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A A Milne, A Gallery of Children, 1925.  I found the title and author, now I just need the book!

Carole Kendall, The Gammage Cup.
The Gamage Cup (Harcourt, 1959)   "A handful of Minnipins, a sober and sedate people, rise up against the Periods, the leading family of an isolated mountain valley, and are exiled to a mountain where they discover that the ancient enemies of their people are preparing to attack." Major characters= Fooley (balloonist), Gummy (writer), Curley Green (painter). 

Randall Garrett and Vicki Ann Heydron, The Gandalara Cycle. This is definitely the Gandalara Cycle, I just reread it last month. My copies are bound in three books, but look as if they were originally seven different books. My copies are Gandalara Cycle One (which consists of The Steel of Raithskar, The Glass of Dyskornis, and The Bronze of Eddarta), Gandalara Cycle Two (which consists of The Well of Darkness, The search for Ka, and Return to Eddarta), and The River Wall.
Randall Garrett and Vicki Ann Heydron, Gandalara Cycle. This is actually two trilogies the books are (in order): The Steel of Raithskar, The Glass of Dyskornis, The Bronze of Eddarta, The Well of Darkness, Return to Eddarta, The Search for Ka. Garrett became ill partway through, and after the first book, most of it seems to be his coauthor's work.
the solution to my request has been filled successfully.  you may mark w174 as solved.  the gandalara cycle is correct.  thanks

M41 Moon path -- The Garden Behind the Moon by Howard Pyle? Plot description from the Parabola reprint (1993) "A lonely young boy discovers the secret of walking the glimmering path across the ocean waves to the moon, where he then learns of the beautiful, happy garden behind the moon"
M41 moon path: more on the suggested Garden Behind the Moon, a Real Story of the Moon Angel, by Howard Pyle, copyright 1895, reprinted 1988 by Parabola. "David, a lonely young boy who's ridiculed as a "moon-calf" by the other children in his seaside village, one night learns the secret of walking the glimmering path on the ocean, where he discovers the beautiful, happy garden behind the moon. Passing behind the Moon Angel, he also passes into manhood and starts on a hero's journey to bring lost treasures back to earth, riding a winged horse and fighting a giant along the way and winning the hand of a princess in the end... Howard Pyle wrote this book following the death of his young son. It is a touching and tender allegory."
Wow!  either you or your readers are fabulous - this is totally it! Thank you so much!

The Garden Behind the Moon, Howard Pyle.  (reprinted in 2002)  "In the fishing village where he lives, David sits alone by the shore at night, watching the path of light that stretches across the sea until it almost touches the moon.  Wondering, where does it go?  Then one day he hears a voice of the Moon Angel.  Why not try the moon path tonight?  As David will discover, the path leads to a magical world behind the moon."
Howard Pyle, The Garden Beyond the Moon
Howard Pyle, The Garden Beyond the Moon

George Selden, The Garden Under the Sea, 1957.  "Humorous juvenile fiction, where talking starfish and crabs and lobsters make an underwater garden of the things people leave behind on the beach, like people do when finding rocks and shells and glass from the sea." 

I believe that's Louisa May Alcott.  Originally published in 1908.

Rayner Mary, Garth Pig and the Ice cream lady, 1977.  This book tells the story of Garth pig and his brothers and sisters.  Garth is sent to buy 8 whooshes from the ice cream truck with the magic music - and a terrible fate awaits.  Not sure of the earliest published date, but there is a 1977 McMillan version.  There are several books about Pigs by Rayner.
This probably isn't it, because the poster seems pretty sure about the Lupino name, but perhaps it's Garth Pig and the Icecream Lady, by Mary Rayner, 1977.  "When Garth Pig tries to buy ice cream, he is kidnapped by Mrs. Wolf, driver of the ice cream truck."
I posted the first solution.  Maybe there are two versions of this book, because the one I have seen in the library definitely has Madame Lupino and not Mrs Wolf.  I did find a reference to it on the web, and it also referes to Madame Lupino.  Possibly a difference in British/US publications?  Here's the web ref.
Rayner, Mary, Garth Pig and The Ice Cream Lady, 1977.  Hi there- I posted this stumper, and can officially declare it resolved.  Despite the Lupino/Mrs. Wolf question, the description sounded close enough to check out. I recieved my copy in the mail yesterday, and it is indeed the book, Mrs. Lupino and all.  It's nice to have it back after all these years. Thanks to the poster who solved this for me, and to Loganberry books for running such a valuable service.  It was well worth the two bucks.  You are free to file this under Solved Mysteries. Thanks again.
M238 When you think of word derivations, Wolf would be a rough translation of Lupino.

Sound like a cross between Mary Chase's Harvey (the seven foot rabbit) and the comic strip by Crockett Johnson called Barnaby...
I10 I just bought this book at a thrift shop. Gary and the Very Terrible Monster by Barbara Williams, illustrated by Lois Axeman, Watertower, 1973. "When Gary was five, he had a pet monster, a very terrible monster. His name was Mr. Green Nose." Mr. Green Nose makes a terrible noise "a noise like a little boy burping" Because only Gary can see Mr. Green Nose, other people think it's Gary who throws the rock through Mr. Mudd's window into his goldfish bowl, ties cans to Mrs. Fitt's fat cat and puts a fly in Debbie White's milk.
I10 imaginary friend monster: Gary and the Very Terrible Monster sounds like a good match - Gary is close to Harry, and the fly in the milk episode sounds pretty distinctive.

I'm hoping you can help find a cherished book from my childhood.  It was one of my favorites, but I believe my little brother destroyed it, (he was a book shredder in his toddler years).  I read your Stumper page and believe it may be the same book being searched for under P4?  Two pigs, a brother & sister, I believe their names were Francine & Francois traveled to Paris, they rode a train & a cruise ship & were locked in a barn to be fattened up.  They escaped & returned home.  I believe the book was old when it was read to me, some 30 years ago.  Would love to have it again to relive childhood memories.  Would appreciate any help your site can offer.  Thanks!
I think I remember the same book.  I've been looking for it on the Internet. I think it's a Little Golden Book called Gaston and Josephine (I remember that when I read references to "Alphonse & Gaston" I thought they were talking about my book.)  I remember something about the two little pigs go into the dining car but they don't have any money for their food, and the
little boy pig wears a navy blue sailor suit and sort of a blue tam with a white pom-pom.
P-4  Gaston and Josephine! Yes!  Those were the pigs. How could I ever forget those names...
Yes, indeed. It's Little Golden Book #65 by Georges Duplaix and illustrated by Feodor Rojankovsky in 1949. And hard to find, of course!
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I am looking for a story read to me by my nana when I was a child some 20 to 30 years ago.  It is a story about 2 little pigs (in my memory they are French,) coming over on a ship, basically ostrasized by the other passengers, but when they are in a fog, they save the day when the foghorn is broken by oinking and being heroes.

Georges Duplaix, Gaston and Josephine, '40s or 50s, approximate.  A classic Little Golden Book illustrated by Feodor Rojankovsky.  The pigs are on a ship to America.  When the ship's siren breaks, they climb up into the crows nest and squeal loudly so that other ships will hear them coming through the fog.
George Duplaix, Gaston and Josephine, 1933, copyright.  A Little Golden Book, illustrated by Feodor Rojankovsky. Cute story of 2 French pigs on their way to America to visit their uncle. After several misadventures, including their wallet being stolen by a kangaroo at the Paris zoo, a missed train, being locked up by a man who wanted to eat them, and a flat bicycle tire, they finally make it onboard ship. When the thick fog rolls in and the ship's siren is out of order, they climb to the crow's nest and squeak loudly to warn other ships, becoming heroes to the captain and grateful passengers.
Georges Duplaix, Gaston and Josephine, 1950's, approximate.  This is an older Little Golden Book, illustrated by Fyodor Rojankovsky.  It is out of print, I'm pretty sure.  The story is just as described by the poster, and yes, the pigs are "two very rosy French pigs."  They are on their way to America to visit their cousins when the siren breaks during a heavy fog and the pigs save the day.

