# What were your favorite OBSCURE(?) children's books? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 16, 2008, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-your-favorite-obscure-childrens-books/433684 "2008-01-16T00:56:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Sarahfeena](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sarahfeena/32/519_2.png) [@Sarahfeena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarahfeena)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2008, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-your-favorite-obscure-childrens-books/433684/81 "2008-01-18T16:59:49Z")
I used to love a book called [King of the Dollhouse](http://www.amazon.com/King-Dollhouse-Patricia-Clapp/dp/0590020633/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1200675386&sr=8-2), which is about a girl who wakes up to find a little king has moved into her dollhouse, along with his 10 little babies (his wife the Queen is off on some adventures somewhere). The little girl helps take care of the babies for him by swiping peanut butter from the kitchen. It is super cute, and I remember reading it to my younger brother and sister a lot when we were kids. ---
**Author:** ![Plynck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Plynck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Plynck)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2008, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-your-favorite-obscure-childrens-books/433684/82 "2008-01-18T17:12:10Z")
I read [The Great Axe Bretwalda](http://www.amazon.com/great-axe-Bretwalda-Philip-Ketchum/dp/B0007EA266/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1200676220&sr=1-1) by Philip Ketchum when I was in grade school. Looks like that one is fetching a pretty penny these days, too. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2008, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-your-favorite-obscure-childrens-books/433684/83 "2008-01-18T17:19:05Z")
Some of my favorite obscure children’s books (one of which I mentioned in the other thread): “The Hero from Otherwhere,” by Jay Williams “Change Song” by Lee Hoffman (_very_ obscure) “I, Trissy” by Norma Fox Mazer “On Your Toes, Susie!” and “Susie and the Ballet Family” by Lee Wyndham “King of the Dollhouse” by Patricia Clapp “The Secret Tree-House” by Ruth Chew “Mystery in the Pirate Oak” by Helen Fuller Orton “Mrs. Coverlet’s Magicians” by Mary Nash “Jason’s Money Tree” by Sonia Levitin “Amy and Laura” by Marilyn Sachs (there’s another one too, but I can’t remember the title) “Kid Sister” by Margaret Embry “The Man in the Long Black Cape” by Patience Zawadsky “The Mystery of the Empty House” by Dorothy Sterling Most of these books came off my bookshelf–I’ve had them since I was a kid, and most of them came from the monthly “Tab” and “Arrow” book drives we had at our school, where you’d go through a flyer, pick out the ones you wanted, and then a few weeks later a big box would arrive at school and the teacher would give everyone their books. My mom was cool–she pretty much let me go through the flyer and pick anything I wanted, so I always ended up with a big stack of them. I read them many times throughout my childhood, and still occasionally pull them out for a bit of nostalgia. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2008, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-your-favorite-obscure-childrens-books/433684/84 "2008-01-18T17:34:06Z")
[QUOTE=winterhawk11] “Amy and Laura” by Marilyn Sachs (there’s another one too, but I can’t remember the title) [/QUOTE] That was actually a trilogy, starting with Amy Moves In (told from Amy’s POV), Laura’s Luck (Laura’s POV) and the last one “Amy & Laura” had chapters alternating between Amy & Laura. Good books. ---
**Author:** ![delphica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9a140/32.png) [@delphica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delphica)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2008, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-your-favorite-obscure-childrens-books/433684/85 "2008-01-18T17:53:50Z")
[QUOTE=winterhawk11] “King of the Dollhouse” by Patricia Clapp “The Secret Tree-House” by Ruth Chew [/QUOTE] I will have to look for those titles, because I love both of those authors! I recognized Patricia Clapp right away as the author of _Jane-Emily_. My favorite Ruth Chew is _The Trouble with Magic_, about a sea monster at Coney Island. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2008, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-your-favorite-obscure-childrens-books/433684/86 "2008-01-18T18:00:25Z")
[QUOTE=Annie-Xmas] That was actually a trilogy, starting with Amy Moves In (told from Amy’s POV), Laura’s Luck (Laura’s POV) and the last one “Amy & Laura” had chapters alternating between Amy & Laura. Good books. [/QUOTE] Ah, yes. “Amy Moves In” was the other one I had–I can’t find it now, but I’m sure it’s around here somewhere, since I never get rid of books. I could never find “Laura’s Luck.” ---
**Author:** ![Missy2U](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@Missy2U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Missy2U)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2008, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-your-favorite-obscure-childrens-books/433684/87 "2008-01-18T18:42:43Z")
Mine aren’t obscure so much as I think they’re just old - they were my mom’s. My favorites were the Cherry Ames books and the Beverly Gray books. ---
