What Is This Book?

[Deleted]

Yeah, that sounds like Behind the Attic Wall, down to the chocolate bar. It was creepy, wasn't it? Now I want to read it again.

[tipsygrrl]

That's what it is! Thanks, guys! I found a used copy through Amazon for a penny. I'm kind of scared to read it again.

[thecupcakekid]

This is a book I read to death when I was little and want to read again and cannot remember the title, the explanation is going to be vague but if anyone can help I'll sacrifice a goat to them, or something:

It was about a young black girl growing up in a city, I think New York. She had a bratty younger brother and her Father was a lawyer. She wanted to be a lawyer too but her Father didn't think that girls should go into law. I am pretty sure she was pudgy and her Nanny put her on a diet, while her brother was very active and favored by her Father.

I think I remember a part where her Nanny gave her brother ice cream/dessert for a snack and she got something nasty and healthy because she was pudge. And I think her brother stole money or something from...someone or someplace.

[Deleted]

I think that may be a book by Louise Fitzhugh (author of Harriet the Spy) but I don't remember the title.

[thecupcakekid]

Stargirl, You are my favorite person in the world. It's Called "Nobody's Family is Going to Change." I almost teared up once I found the title. Thank you so much! Ah, memories.

[ernestine]

I really hope someone can help me with this one. I read it when I was a young adult (late seventies, early eighties) and it's about some sort of science experiment with teenagers invited to live in this place that is only stairways. They are always climbing up and down and I think even the toilet was on some stair landing. One of the girls was named Blossom. They might have been foster kids or juvenile delinquints. I don't think they had a choice about going or not.

Does this ring any bells?

[Deleted]

Yes--that is House of Stairs by William Sleator.

Cupcake Kid--it's an extemely satisfying feeling to solve the puzzle of a missing book, so the pleasure is all mine. (And today is my lucky day, because I got to solve another one for ernestine.)

[SGleason]

Oh, this is totally off-topic but I loved Louise Fitzhugh's book and was sorry that I couldn't go to NYC to see the musical (!) in the early 80s, based on "Nobody's Family is Going to Change." They ignored the main character, though, and made it all about the tap-dancing little brother.

The little brother from the Broadway show turned out to be Carlton on "Fresh Prince" later. heh.


Now. Can anybody help me find a book about a girl who goes off to boarding school, and tells everyone her dad's Norman Mailer, and her friend is "Ebbie Faber, of the Eberhard Faber pencil family", and another student tries to slash her wrists? I've been looking for that book for a long, long time. It was around in the 80s.

[ernestine]

Stargirl, now you're my favorite persojn too! I can't believe you knew that book! I've been describing this book to people for YEARS trying to find it again and nobody's heard of it. It got to the point that I kind of wondered if I made it up!

I remember that it was a very disturbing book, and I didn't exactly like it, I just thought it was very interesting. I must go out and buy it today!

Thank you!

[Deleted]

I'm glad to help! Believe me, this book is so weird there's no way you'd have just made it up...it's one of those books that you just can't forget; even though it's been years since I read it myself.