I'm pretty sure that the book is The Gauntlet, by Ronald Welch. Oxford U. Press, date unknown. I can check my copy at home if you like.
See also the listing under Danny Dunn: Invisible Boy.
Description from Four to Fourteen: a library of books for children compiled by K.M. Lines, 2d ed. 1956:
Welch, Ronald, The Gauntlet illustrated by T.R. Freeman, Oxford Univ Press, 1951 "The finding of an armoured gauntlet takes schoolboy Peter back into the past and through his experiences the reader shares life in a castle on the Welsh Border in the fourteenth century."

Interpreting Condition  Grades

Welch, Ronald. The Gauntlet.  Illustrated by T.R. Freeman.  Oxford University Press, 1952.  VG/VG.  <SOLD>

Genevieve Goes to Bed Early (title of story within book).  This was a story within a collection of short stories  not a separate book. I can't remember the title, author or any of the other stories, but I do remember that this was the title of the story. I read it as a child in England in around 1966/1967. So not really a solution, but a little additional info.
More info about a solved mystery, "Genevieve Goes to Bed Early."  This story was in the Golden Story Treasury, a Big Golden Book from 1951 with stories, songs, and poems.  The stories are: Samson, Biffington Bopp, Conundrums, The Very Quiet Fores(t?), Bumps, William the Rooster, Genevieve Goes to Bed Early, The Tree-Toad Weather Man, Ellie Phantastic, The Littlest Fire Engine, The Kite, From a Tree Top.
I have spent about 3 weeks on the internet trying to find any information on a story I remember from my childhood in the 50's.  I had no success as I didn't know the name of the story or the title of the book it was a part of.  There were several other stories in the book as well.  I found your website through a search engine.  When I started looking through your site, I knew right away that I would find what I was looking for.  How exciting!  However, it was listed as a "solved mystery".  The reference number is "G123 - Genevieve Goes To Bed Early".  I was thrilled to just see it posted there, but I would like to know what book it came from & would be interested in buying the book.  Could you please tell me how to proceed.  Thanks so much for your help. 

Konigsburg, E. L., (George).  NY Atheneum 1971.  The poster has a good memory. "Benjamin Dickinson Carr is more than just an average sixth grader. He has a sky high I.Q., a knack for all kinds of science, and most of all, he has George. He has an inner self named George. Ben ignores warnings from the "little person" inside until the truth is out." "George is the funniest little man in the world & he lives inside a boy named Benjamin Carr & creates difficulty for Ben's brother Howard." Ben is in an accelerated class (organic chemistry?) with older children, and his lab partner is involved in something illegal, but Ben wants his friendship so badly he ignores the warnings of his imaginary friend George.
E.L. Konigsburg, (George).  The English edition is called Benjamin Dickinson Carr and his (George)

hee, hee, I love it when I know the answer!  George and Martha by James Marshall.  There were several in the series, starring simple drawings of very funny (and big) hippoes.  I don't know why these books aren't better known, they're classic!  Maurice Sendak, for one, spares no praise for the "judicious, humane, witty, and astonishingly clever head of James Marshall."
The original books are hard to find, but these are new and in stock:
Marshall, James.  George and Martha.  Houghton Mifflin, 1972.  New hardcover edition, $16
Marshall, James.  George and Martha: The Complete Stories of Two Best Friends.  With a foreword by Maurice Sendak.  Houghton Mifflin, 1972-1988, 1997.  New hardcover edition, $25

Interpreting Condition  Grades

Marshall, James.  George and Martha: The Complete Stories of Two Best Friends. Foreword by Maurice Sendak.  Houghton Mifflin, 1997.  New hardback,  $25 Marshall, James.  George and Martha.  Houghton Mifflin, 1972.  New hardback,  $16  New paperback, $7 Marshall, James.  George and Martha Encore.  Houghton Mifflin, 1973.  New paperback, $7 Marshall, James.  George and Martha Rise and Shine.  Houghton Mifflin, 1976.  New paperback, $7 Marshall, James.  George and Martha One Fine Day.  Houghton Mifflin, 1978.  New hardback,  $16.  New paperback, $7 Marshall, James.  George and Martha Tons of Fun.  Houghton Mifflin, 1980  New hardback,  $16.  New book.  $16 Marshall, James.  George and Martha Back in Town.  Houghton Mifflin, 1984.  New hardback,  $16.  New paperback, $7 Marshall, James.  George and Martha Round and Round.  Houghton Mifflin, 1988.  New hardback,  $16.  New paperback, $7

The Gentle Giant?
Dooly and the Snortsnoot. Summary: Although he enjoys playing with the village children instead of scaring them, Dooly, a giant who never grew, can't quite forget that giants are supposed to be big, brave, and scary.
I think G89 may be a Weekly Reader book titled George the Gentle Giant by Jeffrey Severn. I just flipped through it at a book sale this weekend, and it certainly seems very similar!
Could this be The Amiable Giant by Louis Slobodkin (1955)?? Found in an anthology- Golden Treasury of Children's Literature.
George the Gentle Giant by Adelaide Holl 1960- Cookies as big as wagon wheels and ice cream cones as big as haystacks- A Golden Read it Yourself Book.

This sounds familiar - could it be Georgie and the Robbers, a smallish paperback I believe Scholastic book, probably from the 70's?
Robert Bright, Georgie and the Robbers. This is definetely Georgie and the Robbers It is still in print. 

Thanks for your message.  We have two copies of Geraldine Belinda in stock...
Hi, I just want to be sure it is the book I am looking for. I thought it was called Geraline Belinda Mabel Scott. What is the picture on the cover of the book. Thank you.
It's the right book.  The dj shows a little girl flouncing across the cover with hands in a muff and braids trailing behind.  The first page talks about Geraldine Belinda Marybel Scott.
I am delighted that you have the book. Please reserve one for me.
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Ever heard of a book called Geraldine Belinda Marybell Scott - a childhood favorite of mine.  Would love to get copy for grandchildren.

Yes, and I have a beautiful copy of Geraldine Belinda for you.
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I'm looking for a little thin book, about 3"x 5."  I remember reading this book when I was very young, probably around 1960.  I think the cover was red.  The story was about a young girl who went to the candy store.  I remember a picture of her looking in the window at all the candy.  There was a man behind the counter.  She had a small purse that held her coins.  Her clothing was old fashioned.  I believe she was wearing a coat, and maybe a hat.  Maybe even gloves.  The drawings were fairly simple, and mostly black and white.

HRL:  I think this is Geraldine Belinda by Marguerite Henry, 1942.  Geraldine Belinda goes on a shopping spree and doesn't want to share her new treasures with her friends she passes on the way home.  But by holding her head so high, she misses that each of her little toys falls out of her bag (paper horn), and cries when she discovers her empty load at home, until all her scorned friends arrive on her doorstep, each one holding one of the toys she'd dropped.
Marguerite Henry, Geraldine Belinda, 1942.  Yes, thank you, this is the book I remember.  Although I remember it being much smaller!  I bought a copy and read it with delight.  I was so surprised to see the little girl wearing a white fur hat and carrying a hand muff.  My sister and I had those, too, probably about the same time I read the book.
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I'm looking for a little thin book, about 3"x 5."  I remember reading this book when I was very young, probably around 1960.  I think the cover was red.  The story was about a young girl who went to the candy store.  I remember a picture of her looking in the window at all the candy.  There was a man behind the counter.  She had a small purse that held her coins.  Her clothing was old fashioned.  I believe she was wearing a coat, and maybe a hat.  Maybe even gloves.  The drawings were fairly simple, and mostly black and white.