**Author:** ![Shayna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shayna/32/17976_2.png) [@Shayna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shayna)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2008, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-your-favorite-obscure-childrens-books/433684/88 "2008-01-18T18:43:10Z")
[QUOTE=ivylass] For me, I loved [**Shadow Castle**](http://www.amazon.com/Shadow-Castle-Expanded-Marian-Cockrell/dp/0595092969/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1200502631&sr=8-1) [/QUOTE] Also one of my favorites! Alas, I gave it away in the “Book Fairy” project we did here a while back, so I’d have to buy another copy if I wanted to read it again. Another favorite, which I still have and will _never_ give away, was L. Frank Baum’s first full-length children’s book, [The Magical Monarch of Mo](http://www.gutenberg.org/files/16259/16259-h/16259-h.htm). _Sigh_, I want to live in Mo, where it rains lemonade; the beaches are pure, white sugar; the islands in Milk River are made of cheese, and strawberry pads grow along the banks where the cream rises; everything you could ever want or need grows on trees; and no one ever dies. (Though I could do without the presence of dragons!) 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2008, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-your-favorite-obscure-childrens-books/433684/89 "2008-01-18T19:02:02Z")
[QUOTE=Missy2U] Mine aren’t obscure so much as I think they’re just old - they were my mom’s. My favorites were the Cherry Ames books and the Beverly Gray books. [/QUOTE] Heh! When I was about 12, my youngest aunt (she was about 20 at the time, I think) had just cleaned out her bedroom at my grandparents’ house and I inherited a bunch of stuff, including a kid-size desk (a nice one, not a little dinky plastic chair with a desktray) and a box of books. The books included 2 Cherry Ames (Student Nurse and another one I don’t remember) and about 5 Brains Benton, 2 Spin & Marty, and a couple of other mid-50s “young adult” titles. I loved those Brains Benton books, and even though I am a male, I read the Cherry Ames, too. ---
**Author:** ![Ocean\_Annie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8797f3/32.png) [@Ocean\_Annie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ocean_Annie)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2008, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-your-favorite-obscure-childrens-books/433684/90 "2008-01-18T19:28:19Z")
I love children’s literature. An obscure favorite in my family is: [Rhinos Who Surf](http://www.amazon.com/Rhinos-Who-Surf-Julie-Mammano/dp/0811810003) I know the other titles listed are not obscure but maybe not as popular as other children’s books/young adult fiction. [Miss –Rumphius by Barbara Cooney](http://www.amazon.com/Miss-Rumphius-Barbara-Cooney/dp/0140505393), [The Empty Pot by Demi](http://www.amazon.com/Empty-Pot-Owlet-Book/dp/0805049002/ref=pd_bbs_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1200682170&sr=1-2) and [Nothing But The Truth by Avi](http://www.amazon.com/Nothing-But-Truth-Documentary-Novel/dp/038071907X) ---
**Author:** ![SkeptiJess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@SkeptiJess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkeptiJess)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2008, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-your-favorite-obscure-childrens-books/433684/91 "2008-01-19T02:27:33Z")
[QUOTE=delphica] I recognized Patricia Clapp right away as the author of _Jane-Emily_. [/QUOTE] Clapp also wrote a terrific book called _Constance_. About a young girl who came over on the Mayflower. It was done in diary-style, very well-researched and beautifully written. Well worth searching out, if you enjoy Clapp’s other work. She also wrote a book about the Salem witch trials – I don’t own it and am blanking on the name. Wouldn’t it be cool if we could have a massive Dopefest book party and swap around the books we’re talking about? ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Mapp](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miss_mapp/32/369_2.png) [@Miss\_Mapp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Mapp)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2008, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-your-favorite-obscure-childrens-books/433684/92 "2008-01-19T12:52:21Z")
_Magic Elizabeth_. It took awhile to find a summary, but here’s one: [http://guide.sacbee.com/119/story/899.html](http://guide.sacbee.com/119/story/899.html) I’d love to get a copy for my nieces before they’re too grown-up for it. _Magic in the Park_. I couldn’t find a description, but it’s a Ruth Chew novel about two children, a tree in the park that isn’t always there, and a mystery man in a mossy coat. _The Headless Cupid_. This one may not be that obscure, since it won the Newbury Award: > **[The Headless Cupid](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Headless_Cupid)** > > The Headless Cupid is a children's novel by Zilpha Keatley Snyder. First published in 1971, the book was a Newbery Honor book for 1972. It was also nominated in 1972 for the Hans Christian Andersen Award. It is the first in the four-book series about the Stanley family, followed by The Famous Stanley Kidnapping Case, Blair’s Nightmare, and Janie’s Private Eyes. > After his university professor father remarries, eleven-year-old David Stanley must make a series of new adjustments: first to his new s... My sister and I tried to do the no-touching-wood, no-touching-metal thing one summer, and never made it through a day. _Half Magic_. When the children make wishes, they are only half-granted. I remember this being hilarious. There’s an excerpt at > **[Excerpt: 'Half Magic'](https://www.npr.org/2005/05/30/4662726/excerpt-half-magic)** > > Read an excerpt of Half Magic by Edward Eager, recommended on Morning Edition by librarian Nancy Pearl for fans of fantasy and adventure. ---
