# Trying to Identify a Children's Book Series

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-identify-a-childrens-book-series/543929>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [June 20, 2010, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-identify-a-childrens-book-series/543929 "2010-06-20T23:44:20Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Reloy3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c68b51/32.png) [@Reloy3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reloy3)\
**Post date:** [July 6, 2010, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-identify-a-childrens-book-series/543929/21 "2010-07-06T20:44:45Z")

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> [@Kyla](#):
>
> While visiting a friend in Utah, years later, I was delighted to discover that ZCMI stores are real. They did not have penny candy, though.

Not any more. ZCMI has gone the way of the Dodo. All ZCMI stores are now either Macy’s, Dillards or Meier & Franks.

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**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\
**Post date:** [July 7, 2010, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-identify-a-childrens-book-series/543929/22 "2010-07-07T16:40:07Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> Originally Posted by Baker  
> If you can find the book, Papa Married a Mormon is John D. Fitzgerald’s more straight, (less fictionalized) account of his growing up in Utah. His mom was Mormon, his dad was Catholic, and the kids all became Catholics except for Tom(the Great Brain) who became a Mormon.

> [@](#):
>
> Originally Posted by winterhawk11  
> There’s also another adult book by the same author, called Uncle Will and the Fitzgerald Curse. If you liked the Great Brain books, you’ll like this one too.

And one more that goes in between the two _Momma’s Boarding House_. Momma could have married again, she had a guy who really fell in love with her, but she turned him down.

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**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\
**Post date:** [July 7, 2010, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-identify-a-childrens-book-series/543929/23 "2010-07-07T19:43:04Z")

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> [@Reloy3](#):
>
> Not any more. ZCMI has gone the way of the Dodo. All ZCMI stores are now either Macy’s, Dillards or Meier & Franks.

☹

This was in 1996, I guess. So sad.

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**Author:** ![SkeptiJess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@SkeptiJess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkeptiJess)\
**Post date:** [July 7, 2010, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-identify-a-childrens-book-series/543929/24 "2010-07-07T21:23:50Z")

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> [@Baker](#):
>
> And one more that goes in between the two _Momma’s Boarding House_. Momma could have married again, she had a guy who really fell in love with her, but she turned him down.

All three are highly recommended. Try and get them off inter-library loan, though – they are long out of print and used copies are pricy. Especially ‘Uncle Will’ – I still don’t own a copy because all I’ve found have cost hundreds of dollars.

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