HRL:  I think this is Geraldine Belinda by Marguerite Henry, 1942.  Geraldine Belinda goes on a shopping spree and doesn't want to share her new treasures with her friends she passes on the way home.  But by holding her head so high, she misses that each of her little toys falls out of her bag (paper horn), and cries when she discovers her empty load at home, until all her scorned friends arrive on her doorstep, each one holding one of the toys she'd dropped.
Marguerite Henry, Geraldine Belinda, 1942.  Yes, thank you, this is the book I remember.  Although I remember it being much smaller!  I bought a copy and read it with delight.  I was so surprised to see the little girl wearing a white fur hat and carrying a hand muff.  My sister and I had those, too, probably about the same time I read the book.

I don't have a solution to this stumper, but I do have more details that might help someone else pin it down. I remember this book and had thought it was called something like Yours Truly, Trudy, but I haven't been able to find anything by that name or close approximations online. The main character's name is definitely Trudy or Trudie, though  I think she starts out hating her name, Gertrude, and then the woman she befriends encourages her to call herself Trudy, which she likes much better. Hope that helps someone track down the real thing.
The hint about "Trudy" seems right---I think maybe the girl signed her diary entries "yours Trudy" instead of "yours truly".  Still no luck with any combo of those terms, though.  I wonder if maybe this was a reprint of slightly earlier book, since the part about the oxygen tent seemed very old-fashioned.
Ruth Hooker (author), Gloria Kamen (illustrator), Gertrude Kloppenberg (private), 1970.  Eureka, I found it!  I read this book many years ago when it was first published, and remembered one detail the stumper requester didn't mention.  Gertrude puts a symbol at the top of each diary entry to show whether she's had a good, bad or medium day.  A good day is marked with a star, a medium day with a circle, and a bad day with a square.  Armed with this knowledge, I did an online search, but could only find a brief synopsis for this title: "A lonely little girl keeps a diary in which she records her search for a 'true blue friend.'"  I borrowed the book through interlibrary loan, and discovered that it is definitely the book being sought!  Gertrude is a latchkey child whose mother works as a bookkeeper for a department store.  (Gertrude's father is never mentioned, and it is unclear whether her mother is divorced, widowed, or a single parent.)  Gertrude and her mother live on the top story of a two family house.  The lower level is occupied by the five Murphy boys and their parents.  Gertrude purchases a black and white speckled notebook and starts her diary on Monday, March 25th.  She signs some entries "Yours truly, Trudy."  On March 28th, Gertrude admires a garden through a knothole in a fence while walking home from school.  On that same day, Gertrude's mother goes shopping with her friend, Miss Rice (the head of housewares), and buys her daughter a plaid dress with a white collar "just like pictures of school girls in magazines."  Gertrude meets Mrs. Blonski, the owner of the garden, on April 11, and her son, Carl, on April 23rd.  Thanks to the kind Mrs. Blonski, the shy and unsure Trudy learns to jump rope, befriends the children at her school, gains the favorable attention of her teacher, stands up to the rambunctious Murphy boys, and becomes best friends with Sandra, the most popular girl at school.  At the end of the book, Trudy nearly succumbs to undiagnosed pneumonia, but is saved by Carl (who is studying medicine) and Mrs. Blonski, who take her to the hospital where she is put in an oxygen tent.  The book concludes with the entry for Friday, May 24th.  This was Ruth Hooker's first book, and it was published by Abingdon Press.  It was followed by a sequel in 1974, Gertrude Kloppenberg II, which starts on Monday, May 28th, four days after the first book ends.
Yay!  I'm so excited to see my old stumper solved!  I swear I don't remember a car accident, though...I'll have to re-read it.

The bear who liked hugging people, and other stories.  Ainsworth, Ruth and Maitland, Antony,   (New York : C. Russak, 1978, ©1976) Stories: The bear who liked hugging people.--The witch's cat.--Beware of the bull.--Miranda and the mermaid.--Knock, knock, who's there?--George's picnic.--Winkle the witch.--The ship without a captain.--Mr. Velvet's bad deeds.--Pom-Pom the clown.--The moon walk.--Pix!Pax!Pox!--Miss Peggy Top
Richard Hughes, Gertrude's Child, 1966.  Illustrated by Rick Schreiter.  This is indeed the book that absolutely horrified me as a child, approximately 35 years ago.  I received it in the mail today and after reading just three pages, I can see why I was traumatized!  Thank you so much to this site and to the individual that solved my query!  Thank you Harriet for providing this service.  Without it I surely would never had resolved this and would have been "wondering" forever!
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Illustrated book from the late 60s/early 70s. The main character, a little girl who mistreats her dolls, wakes up in a mysterious world where the dolls choose and own the little girls. She goes through a strange process of being put on a shelf in a little girl store. On a nearby shelf there is a mysterious and beautiful little girl who lies very still with her eyes closed. I think she is under a glass cover. Our little girl is chosen by an awful doll and is treated much the same way she treated her own dolls. One memorable scene has the doll running a bath, plopping the little girl in and forgetting her until the water is ice cold and the little girl is shivering miserably. I can't remember the outcome, but I remember being fascinated with both the haunting story and pen and ink illustrations.

Richard Arthur Warren Hughs, Gertrude's Child, 1966. Gertrude was a wooden doll determined to be set free of the little girl who owns her and abuses her. When she meets an old man who takes her to his store, she finds all sorts of children for sale!
I wanted to thank you for identifying my book! It was indeed Gertrude's Child. I have ordered a copy and look forward to reading it again!
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I am looking for the name of a book that I read as a child.  About 35 years ago.  As I remember it, it was about a doll named "Gertrude", although that could have been the name of the "little girl" in the story too.  The little girl mistreated her doll... would drag her around by the foot, leave her on the floor, etc.  At some point, the doll comes to life and mistreats the little girl. I remember being horrified by the story and have been searching for it for years.

Richard Hughes, Gertrude's Child, 1966.  I entered the key words Gertrude doll.  It came up with Gertrude's Child by Richard Hughes written in 1966.  The description says Gertrude the doll is tired of what she thinks is abuse and runs away.  Could this be the book you're thinking of?  This same author has a 1971 book entitled Gertrude and the Mermaid.
I am almost trembling, I am so excited.  I think the mystery of the title of the book I've been searching for for so long has been solved!  Someone responded to my post about G300, The story of a doll that "owns" a girl and mistreats her.  If this mystery has been solved, the book is titled:  Gertrude's Child by Richard Hughes.  I have ordered it through [some huge corporate monstrocity].  I will let you know as soon as I receive it, if in fact it is the book I'm looking for!

S11 may very well be Richard Peck's The Ghost Belonged to Me, about Alexander Armstrong and Blossom Culp ("the spidery-legged little spook") who Alexander continually refers to as a spider. It was made into a Disney TV movie in the 76-77 timespan.  I am having fun with these, and I'm suggesting the site to others!

I have no idea if this was a book or not.  I saw this movie on TV when I was young (mid to late 70s), so it was probably a Disney or Sunday night movie for kids.  It was about a boy in the South (Louisiana?) who discovers the ghost of a little girl.  She asks for his help in solving her murder. I think she was thrown down a well.  Maybe by an uncle.  I think it was antebellum or thereabouts.  I've tried Disney sites and haven't had any luck, so I thought I would try you.
G10:  The Disney movie is Child of Glass. It is based on the book The Ghost Belonged to Me by Richard Peck.

