What Is This Book?

[augurey]

There's this book that was read to our class in 5th grade...it's about a family in the Depression era living in a hotel. The father is so poor that he sells glass candles. I think the family goes somewhere to try to find money, and they leave the oldest boy (the main character) in the hotel room because the moment he steps out, the landlord will lock them out of the room. This happens to a lot of families in the book. He's so hungry that he cuts out pictures of food from magazine and eats it. It was actually pretty dark, heh. I could have SWORN this book was called "The Avalon" but I can't find the real name anywhere. Help?

[Deleted]

augurey: Sounds like it might be the first book in this set, King of the Hill, which was also made into a movie a few years ago.

[augurey]

YES! Thank you so much.

[dwanollah]

bunny said:

Yes, that's it! I knew it was Faulkner and was frequently brought up as an example of Southern Gothic, but my husband kept telling me it was O. Henry "because I learned it in high school and I don't think they threw Faulkner at us." Two Masters degrees in English between us and an hour on Wikipedia and I couldn't find it. Thank you!

Tell your husband I'm deeply, deeply ashamed of him. O. Henry. *shakes head*

[candysays]

I know this isn't a lot to go on but I'm looking for a picture book I read as a kid (I was born in 1980). There's a tulip girl/fairy/sprite that lives in a chipped teacup in a yard/field. And maybe there's a spider antagonist that's out to get her and her other flower friends..? Does anyone know it?

[chonies]

candysays, that sounds like it might be related to Rose Petal[/color] and friends. Incidentally, my sister was also born in 1980 and loooooved Rose Petal when she was about 5 or so.

[candysays]

OHMIGOD! That's it! Thank you so much chonies! I think I'm gonna cry! I've been searching everywhere!

[Smilla]

I would be eternally thankful to the Greecie who helped me locate this book. Thanks, again.

[Samantha]

Help! I'm trying to recall the title of a YA novel that was published in the mid - late 70s. It was a young girl coming of age story written in the first person and I'm pretty certain it was set in the 50s. The only plot detail I can recall with any clarity is the narrator's yummy recipe for scrambled eggs with cheese.

[SGleason]

Oh sure, frustrate me because I can't help, AND make me hungry.

Still nobody who knows a book about a boarding school, and the narrator lies and says she's Norman Mailer's daughter, and meets Ebbie Faber of the pencil-making Faber clan? Sigh.