# What was this story? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 10, 2012, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-story/624741 "2012-06-10T17:44:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2012, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-story/624741/1 "2012-06-10T17:44:41Z")
Honestly, I don’t remember if I read it or watched it. 🙂 Anyway… an underage girl is living by herself in a New England town. Her parents are away or dead. She’s hassled by her landlady, and especially by her landlady’s son. She is befriended by a local bicycle riding kid who want’s to be a magician. At some point it’s hinted that bodies are down a trap door in the dining room. Any ideas? Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2012, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-story/624741/2 "2012-06-10T17:55:26Z")
It’s _The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane_ (1974), by Laird Koenig. It was also adapted into a movie with the same title (1976) starring young Jodie Foster. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2012, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-story/624741/3 "2012-06-10T17:57:07Z")
> [@Lamia](#): > > It’s _The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane_, by Laird Koenig. It was also adapted into a movie starring young Jodie Foster. Thanks! The mention of Foster brings it all back!