Interpreting Condition  Grades

Peck, Richard.  The Ghost Belonged to Me.  Puffin paperback reprint, 1997.  New.  $5

Lois Lenski, Indian Captive: The Story of Mary Jemison, 1941.  I haven't read this book in a long time, and I don't know how true the novel is to the real story, but Mary Jemison was captured by Indians and her family was murdered, and she eventually married an Indian man. Her hair is supposed to be blonde, but looks reddish on the cover of the 1994 reprint. It could also be Where the Broken Heart Still Beats: The Story of Cynthia Ann Parker by Carolyn Meyer, but I've never read that book and know less about it.
HRL:  another Mary Jemison account is by Jeanne LeMonnier Gardiner, and titled Mary Jemison: Seneca Captive, originally published in 1966.  Mary is definately blonde in this story, an emigrant from Ireland settling in Pennsylvania before being captured by the Senecas.  The hiding in the barn part of the story doesn't match.
I wish I had mentioned in my original post that I don't believe the story to be that of Mary Jemison or Cynthia Ann Parker. I do believe that the book for which I'm searching is fiction. It's also not appropriate for young children.   There was some detail to the goings-on in the birthing hut. There was also a bit of violence in the description of the torture of the rival warrior. (He was forced to walk or run through rows of the tribe while they punched him or hit him with objects. They cut flesh from his legs and forced him to eat it before burning him at a stake.)
I think this is an adult romance novel called Ghost Fox. I remember reading it at about the same time and age as the requester, as a Reader's Digest Condensed Books selection.  The girl had red hair and I think her name was Sarah.  Ghost Fox was the name the Indians gave her, referring to her hair color.  She fell in love with an Indian brave and I thought the love scenes quite risque at that age-  there was one in which he put a string of beads around her waist for her to wear secretly under her clothes.  Unfortunately I have no idea who wrote this and Google turns up nothing. (I was also a fan of Lois Lenski's Indian Captive, which is definitely not the same book.)
You can mark this one as solved. I bought the book Ghost Fox by James Houston and while at least one detail in my memory didn't hold up, the rest did. Thanks so much!

To me, #S56, "Sadie's Grave," sounds like a description of the same book as #W29, Witch's Garden, which was identified as Ghost Garden.
S56 Sadie's Grave:  Sounds like the same answer for W29 - The Ghost Garden by Hila Feil, 1976.
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I hope you can help me with this request, I have been searching for this book for at least 15 years. I think the title was The Witches Garden but I am not sure. It was not by Ruth Chew but is possibly an American book. The story was about a 12 year old girl who goes to stay with her Aunt? while her parents are overseas. The Aunt runs a big boarding house/inn/hotel. I think the girls name was Sarah she becomes friends with a girl named Christine? who is described as being very pale - hair, eyes, skin. Christine is fascinated by the local graveyard where a 12 year old girl named Sadie was buried many years before. The girls discover that Sarah is living in Sadie's old house and they find her room behind layers of wallpaper. It still contains her furniture and toys. The girls say a spell at midnight on Sadie's grave in the hope that they will see her ghost but it doesn't work. Then Christine dies, she leaves Sarah some seeds which she eventually plants on her grave, I think they are sunflowers. The rest of the book tells of Sarah learning to accept change. And thats all I can remember.I hope you can help as I would love a copy of it. Thanks in anticipation

Could this be A Witch's Garden by Miriam Young?
No thats not it! Thanks for trying though. If only I could remember the title correctly!!!
W29: Witch's garden: I have this book, although it is in my old room in my parent's house. There is a scene where the girls spread gold dust in a "ceremony" to talk to the ghost. I'm fairly sure the title is The Ghost Garden by Hila Feil, but I'll give them a call and confirm it if I can. **Later...Hello again, I talked with my mom who confirmed the title and author. Hope this helps the person who was looking for it!
Thank you for your help and yes that is the book!!! I have just received my own copy from a bookshop in the US and am very happy!!!
More on the suggested title - Ghost Garden by Hilda Feil, published New York, Atheneum 1975, 236 pages. "A story of childhood friendship, set against a real and vividly drawn backcloth, that of Cape Cod. Into this setting comes Jessica, whose father went butterfly hunting long ago and shows no sign of returning, whose mother has embraced transcendental meditation and a new boyfriend. For the holidays Jessica has been wished on a scatty aunt who lives in a commune in Wellfleet, in a sagging house which reminds Jessica of "one of the old horses that pull the carriages in Central Park". It is anyone's dream of a haunted house and certainly Jessica senses a strange presence in it. Truro churchyard too seems to be haunted, but the pale elusive figure hiding among the graves is no ghost but Christina, another ten-year-old of an unhappy home. The two little girls make an ideal partnership in many holiday activities, notably ghost-hunting and witchery. At the end of the holiday they conduct an eerie seance in the churchyard at midnight, but the reflection which Jessica sees is not that of the ghost but of Christina. Christina, who has always seemed to exquisite to be quite real, dies. Jessica is left to keep her part of the pact which they had made, in blood, at the end of the holiday." (Junior Bookshelf Aug/77 p.233)
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This is a book I read about 30 years ago maybe when I was 10 or so about two little girls who are best friends. I think they may have become friends when one moved in next door to the other. I don't remember any names at all. One of the girls has a vial of gold dust, I believe it was dentist gold that she had gotten from her father. The two girls make an agreement that if one of them dies, they will somehow use this gold dust to somehow bridge the distance between the worlds of the living and the dead. It turns out one of the girls does die, I don't remember how, and the surviving friend performs a ritual with the gold dust, spinning in a circle and scattering it all over. For a while she thinks nothing happened, but then she sees her dead friend in a flower and learns that she has built the bridge but instead of bringing her to the after world, she has brought her friend back to the living world, but only briefly, through this flower. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Hila Feil, The Ghost Garden, 1976. I had remembered the title as The Witch Garden for years, but actually found the book through this Web site a couple years ago! Jessica is the girl sent to live with her odd relatives on Cape Cod, she befriends Christina in the graveyard, Christina later dies.

Ellen Raskin, Ghost in a Four Room Apartment.  I think this may be the book you're seeking.  It's square, one of the men wears a pot on his head, and everyone has big noses. It starts with one child in a room of the house and relatives and friends keep arriving on each page until there is a houseful.  The ghost plays tricks on everyone.
Isabel Eberstadt, Who is at the Door?, 1960.  Nell's mom is busy cleaning the basement and leaves her and her dog in charge of taking phone messages and answering the door.  Mayhem ensues when everyone including a friend, the ice-cream man, an organ grinder and a repairman are let in by Nell.  There is soon so much party-like noise in the house that when Nell's dad rings the bell and knocks, no one can hear him so he needs to climb in through the window.
Maurice Sendak, One Was Johnny, 1962, approximate.  Could it be this book? Johnny lives alone and the book counts up from 1 to 10 as more and more guests arrive at his house for a party, and back to 1 again as they leave. Can't find an image of Johnny with the pan on his head, but I seem to remember it...
The suggestion of "Ghost in a Four Room Apartment" is it! Boy, I wonder how many brain cells I've murdered over the decades trying to think of this?! I'm fascinated by the fact that I remembered a guy with a pan on his head and people with big noses but nothing whatsoever of a ghost.  Thanks so much!

