2 book ids: Teen runaway novel & folk tales compilation
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kiwiler ...@aol.com (Kiwilerner)
Hi all. I'm hoping that the incredibly smart and well-read people here will be able to help me identify a couple of very different books from my youth. One's probably relatively easy to identify, the other one is gonna be a toughie!
1) A young adult novel in the Paula Danziger "Cat Ate My Gymsuit" oevre (she might even be the author) about a young overweight teen girl who doesn't get along with her divorced mom, and then runs off to California to be with her dad and his second wife. It's not the delighted reunion she kinda expected from her father, and she and stepmom clash a bit, but otherwise our heroine is happier than she was at home.
She enrolls in a new school and ends up with an English teacher she develops a major crush on. One memorable scene involves the teacher having the students examine the poem, "Spring and Fall to a Young Child" by Gerald Manley Hopkins; our heroine is so enrapt with the poem, she cuts her next period cl*** and stands outside the teacher's next group of students, so she can listen to the other cl***'s discussion of the same poem. (I fell in love with this poem myself thanks to this, and that's why I remember the book so fondly.) Eventually the girl becomes the teacher's babysitter, and ... hmm, I'm not sure, but I think she stops idealizing him and ends up getting along much better with the stepmom. Anyway. That's the gist. The book must've been published in the late 1970s, and the paperback version I had was orange, with a cover illustration of the girl wearing gl***es, a sweater and somewhat frumpy jeans. Sound familiar to anyone, I hope? 2) This second book ID is probably going to be much tougher, because the only description I can think of is vague at best -- I was much younger when reading it. It's an old-ish collection of what I believe are Eastern European (could be Romanian, Czech, Hungarian... not sure) folk tales, mostly focusing on animals (Yeah, that narrows it down, right? LOL.) Some characters are repeated throughout the different stories, such as a wily black & white cat (a picture of this cat's face is on the red hardcover edition I used to have -- the cat wore a hat with a feather, I think), a fox, a dog and a bear.
I seem to remember one of the tales focusing on one of the smaller animals slipping inside the skin of a dead larger foe (fox, wolf, or bear) in a way that scares some of its friends and enemies. As you can tell, the tales were somewhat grim -- though not as bad as actual Grimm tales! -- and there was generally a somewhat sardonic, dark tone to the narrative. The illustrations were very detailed black & white line drawings. As far as age goes, it must date back *at least* as far as the 1970s, when I was a kid, and is likely a couple of decades older. My late mom had a bookstore specializing in first editions/used books, and kept her own huge collection of obscure tag sale finds at home in a library where my sisters and I used to explore and 'steal' books that looked interesting. :) I'm guessing there's no chance that this strikes a chord with anyone, since I know the description is vague and general. What the heck, I gave it a shot!
Thanks in advance, and sorry for the rambling!
-- Kira
w ...@deeptht.armory.com (Wendy E. Betts)
_Marly the Kid_ by Susan Beth Pfeffer
--
"I couldn't believe this was a book. It didn't even give me a headache." -- Chris Crutcher on _To Kill a Mockingbird_ latest issue: www.windowsill.net/vol12.no1.html book blog: www.xanga.com/windowsill
"Donna Pedaci" do...@dragonflybooks.com
I don't know about Marly the Kid, I remember that the teacher was rather cruel and called Marly "Plain, plump and pimply" and she ends up bringing a complaint against him.
Donna Pedaci Dragonfly Books "Wendy E. Betts" <w...@deeptht.armory.com> wrote in message ...
"Kris Baker" kris.ba...@prodigyy.net
Marly is not sure that her father's new wife will accept her but feels that anything is better than returning to live with her mother 15 yr old Marly is plain with freckles, but that doesn't mean people can comment on it!!.
During her sophmore year Marly greatly affects her life by acting on two decisions, to live with her father instead of her mother and to refuse to take insulting remarks from her history teacher.
Donna, is it possible that two teachers figure into the plot? The mean old history teacher, and an inspiring English teacher?
Kris
w ...@deeptht.armory.com (Wendy E. Betts)
That was a different teacher. It is unquestionably _Marly the Kid_.
