beg your pardon, **dinahmoe**. I should’ve known better than to trust NoveList to provide the correct date of original publication. WorldCat indeed shows a date of 1973 for its earliest entry for that title. Alas, the best abstract they provide is > [@](#): > > Two little girls have magical adventures with a strange assortment of items they find in a locked drawer. ---
**Author:** ![dinahmoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8797f3/32.png) [@dinahmoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dinahmoe)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2002, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-trying-to-find-a-book-title-from-youth/137839/6 "2002-11-22T01:36:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by KneadToKnow \* > \*\*I stand corrected and beg your pardon, **dinahmoe**. > > I should’ve known better than to trust NoveList to provide the correct date of original publication. WorldCat indeed shows a date of 1973 for its earliest entry for that title. Alas, the best abstract they provide is \*\* No prob, KTK:) Thanks to this thread, I’m rediscovering a bunch of Ruth Chew books that I read as a kid. ---
**Author:** ![sj2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/65b543/32.png) [@sj2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sj2)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2002, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-trying-to-find-a-book-title-from-youth/137839/7 "2002-11-22T01:55:48Z")
BULLSEYE! You were right on dinahmoe. Thanks so much for sharing your grey matter. I found a picture of the book I had on ebay: [http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?v](http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?v) iewItem&item=1970336803 (can never link right…) Just seeing that picture was worth it. Now I’ve got something for Santa to bring me. Thanks again. Very much. ---
**Author:** ![dinahmoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8797f3/32.png) [@dinahmoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dinahmoe)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2002, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-trying-to-find-a-book-title-from-youth/137839/8 "2002-11-22T02:12:31Z")
YAY!! Thank you for rekindling a bit of my youth:) I’m going to add this to my Christmas list, right after the new _Eloise_ book. Cheers!