Is there a pair of ghosts? Look at The Wicked Pigeon Ladies in the Garden on the Solved Mysteries page to see if that's a match...
Carol H. Behrman, Ghost in the Garden, 1984.  This sounds like Ghost in the Garden by Carol H. Behrman, in which Jennie and her family move to the country and Jennie discovers the ghost named Samantha in the garden where she paints. A Weekly Reader paperback, its out of print, but fairly available used.
Mary Downing Hahn, The Doll in the Garden, 1989.  This may not be the right book, but the cover shows a modern girl sitting with a ghost girl on a bench in a rose garden.  I read it in about 1990, too.
Behrman, Carol, Ghost in the Garden, 1984.  this book is definitely Ghost in the Garden! I got it from the Scholastic book list in 1988 or so. Jennie and Samantha become friends, they both decide to paint a picture of their houses one day and they realize that they have painted the same house...it turns out Samantha's a ghost and lived in Jennie's house, jennie's mother is an artist. Im sure this is it (what a great book.)

I don't have the title, but just a few more things about it.  The ghost, Felicia, is really obnoxious.  She rides a swing a lot.  The copy I read in 5th grade was hardback but without a jacket--the cover had an actual picture, though; it wasn't just blank.
The Ghost in the Swing, by Janet Patton Smith, publ. by Steck-Vaughn Co., 1973.
G28 ghost felicia: plot description from the LC catalogue for the suggested title The Ghost in the Swing: "A twelve-year-old girl visits her aunt and makes friends with a ghost inhabiting the house." which is a reasonable match.

St. John, Wylly Folk, The Ghost Next Door, illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman, NY Harper 1971.  Probably not the only one to suggest this - mystery about the ghost of a young girl called Miranda, clues include a cement owl made by her and her aunt. It's on the Solved List with more detail.
Wylly Folk St. John, The Ghost Next Door, 1971.  This is definitely the book. It has all the details the poster mentioned. From the back: "Sherry Aston had never been told about her dead half sister Miranda. So when Sherry came to visit her Aunt Judith, no one could explain the odd things that started to happen. Who was the elusive friend Sherry said she saw in the garden? Was she an imaginary playmate-or could she be the ghost of Miranda who had drowned in the pond years ago? Uncanny reminders of Miranda began to turn up- a blue rose a lost riding whip..." The main part of the plot is Sherry looking for the "owl with love in its eyes".
It must be THE GHOST NEXT DOOR by Wylly Folk St. John, 1971. More info is available on the Solved Stumpers page. ~from a librarian
A Gift of Magic (Laurel-Leaf Books) by Lois Duncan
You'll probably get a slew of responses to #O24--Owl with Love in its eyes.   It's The Ghost Next Door, by Wylly Folk St. John, and appears on your "Solved Mysteries" page.
Wylly F.  St. John, The Ghost Next Door.  This was one of my favorite books too.  I remember reading it many times. My copy is in storage, but I am certain of the title - not sure about the spelling of the author's name.
This is a Wylly Folk St. John book - it is either The Mystery of the Ghost Next Door or The Mystery of the
Girl Next Door.  The main character is visiting her (grandmother?) and discovers that there was a little girl who had died, she and the grandmother died roses blue, made the owl in question, etc.  She drowned in a pond in the backyard after hiding the owl for the grandmother's birthday and the grandmother hadn't been able to find it.  The children, along the way, expose a "psychic"'s fraud when he claims to have found the owl buried by the pond.
Wylly Folk St. John, The Ghost Next Door, 1971.  This seems to be a popular book.  It's been asked about a few times.
Regarding my stumper, O24: Owl with love in its eyes, I just wanted to thank everyone who wrote in and solved this 25-year-old mystery for me. Now I can share this book with my daughter when she is old enough. Thank you! Thank you! This service is terrific!
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I am trying to find the name of a book that I read as a child.  It was about two children who were living in a house with a pond nearby.  A girl named Miranda once lived in the house and drowned in the lake. The children are trying to find out about her, and they find her diary and a ceramic (I think) owl that she made when she was alive.  Does this sound familiar to anyone?  Thanks so much!

Yes! I know this one and I have the book right in front of me!!  The book the reader is looking for under M19 is The Ghost Next Door by Wylly Folk St. John.
THE GHOST NEXT DOOR by Wylly Folk St. John, 1971

I have been looking for a book that I read as a child.  I've received several responses in the past from sites like this one, but none of them have been the right one.  I remember that the "ghost" in the story is named Miranda--she drowned as the child.  The two children who are staying at the house find her diary and a ceramic owl that she made.  They are trying to solve some sort of mystery surrounding here.  Anyone have a clue?  Thanks!
The Ghost Next Door, by Wylly Folk St. John, illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman, published Harper 1971, 178 pages. "Miranda Alston was deeply loved by her aunt Judith. After her parents' divorce, Miranda and her father came to live in Georgetown with her aunt, and Miss Judith became mother and friend to the lonely little girl. Together they made roses turn blue, had a secret place in which they left small notes to each other, and created a cement owl 'with love in its eyes'. Then in a pond at the back of the property, Miranda was accidentally drowned. Miss Judith was shattered, and Dr. Alston, unable to restrain his grief, left the family home and tried to bury the memory of his daughter in his work. Consequently, when he returned to Georgetown - for the first time since the tragedy - with his second wife and their 10 year old daughter Sherry, all mention of Miranda was carefully avoided. And then Sherry developed a mysterious playmate - one who could not be put to rest until both she and her half-sister were once again lovingly recognized by their family. The plot, which is narrated by the budding-adolescent-next-door, Lindsey Morrow, is punctuated with seances, pregnant rabbits, and infamous psychics." (HB Apr/72 p.148)
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I only know the smallest bits of info on this book.  I think it may have been a Weekly Reader book.  A young girl moves (is visiting?) into a neighborhood.  The neighbor has recently lost their daughter (or other young female relative) and things start appearing in the house that make the neighbor believe the child is still alive.  There are blue carnations (which the little girl used to make by sticking white carnations into blue dye) and I recall an owl with marble eyes...behind the eyes are the words "Love" so that it can be seen when you look into the eyes of the owl.  Hope that is enough info...this has been driving me nuts for ages!  Thanks!  Great site BTW!!!