**Author:** ![SkeptiJess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@SkeptiJess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkeptiJess)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2008, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-your-favorite-obscure-childrens-books/433684/93 "2008-01-19T13:20:51Z")
Since several haves mentioned Zilpha Keatley Snyder, I’ll give a shout out for my favorite of her books: _The Changling_. Read and reread it many times. ---
**Author:** ![Elenfair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/cc9497/32.png) [@Elenfair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elenfair)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2008, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-your-favorite-obscure-childrens-books/433684/94 "2008-01-19T13:32:59Z")
“Creepy Suzie and 13 Other Tragic Tales For Troubled Children” by Angus Oblong, of course. More for teens than “young” children. 😃 But then, I’m disturbed… ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2008, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-your-favorite-obscure-childrens-books/433684/95 "2008-01-19T20:36:39Z")
[QUOTE=Freddy the Pig] Can I mention myself again in this thread? Are my books obscure? Alas, I fear they are. That other pig with the arachnid friend kind of crowded me out. [/QUOTE] I read the Freddy books when I was a kid. So did my father, when he was a kid; I’m pretty sure he’s the one who recommended them to me. He seemed pleased when I gave him [this book](http://www.amazon.com/Wit-Wisdom-Freddy-Pig/dp/0879517255/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1200775165&sr=1-1) for his birthday last year. Who wouldn’t love a pig who writes poetry, solves mysteries, publishes a newspaper, goes on adventures, and does all the other cool things Freddy did? ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2008, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-your-favorite-obscure-childrens-books/433684/96 "2008-01-19T22:00:18Z")
[QUOTE=3acresandatruck] The Golden Book Encyclopedias, as seen in [this eBay auction](http://cgi.ebay.com/Golden-Book-Encyclopedia-16-Volume-Set-1959-Mint-bonus_W0QQitemZ160198682046QQihZ006QQcategoryZ29223QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem). If I did eBay, I’d buy this set - ours were severely worn. [/QUOTE] I can stretch out my hand and touch the complete set as I sit here. Also, _The Bronze Bow_, another Newberry Award winner. I actually reread it a year or so ago. It still holds up. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![herownself](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8baadc/32.png) [@herownself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/herownself)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2008, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-your-favorite-obscure-childrens-books/433684/97 "2008-01-19T22:31:04Z")
I’m sad and happy that no one has posted my favorites! Happy that I get to, and sad that no one else seems to have read them. All of the [Arthur Ransome](http://www.amazon.com/Swallows-Amazons-Godine-Storyteller-Ransome/dp/087923573X/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1200780046&sr=1-1) books, starting with Swallows and Amazons. I’ve read these so many times that I can almost recite along while I read. The [Mother West Wind](http://www.amazon.com/Mother-West-Wind-Dodo-Press/dp/1406553336/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1200780421&sr=1-2) books. Now, others that are probably shared experiences, and a small personal hijack: Ferdinad the Bull! Tikki Tikki Tembo (no sa rembo …) Are the Anne of Green Gables books _after_ the first one obscure enough? And the other series, Emily of New Moon? What about Rudyard Kipling? I was given a rather cheap stuffed-animal floppy dog that was only a little smaller than me when I was about 5. It was a strange mustard-y color. As soon as I saw it I screamed that it was Yellow Dog Dingo! We were never parted. That was the only stuffed animal I took to College. (He was my pillow, see, so it wasn’t really like bringing a stuffed animal…) I just finished re-reading Kim. Sigh. Now I can’t wait to re-read Laurie King’s The Game, but I would rather have Kim, Book 2. And I really have to second Understood Betsy. I re-read it about a month ago. It’s just so wonderful. I’ll stop now… edited to add line about shared experiences - I know others have read Ferdinand! ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2008, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-your-favorite-obscure-childrens-books/433684/98 "2008-01-19T23:49:57Z")
These aren’t actually obscure, but then neither was most of the books mentioned in this thread: The Green Knowe books by L. M. Boston. _The Magic Pudding_ by Norman Lindsay. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2008, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-your-favorite-obscure-childrens-books/433684/99 "2008-01-19T23:51:00Z")
Ack. Sorry, “neither were,” not “neither was.” ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2008, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-your-favorite-obscure-childrens-books/433684/100 "2008-01-20T00:42:22Z")
[QUOTE=MissGypsy] **Understood Betsy** , by Dorothy Canfield Fisher, was my very favorite book as a child. It was my mother’s favorite, also, and I still have her worn and well-read hardcover edition. [/QUOTE] [Chinaberry.com](http://Chinaberry.com), until recently, offered an audio version of this book. I have a copy and it is just lovely. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-your-favorite-obscure-childrens-books/433684.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-your-favorite-obscure-childrens-books/433684.md?page=6)