The poster remembered it extremely well.
--
"I couldn't believe this was a book. It didn't even give me a headache." -- Chris Crutcher on _To Kill a Mockingbird_ latest issue: www.windowsill.net/vol12.no1.html book blog: www.xanga.com/windowsill
kiwiler ...@aol.com (Kiwilerner)
Wow, thanks to Wendy, Donna and Kris. Marly the Kid it is! I was remembering her name as Marcie, but figured I was way off. Yes, I think there were two teachers; her English teacher is the hunky guy with a poetry flair; the history prof is the misogynist who calls her plain, plump and pimply. BTW, good memory, Donna! Ouch, I forgot about that part. I seem to recall the insult occurs when Marcy speaks up against the teacher for his chauvinistic comments.
You guys are terrific. Can't wait to order a used copy of MtK!
(Now if anyone comes up with the answer to that European folk tales compilation, I'll be doing cartwheels!!)
-- Kira Visit "About Schuyler Falls" Award-winning online drama at http://www.skyfalls.com
"Hannigaholic" hannigaho...@fsmail.net
Aesop's Fables? With the Tortoise and the Hare in it?
"Hannigaholic" hannigaho...@fsmail.net
And there was me thinking that I'd had a moment of inspiration
"Kris Baker" kris.ba...@prodigy.net
Maybe something here will jog your memory?
http://www.walterswebs.com/am178.htm http://www.walterswebs.com/am175.htm Kris
kiwiler ...@aol.com (Kiwilerner)
OMG!
Kris, thankyouthankyouthankyou! What a treasure hunt you sent me on. The info on the pages you sent me didn't ring a bell, but one of them contained a link to Amazon's list of European folk tales, which had one book called "A Ukrainian Tale" -- which, while not the correct book, jogged my memory that the book I was thinking of *was* Ukrainian! So I did a little more hunting on Ukrainian Folk Tales, and after some false leads, came up with ... (drumroll ...) "UKRAINIAN FOLK TALES: TALES ABOUT ANIMALS Zheleznova, Irina translator Notes: No date. Red cloth binding, front board beautifully decorated in gilt/white/black/grey with cat wearing hat and cloak playing a mandolin ( ...
)Tales for children: The Old Man`s Mitten; Trixy-Vixy Fox; Smily-Wily the Fox; Little Sister Fox and Little Brother Wolf; Nibbly-Quibbly the Goat, and more.
Delightfully illustrated b/w + four full-page colour illustrations." This description is from http://www.icehousebooks.co.uk/book000930.htm -- which lists the book as sold, alas. But the reference to a cat wearing a hat, and playing a mandolin, is right on the money! WOOOHOO!
It's been reprinted, but I definitely want the earlier edition (which, from other searches, seems to be from about 1963). Now at least I know what to search for!
Thanks a million, Kris. And to everyone who helped out, despite my pathetically vague description. What an incredible resource the web is. :)
-- Kira P.S. Just for a fun comparison, here's my original request:
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It's an old-ish collection of what I believe are Eastern European (could be Romanian, Czech, Hungarian... not sure) folk tales, mostly focusing on animals (Yeah, that narrows it down, right? LOL.) Some characters are repeated throughout the different stories, such as a wily black & white cat (a picture of this cat's face is on the red hardcover edition I used to have -- the cat wore a hat with a feather, I think), a fox, a dog and a bear.
I seem to remember one of the tales focusing on one of the smaller animals slipping inside the skin of a dead larger foe (fox, wolf, or bear) in a way that scares some of its friends and enemies. As you can tell, the tales were somewhat grim -- though not as bad as actual Grimm tales! -- and there was generally a somewhat sardonic, dark tone to the narrative. The illustrations were very detailed black & white line drawings. As far as age goes, it must date back *at least* as far as the 1970s, when I was a kid, and is likely a couple of decades older.
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Visit "About Schuyler Falls" Award-winning online drama at http://www.skyfalls.com
"Kris Baker" kris.ba...@prodigy.net
Great! YOU did the work, though....not me. Just glad to have helped.
Kris
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