Wylly Folk St. John, The Ghost Next Door, 1971.  The owl with love in its eyes is the give away. I have seen this one show up as a stumper many times elsewhere.
St John, Wylly Folk, The ghost next door, 1971.  This is definitely The Ghost next Door.  This info is from your solved pages Miranda Alston was deeply loved by her aunt Judith. After her parents' divorce, Miranda and her father came to live in Georgetown with her aunt, and Miss Judith became mother and friend to the lonely little girl. Together they made roses turn blue, had a secret place in which they left small notes to each other, and created a cement owl 'with love in its eyes'. Then in a pond at the back of the property, Miranda was accidentally drowned. Miss Judith was shattered, and Dr. Alston, unable to restrain his grief, left the family home and tried to bury the memory of his daughter in his work. Consequently, when he returned to Georgetown - for the first time since the tragedy - with his second wife and their 10 year old daughter Sherry, all mention of Miranda was carefully avoided. And then Sherry developed a mysterious playmate - one who could not be put to rest until both she and her half-sister were once again lovingly recognized by their family. The plot, which is narrated by the budding-adolescent-next-door, Lindsey Morrow, is punctuated with seances, pregnant rabbits, and infamous psychics."
Wylly Folk St John, The Ghost Next Door. This is definitely it ... the granddaughter had died some time ago, before she died had hidden the 'owl with love in its eyes' that she and her grandmother had made together. Two visiting girls are trying to find the owl -- some plot with a fake seance.
Harriet, thank you!  I just found the book (it was already on your site and I missed it the other day!).  The Ghost Next Door (and it was blue roses, not carnations!).
Thanks so much for having this site....I've found three books that I thought were lost forever!   ...and even a movie ("The House Without a Christmas Tree".  Someone was talking of the book and I had been looking for the movie!).
St John, Wylly Folk, The Ghost Next Door, 1971.  This is definitely the book, the owl with love in its eyes gives it away. It's on the solved mysteries page.
Wylly Folk St John, Ghost Next Door.  There should be something on the Solved Mysteries about this one.
Wylly Folk St. John,The Ghost Next Door, 1971.  This is The Ghost Next Door, by Wylly Folk St. John, (it had lovely black and white illustrations by Trina Schart Hyman). Two girls become involved in looking into whether or not the ghost of a girl who drowned years ago in the pond behind a neighbor's house has returned. The owl with love in its eyes and the blue flower were things that Miranda had made with her grandmother (whose house it is), now Miranda's father is visiting his mother for the first time since his daughter's death, bringing with him his new wife and daughter Sherry. The appearance of the owl and flower, as well as an old riding crop, taken with Sherry's assertion that she has a new friend named Miranda, make it seem that it might be so.....
B401 This is The Ghost Next Door by Wylly Folk St. John~from a librarian
Wylly Folk St. John, The Ghost Next Door,1971.  See Solved Mysteries.
Wylly Folk St. John (author), Trina Schart Hyman (illustrator), The Ghost Next Door, 1981, reprint.  'Please check the "G" Solved Mysteries page for more information.
Wylly Folk St. John, The Ghost Next Door, circa 1965.  I'm fairly certain this would be the book you seek.  I have loved all of St. John's books!  Hope this helps.
Wylly Folk St. John, The Ghost Next Door.  I don't remember the carnations, but the owl with love in its eyes is in a Wylly Folk St. John book   I'm pretty sure it's The Ghost Next Door
St. John, Wylly Fox, The Ghost Next Door, 1960's or 70's.  I am sure that this is the book that you are looking for!  I loved this one as a girl, it is just scary enough, but not too scary.  The story is (loosely) about a girl who goes to live somewhere new and discovers that the neighbors had a daughter or granddaughter named Miranda who drowned ( I think) in a backyard pond.  The part about the dyed carnations has always stayed in my mind, too.  Good choice for a clue.  I hope this helps.
Wylly Folk St. John, The Ghost Next Door.
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I am looking for a book that I read about 10-12 years ago.  It was probably published in the 70s or so.  It was about a girl who went to visit her aunt.  While she was there, she discovered a jeweled owl in a tree.  Does this ring any bells?

Wylly Folk St. John, The Ghost Next Door, 1971.  This is the book you are looking for.  It was one of my favorites when I was a kid.  I still own it!  :-)  A child comes to visit her aunt and is seems to be haunted by the ghost of her dead half-sister, whom she knew nothing about.  Two girls that live next door decide to find out if there really is a ghost next door.  The jeweled owl is searched for throughout the story and is a huge part of the mystery.  Hope I helped!
Wyly Folk St John, The ghost next door.  must be this (again!)
Wylly Folk St. John (author), Trina Schart Hyman (illustrator), The Ghost Next Door, 1971.  Is it possible that the owl isn't jeweled, but made of cement with amber glass marbles for eyes?  If so, then this is The Ghost Next Door.  Sherry Alston visits her Aunt Judith and finds an owl "with love in its eyes" that her half-sister Miranda had hidden in a tree many years before.  Please see the Solved Mysteries "G" pages for more information.

I think that person is looking for The Ghost of Dibble Hollow by May Nickerson Wallace.
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I remember reading a book that I considered a very, very favorite book, but over time I have lost memory of the title and author.  The book was very enchanting, and may have had something in the title regarding "secret" or "hidden" and maybe "door" or "garden".  I think that there was a character by the name of "Miles" in it.  The book was read from my local public library in about 1965, but it was not contemporary for that time, it was much older (hence the name Miles).  I would love to find this book again to read it to my children.

Just guessing, but could this be The Phanton Tollbooth by Norton Juster? It's about a young boy named Milo who enters a fantasy world through a magical tollbooth that appears in his house.
Norton Juster, The Phantom Tollbooth.  Not sure...but isn't the boy in this book Miles?
I loved that book too.  From the back cover: "One day Milo finds an enormous and mysterious package in his room.  A phantom tollbooth, with a map to a weird world beyond!  So Milo sets off on a fantastic voyage in which he meets: the not so wicked Witch, Faintly Macabre, Alec Bings who sees through things, and the watchdog, Tock, who ticks."
Could this be The Ghost of Dibble Hollow? It was a book for older children, and was about a boy whose parents moved into "the family homestead," where he encountered the ghost of a long-deceased relative named Miles Dibble. The boy looked identical to Miles, who had died-I believe he drowned-after hiding a bag of gold belonging to him and his best friend (who was now a very old man). The gold had never been found, and was the source of a feud between the Dibbles and the old man's family. It is up to Miles' look-alike relative to solve the mystery of where the gold was buried, and to resolve the feud between the two families.
I think that this is also a book that I have been looking for.  I believe it was set in medieval times and the boy, Miles, father has disappeared and he and his mother were in difficulty until he finds whatever it is that is hidden in the wall in the garden.  I read this in grade 3 which was about 39 years ago and it was an old book then.
May Nickerson Wallace, The Ghost of Dibble Hollow.  That's the book, and I remember it very well, too. It's no longer in print according to my quick research.
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I'm looking for a book that I read in the mid 60's. It was a mystery having to do with the ghost of a boy named Miles and two identical trees on opposite sides of the yard or house. It seems that Miles was entrusted with taking a sum of money home, but disappeared. Everyone thinks he stole the money, but, in fact, he had buried it under one of the trees. He had problems with left and right, and had buried it under the wrong tree to keep it safe, and, I believe, had died protecting the money. His descendant, a boy about his age at his death, is trying to solve the mystery, since the Miles' best friend at the time, the one who thinks he stole the money, is still bitter about it, even though it is about 50 or 60 years later, and he's an old man. At the beginning of the book, the modern boy's family is moving into Miles' old house and finds the well is dry. Miles helps the boy locate a second well. The modern boy's name may be Benjamin or Benny, but I could be confusing his name with one of the Boxcar Children.

May Nickerson Wallace, The Ghost of Dibble Hollow, 1965. I believe this is the book you are looking for. Check the solved section for more details. Good luck.
May Nickerson Wallace, The Ghost of Dibble Hollow, 1965. Out of the graveyard comes a ghost—the ghost of ten-year-old Miles Dibble. “I’ve been waiting a long time for you to come to Dibble Hollow, Cousin”, he tells Pug. “Now you must help me find that lost money.” From that moment on, the ghostly Miles leads Pug from one spooky adventure to another. Pug gets used to chairs that rock by themselves, shutters that bang mysteriously, and hair that stands on end. And all the while he follows clues to the weirdest treasure hunt with the ghost of Dibble Hollow."'
May Nickerson Wallace, The Ghost of Dibble Hollow, 1965. 'The ghost, Miles Dibble, buried the money under a tree because he was being chased by thieves. They chase him to a river, where he is killed and his body swept downstream, and the money was never found. At the end, the boy's family makes peace with Miles' old friend (a neighbor - I think he had a grandchild who was friends with the boy) by finding the money, the family decides to stay in the house, and the unmarked grave where Miles was buried is found.
May Nickerson Wallace, The Ghost of Dibble Hollow, 1950s.This is the book, a great mystery and ghost story combined. Check Solved Mysteries.
May Nickerson Wallace, The Ghost of Dibble Hollow. This is definitely the book you are seeking.  See the Solved Mystery page under G for more details.
May Nickerson Wallace, The Ghost of Dibble Hollow, 1965. Definitely the one you're looking for!  Myles is a ghost, and the great-uncle of the modern boy
 he can only appear to a relative of approximately the same age.  Myles knows what happened, but can't say what it is, he has to lead the modern-day nephew to the clues and let him piece together what happened. He keeps humming or singing the song "The Derby Ram" because his body was discovered in a town called Derby, and once the nephew puts the clues together, and talks to the old man who found the body, he can clear Myles.
May Nickerson Wallace, The Ghost of Dibble Hollow. I'm pretty sure this is the book you're thinking of.  It is in the solved section if you want more descriptions.

