What's the Name of That Book??? discussion

Read in the 1980s or earlier. Juvenile. The new girl in town is very old-fashioned and seems to appear and disappear.

In the end it seems she was the childhood version of a dying old woman, and existed whenever the woman was asleep.

In the end it seems she was the childhood version of a dying old woman, and existed whenever the woman was asleep.

This description closely matches Who is Victoria? by Betty K. Erwin.

How certain are you? --Because there is ZERO information available anywhere about the plot other than the unhelpful "Margaret and her friends spend an unusual summer after they meet the strange and mysterious Victoria".

The sentence from your description that I quoted exactly matches the denoument of "Who is Victoria?". Could another author have come up with the same plot? Possibly. So I can't say for certain it's your book.
Unfortunately, my memories of "Who is Victoria?" (which I no longer own) have faded so I can't tell you more about it to see if other details jog your memory.

There is a review on Amazon that has a little information:
"Another of my childhood favorites which is out of print. I'm glad I kept my copy which I still re-read to this day. The story takes place during the Depression. I liked that Margaret, the main character, dreamed of being a doctor just like her dad. She has to overcome her own prejudices and fears in the book and that's a good lesson but not done in a preachy way. The storyline intrigued me and although I was pretty sure I knew who Victoria was early on the first time I read it, I was captivated by the bizarre events that occurred wherever she went and the reason behind her existence. A terrific reading experience and it should be back in print!"

Does that sound like it could be it?

No idea. All I remember is about the mysterious girl, not the main character. Like Emily I read it too long ago and don't own it.

> Could another author have come up with the same plot? Possibly.

Definitely. It was a comment in another thread here that reminded me. I'm surprised Stephen King hasn't done something of the sort!

> The sentence from your description that I quoted exactly matches the denoument of "Who is Victoria?".

Hm. I think I'll let this thread sit for a few weeks in the hope that more people might add their two cents. Then if I'm still insufficiently confident I'll move it to the "possibly solved" folder.

Leela, Wait as long as you want. Until you're certain, you might just want to leave it here. Who knows?: months from now someone might know the book for sure, to your satisfaction.

Could it be this? It's not the main character that fades, and was publish in 1990, so a little bit later than you said. It just reminded me of this book.

Jackie's the main character and she's new to town. She finds a greeting card collection hidden in her house and then Ellen starts visiting her in the night. Ellen fades and reappears, she is actually a memory belonging to an old Ellen who's really about to turn 100.

If the appearances are only at night, then no. I think the old-fashioned girl in the book I'm looking for spent a lot of time playing around town, which suggests it was daytime. Also, I seem to remember the main character just sort of crossed paths with her now and then, there weren't any intentional visitations.

I'll have to see about reading "Secret of the Cards".

This may have been published too late, but what about "The Doll in the Garden" by Mary Downing Hahn?

She had been warned never to go there...But as ten year-old Ashely followed the beautiful white cat through a small opening in the hedge, she stepped into an enchanted place...A place where she might find the answers...Who is the little girl with golden curls and the huge sad eyes, whose voice cries out in the dark of night? Why does the white cat cast no shadow in the moonlight? Who is the owner of the beautiful doll found buried in the garden? And if Ashely discovers the truth, Can she ever go back...?

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54...

Leela4 wrote: "How certain are you? --Because there is ZERO information available anywhere about the plot other than the unhelpful "Margaret and her friends spend an unusual summer after they meet the strange an..."

Spoilers follow!






I found this short review of "Who is Victoria?" in a reference book about children's books set in the Great Lakes region:

"One spring day in the 1930's, Victoria appears in a small Wisconsin town, wearing a Scottish skirt and boots and possessing unusual powers. Strange happenings occur in this blend of fun, fantasy and realism."

And some more:

"The lively childhood self of a dying old woman mysteriously reappears in a small Wisconsin town."

And finally, from "The Upper Midwest" by Marion Fuller Archer:

"You can't imagine what it's like, Margaret," she said, "waking up from a long sleep and being able to run free again and look at the world." Authentic, small-town Wisconsin in the 1930s and the effect of the depression on a quartet of fifth-grade girls— Margaret, Belle, Emilie, and Polly— unfold through parades, rummage sales, rural romps, the itch of long underwear in the first warm days of spring, and the crabby librarian who restricted fifth graders to books on the fifth-grade shelves. The rollicking quality is contrasted with solemnity following the tornado which killed Lenny, one of their classmates. The ordinary summer took on an eerie quality with the appearance of secretive, capricious Victoria, dressed like a child from another age and unidentified in the small town where everyone knew everybody. Only when Miss Godfrey, the librarian died and Victoria disappeared, did the girls understand. Except for Dr. Evans, Margaret's father, none of the grown-ups believed them.

I'm pretty sure I have not read "The Doll in the Garden".

*

Thanks a lot, Cathy. That last one is especially helpful. --Or would be if I could remember more of the book! I just don't remember enough, or it *was* a different book I read.

I'm going to have to see if I can track down a copy of "Who Is Victoria?" to read, because whether or not it's the correct book, I'd like to read it now.

I don't know whether to leave this thread in Unsolved or move it to Possibly Solved. I just can't remember enough.

Leela4 wrote: "I don't know whether to leave this thread in Unsolved or move it to Possibly Solved. I just can't remember enough.
"

Lee, It's up to you.

At first your description reminded me of "Mirror of Danger" by Pamela Sykes, but the ending isn't the same at all. I'm sure this isn't your book, but I wanted to suggest it just in case.Mirror of Danger

Angela wrote: "This may have been published too late, but what about "The Doll in the Garden" by Mary Downing Hahn?

She had been warned never to go there...But as ten year-old Ashely followed the beautiful whit..."

Angela, this is so weird! I just posted a question about a book I read in 4th or 5th grade, and as soon as I saw "The Doll in the Garden", I was like, 'that's it!'. The cover on your link to it definately looks familiar. Did the sick girl have consumption or something similar that made her cough up blood?

Thanks for the unintentional help! =)

Hi Danielle, I just saw your post. That IS weird! Yes, the sick girl did have a deadly cough. I'm glad that even though this wasn't the book Leela was looking for, suggesting it helped you find your book!

Leela4, are you still looking for this?

Anna wrote: "I just came across Jane-Emily and it reminded me of this thread."

Anna, Thank you! You just solved my book!

Yes, still looking for it. Moved to Possibly Solved.

Still looking now? We'd rather things not languish in Possibly Solved.