Interpreting Condition  Grades

Wallace, Mary Nickerson.  The Ghost of Dibble Hollow.  Illustrated by Orin Kincade, cover by Dom Lupo. NY: Scholastic Book Services, 1965, 4th printing, 1967.  Paperback with creases on front cover.  G+.  Hard to find!  $45

N5--The Ghost of Five Owl Farm  has a similar storyline. I probably first read this in '70 or so.
This could be Me and Caleb by Franklyn Meyer.  It is about brothers who live in a small Missouri town.  There is a lengthy description of Halloween activities including greased doorknobs, stuck car horns and a "garbage-launcher." .  There was a sequel, Me and Caleb Again.
More on The Ghost of Five Owl Farm by Wilson Gage, illustrated by Paul Galdone, published Cleveland, World 1966 "Surprised by the visit of two cousins during a vacation, Ted decides to frighten them with ghost stories about an old barn on their property. They all too soon discover that there really are goings-on as they are led through a series of hair-raising experiences. Ages 9-12." (Horn Book Feb/66 publ.ad. p.105)

Interpreting Condition  Grades

Gage, Wilson. The Ghost of Five Owl Farm.  Illustrated by Paul Galdone. Pocket Books Archway paperback, 1966, 4th paperback printing 1973.  VG.  $8

The Ghost of Garina Street by Lillian S. Freehof (1959).
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I read this book in approximately 1961, and I believe it was borrowed from the Vermont State Bookmobile when it stopped at my school. The book would have been published that year or before, so I think we are looking at a book that is pre-1962 and may have been published any time in the earlier decades of the 20th century.  I do not remember the author or the title, but I do remember the book being rather small and its hardcover boards were white which was rather unusual. I believe that the story featured a young child (probably a girl, but it may have been a boy), but I don't recall whether the child was alone or had friends in his/her adventures. There was an old woman who lived in an old house and there was some scariness around both. Perhaps the child thought the house was haunted or the woman was a witch. Eventually the child got to know the old woman who turned out to be a retired Shakespearean actress or something along those lines. The name Julia sticks in my head, but I don't recall if that was the author, a character in the book, or it might have been a person external to the book like the woman who drove the Bookmobile!  I have no other memories of the book other than that it had an effect on me as a ten-year-old girl, and I have been looking for it for years.

Barbara Wersba, The Dream Watcher. I'm not certain about this one... here's some details about the Dream Watcher so you can determine if it might be your book.  It's about a teenage boy named Albert Scully who befriends an elderly lady named Orpha Woodfin.  She claims to be a great  actress and to have known Sarah Bernhardt.  She quotes Shakespeare constantly.  At the end of the book he finds that it was all an act and she wasn't really a famous actress in her youth.  Another possible is The Ghost of Garina Street by Lillian S. Freehof- it was recently a stumper here.  In this one a teen boy named Ted encounters a pair of elderly sisters- Juliet and Mary- who quote Shakespeare.  He eventually finds that there is really only one lady who is playing the role of herself and a sister.
Freehoff, Lillian, Ghost of Garina Street, 1959. Sounds similar with an old Shakespearian actress.  See T 331 in "Stump the Bookseller Queries" - T.
Lillian Freehof, The Ghost of Garina Street, 1959. Sounds like this is probably the one you are looking for.  A teenage boy befriends two old women, both of whom quote Shakespeare frequently.  One of them is nice to him, the other kind of mean.  He later discovers that they are both the same woman, a former Shakespearean actress suffering from mental illness.
Thank you very much for posting my inquiry R171 on Monday. It was solved right away, and The Ghost of Garina Street appears to be the correct match. If I had had the patience to wade through all the old postings, I might have found the answer anyway, although this was a much more efficient way to get an answer. This was my first time using your service and I want to tell you how delighted I am. What a novel idea you had to start this! Thanks once again.

N10 is Thomasina, the cat who thought she was God, by Paul Gallico, Doubleday, 1957.
The Disney movie was based on the book Thomasina by Paul Gallico.
N10 - I am wondering if the could be The Ghost of Opalina by Peggy Bacon. Opalina is a cat and the book recounts her nine lives among generations of a family.  I think there is a hidden treasure.
This couldn't be Finnegan II: His Nine Lives, by Carolyn Bailey, could it?  My sister and I *adored* this book growing up in the mid 1960's.
It's got to be Thomasina by Paul Gallico.
I think The Ghost of Opalina is definitely the book I'm looking for.  I must have seen the Disney movie about the same time and blended them together in my memory.  I have reserved it through the library's loan service.  It's a children's book and I remember as being on the first shelf of the library(A-B
authors). The full title is The Ghost of Opalina or Nine Lives and I'm certain the cat was female. Thank-you very much for the great leads.
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Children (a brother & sister) are playing in the attic while visiting their grandmother for thanksgiving.  They discover that grandmother's cat (a tabby) can talk because, in the ninth life of a cat, they acquire the ability to speak.The cat tells stories to the children of all of it's previous eight lives living in that house. Since the cat has lived a very long time, the stories are dramatic and date back to days of kings & queens.  I think the book was written for sixth or seventh grade levels.  I originally checked this book out from the Cedar Rapids Public Library. I've looked for it there but had no luck. I would like to purchase this book if we find it.  Thank you!

Peggy Bacon, The Ghost of Opalina or Nine Lives, 1967.  This is the all-time favorite book of anyone who's ever read it. Maybe that's a bit hyperbolic, but probably not. Searching the web for succinct synopses (to be ultra-brief, Very Important Presence Opalina tells three children of her adventures from the 1700s to the modern day), I came across this 'net post that for some reason brought tears to my eyes: "We who have loved Opalina are free to think of her still in her velvet chair in the paneled room. She's a very special cat and couldn't possibly be limited to nine lives."
Bacon, Peggy, The Ghost of Opalina or Nine Lives.  Little, Brown, 1967.  "A ghost cat tells three children, the latest inhabitants of an old house, all about the people who passed through and the events which took place in the house during her previous eight lives."
C159 This might be THE GHOST OF OPALINA; OR NINE LIVES by Peggy Bacon, 1967 ~from a librarian
Thank you so much - we're expecting our first child and I wanted very badly! The check will go out today.

The Ghost of Opalina is a great story. Anyone looking to see it come back into print go to twolakespress.com Sean Dwyer has recieved permission to reprint the book by Peggy Bacon with her origianl artwork.  The reprint will be avaiable in the summer of 2005.

THE GHOST OF GRAVESTONE HEARTH by Betsy Haynes, 1977
I think this is The Ghost of the Gravstone Hearth by Betsy Haynes ('77)
WOW!!!  That's it and I can't tell you how impressed I am!  Next time I'm in Cleveland, I'll swing on by.  Thanks and have a great weekend!

Clyde Robert Bulla, The Ghost of Windy Hill, 1968.  I remember excitedly snapping this up from the Bookmobile!
Clyde Robert Bulla, The Ghost of Windy Hill, 1968.  I believe this is the book. Its about a girl named Lorna and her brother Jamie. They are housesitting with their parents for the summer because the owners of the house think it is haunted. The children meet some strange people, including a crippled boy and and eccentric old woman. Plus they solve the mystery of the 'haunted' house. My copy of the book is a dark blue hard back with a silhouette of a house in a darker blue, with one window lit.
I am the original poster.  Thank you so much for responding to my request. Yes, I believe this is the book.  I have been trying to remember this for years and am very excited about this website.  This is so cool.  I have called my local library and will check this out this week.  Will let you all know if this was it.   THANKS!!!
This one is solved.  Thank you to the responder, the title The Ghost of Windy Hill is correct.  I NEVER would have remembered this...  THANKS SO MUCH!!!! 

Clyde Robert Bulla, Ghost Town Treasure, 1957.  This was a favorite of mine when I was young.  Ty tries to save his near-deserted hometown when he finds an old diary that he thinks says there is gold in a cave nearby.  He finds the hidden cave, and although he is disappointed to realize the diary actually said it was cold in the cave, the new tourist attraction brings his town back to life anyway.
Clyde Robert Bulla, Ghost Town Treasure, 1957.  This one was familiar to me, but I had to go search the attic for the book, since the title wouldn't come to me. This is from the back cover: "This is where I want to live," says Ty. "It's the best place  in the world!" But Gold Rock is a Ghost town now, and Ty's family must move to the city to make a living. Then Nora and Paul come to visit, and they bring Great-Granfather's diary. The words are faded, but there under the magnifying glass they can read the thrilling words: "gold in the cave"! Can they find the treasure in time to help Ty's family?
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Kids are looking for treasure or gold in a canyon with a map or clue that says it is below a cross. The cross turns out the be formed by large cracks in the canyon wall.

I believe Treasure Mountain by Florence Laughlin might be the solution. Check it out!
C307  While I was going through ALFRED HITCHCOCK'S HAUNTED HOUSEFUL, I noticed a story in which the characters were refering to a cross in a cave and money. And there they find the treasure.  It was in "The Treasure in the Cave" story, which was an excerpt from Mark Twain's THE ADVENTURES OF TOM SAWYER.~from a librarian
Bulla, Clyde Robert, Ghost Town Treasure, 1957.  As I recall, the hidden cave (which the searchers believe contains gold) in Ghost Town Treasure could only be found by locating a cross on the canyon wall.  Funny, another poster was just looking for this same book last month.
Bulla, Clyde Robert, Ghost Town Treasure.  This is definately the book I was trying to remember. Another clue I forgot about was the line "gold in the cave" that actually turned out to say "cold in the cave". Thanks for providing such a great service!

Interpreting Condition  Grades

Bulla, Clyde Robert. Ghost Town Treasure.  Illustrated by Don Freeman.  Scholastic, 1957, 8th paperback printing 1966.  paperback; Good.   $6

The Ghosts by Antonia Barber, 1969, 1993. Great book!
I just wanted to thank you for your help! I saw the information added to the e-mail I sent you and I'm going to find the book mentioned there. What are the odds that someone else would know the story I was trying to describe and with so little to go on! I really appreciate it!!
"The Amazing Mr. Blunden" was the name of a movie adaptation of this book.  It's apparently not currently available on video.

Pam Conrad, Stonewords: A Ghost Story. (1990)  Zoe's eccentric absentee mother named her after a tombstone inscription. When Zoe goes to live with her grandparents, she meets the ghost of her namesake, Zoe Louise, an 11-year-old girl who died in a fire in the 1800s -- but isn't aware of it. Eventually, Zoe finds a way to cross over into Zoe Louise's time, and strives to avert a 100-year-old tragedy.
Pam Conrad, Stonewords.  This might be too new - but could this be Stonewords by Pam Conrad?  The haunting by the Victorian girl, the brother and sister caught in the fire, the changing of history to prevent a tragedy - all are in here. If this isn't the right one, it's still a terrific book!!
Antonia Barber, The Ghosts. (1975)  If there were a brother in modern times, it would sound a little like The Ghosts: James and Lucy go to live in an old country house that's falling down with their mother, who's the caretaker.  They see two shadowy figures in the garden, and befriend them. It turns out they're the ghosts of two children who died in a fire in the house 100 years ago.  James disappears and Lucy tries to find him...there's a fire in the house, a maze and an an unexpected heir.  (Now that I've typed out what I remember, it's only vaguely like what you're looking for, but it might be worth checking out anyway.)
Antonia Barber, The Ghosts.  Well, I guess my memory is worse than I thought.  After investigating through this site I bought a copy of The Ghosts by Antonia Barber thinking that it was not the book I was seeking but would still be a good read for my pre-teen.  When I opened the package, I instantly recognized the front cover.  This is the book.  The main character was not just a girl...her brother played an important role in the outcome of the story.  Their father was the deceased parent, not the mom.  They drank potion in the overgrown garden and were able to go back in time to the day the murder of the ghosts from the past happened and change the past, which also changed the present.  Thanks to anyone who read my original post in an attempt to help solve the mystery!

ed. Robert Arthur, Ghost and more Ghosts, 1963.  I'm not sure if this is the right collection as I couldn't find a picture of it
but I know it contains the story "Do you believe in Ghosts?" by Robert Arthur (also published under the title "The Believers") which I am sure is the story you remember about the reporter and the monster conjured up by listeners imaginations with a head like an oyster.  Another book which contains this story is The Mammoth Book of Ghost Stories 2 which appears to be geared more towards adults.
I can tell you the titles of each of the three stories described, but I can't be sure of the exact book. The cover description and 1 story fits one book I have, and the 2 other stories are from another. So maybe it's from a completely different source, or maybe some memories have combined. The story about the radio host is "Do You Believe in Ghosts?" and the story about the unusual shop and the gift of forgery is called "Mr. Milton's Gift" (and I found references online that make me think it may have been published under the title "The Man with the Golden Hand"). Both stories are by Robert Arthur, and the book I have is called GHOSTS AND MORE GHOSTS, with  a distinctive silver cover with creepy cover illustrations and with a black & white illustration at the beginning of each story (Windward Books/Random House, NY, 1972 (original pub. 1963) ISBN: 0-394-82197-1). However it doesn't contain the water ghost story. The water ghost story is "The Water Ghost of Harrowby Hall" by John Kendrick Bangs and can be found in various ghost story compilations, but the book that I have pretty much matches the book description of the query. It is ALFRED HITCHCOCK'S HAUNTED HOUSEFUL, and it's a large hardcover with a spooky mansion, one ghost, some bats, a large face that might be Hitchcock, and the picture wraps around the spine and continues onto the back becoming a wooded scene with a running person.  The endpapers are a dark black and blue with creepy images from the stories. Each story begins with a black illustration with a dark blue wash behind it, and there are some half page and full page illustrations throughout the book. (Random House, 1961, ISBN: 0-394-81224-7). I hope this helps.~from a librarian
I recognize one story as John Kendrick Bangs' (1862-1922) "The Water Ghost of Harrowby Hall", which can be read online.  A search on that title led to these 4 collections:
THE SCREAMING SKULL: House of the Nightmare; Transferred Ghost; Real Right Thing; Water Ghost of Harrowby Hall; The Eyes; Shadows on the Wall; Rival Ghosts; Consequences; Ligeia; A Ghost Story; Ghost of Dr Harris  Hartwell, David G. (editor) (F. Marion Crawford; Edgar Allan Poe; Mark Twain; Nathaniel Hawthorne; Edward Lucas White; Frank R. Stockton; Henry James; John Kendrick Bangs; Edith Wharton; Mary E. Wilkins Freeman; Brander Matthews; Willa Cather), Illustrated by Jim Thiesen
THE (First) 1ST ARMADA GHOST BOOK (1) One: Sandy MacNeil and His Dog; School for the Unspeakable; The
House of the Nightmare; The Story of the Inexperienced Ghost; Prince Godfrey Frees Mountain Dwellers; The Water Ghost of Harrowby Hall  Bernard, Christine (editor) (Sorche Nic Leodhas; Manly