THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU to Laura Bowers, I love you!!! 
laurabowers
Your Tuesday's post was an answer to my prayers. You thought your procrastination on the computer was time-wasting, but you helped me SO much I still can't get over it.
Your link to Shelfari solved a 20 year old mystery because I found a book I've been looking for forever.
The book? TWO ARE BETTER THAN ONE.
I read this when I was about 10 -11 years old - ADORED IT - and have been trying off and on to find it for so long. I've put out questions to other writers and in fact, I was about ready to post on my blogs to see if anybody recognized the book and could help me locate a copy.
I've searched every online new and used bookstore on the net without luck for so many years. I started wondering if I dreamed up the whole book! Was my memory just totally gone? Did I ever actually read this book? Why couldn't I find it? I also could not remember the author's name to save my soul.
Turns out I had the title slightly wrong. I kept Googling TWO HEADS ARE BETTER THAN ONE which is a quote from the book. Adding that one word HEADS threw off every search engine and online bookstore.
But SHELFARI didn't! (Yay for them to do a slight variation). I went to Laura's link to Shelfari on a total whim yesterday, plugged in the title and the book came up!
It was real.
I wasn't dreaming!
It's the right book!
My jaw dropped right to my keyboard.
I started screaming.
My son ran in to see what was wrong?
I was laughing and crying with delight! I'm SOOOOOOO THRILLED!
And I ordered a copy of the book in its original hardcover edition with a dust jacket no less. I cannot wait to get it and read it again.
That is the power of books on a kid's life.
This kid.
Me.
P. S. The author of TWO ARE BETTER THAN ONE? None other than Carol Ryrie Brink - Newbery winner of Caddie Woodlawn. That just about freaked me out, too. The book wasn't by some obscure author at all like I'd been supposing for so long.
P. P. S. Laura, can I take you out to dinner sometime???
laurabowersYour Tuesday's post was an answer to my prayers. You thought your procrastination on the computer was time-wasting, but you helped me SO much I still can't get over it.
Your link to Shelfari solved a 20 year old mystery because I found a book I've been looking for forever.
The book? TWO ARE BETTER THAN ONE.
I read this when I was about 10 -11 years old - ADORED IT - and have been trying off and on to find it for so long. I've put out questions to other writers and in fact, I was about ready to post on my blogs to see if anybody recognized the book and could help me locate a copy.
I've searched every online new and used bookstore on the net without luck for so many years. I started wondering if I dreamed up the whole book! Was my memory just totally gone? Did I ever actually read this book? Why couldn't I find it? I also could not remember the author's name to save my soul.
Turns out I had the title slightly wrong. I kept Googling TWO HEADS ARE BETTER THAN ONE which is a quote from the book. Adding that one word HEADS threw off every search engine and online bookstore.
But SHELFARI didn't! (Yay for them to do a slight variation). I went to Laura's link to Shelfari on a total whim yesterday, plugged in the title and the book came up!
It was real.
I wasn't dreaming!
It's the right book!
My jaw dropped right to my keyboard.
I started screaming.
My son ran in to see what was wrong?
I was laughing and crying with delight! I'm SOOOOOOO THRILLED!
And I ordered a copy of the book in its original hardcover edition with a dust jacket no less. I cannot wait to get it and read it again.
That is the power of books on a kid's life.
This kid.
Me.
P. S. The author of TWO ARE BETTER THAN ONE? None other than Carol Ryrie Brink - Newbery winner of Caddie Woodlawn. That just about freaked me out, too. The book wasn't by some obscure author at all like I'd been supposing for so long.
P. P. S. Laura, can I take you out to dinner sometime???
5 comments:
I've been sitting here chuckling at this post, and experiencing your joy.
That must be an amazing book you describe.
I have an old copy of the other book you mention--Caddie Woodlawn--on my bedside table, but am having trouble getting into it. Love the title though.
I know exactly how you felt, because I, too, had longed to find this wonderful book from my childhood......but I lacked the author AND the title! All I could remember was Chrys(tal) and Cordy (Cordelia) and that they called each other "tween". At this, the long-awaited end of my quest, I first located a Ryrie novel called Louly in which Chrys and Cordy were mentioned....did you get a copy of this one as well????
I'm so happy that I will soon be reading this childhood favorite once again....and definitely sharing it with my 6 year old who loves to read!
p.s. I agree with Anne....I don't think I was ever able to read Caddie Woodlawn all the way through to completion....couldn't get into it....Much preferred the adventures of Chrys and Cordy! I was very surprised that these stories were from the same author!
thereadingladyfl@yahoo.com
Stephanie, I'm thrilled that I'm not the only one who knows this book! that is so cool that you remember it and loved it this much, too. I just got my copy through Alibris and already read it already. It was so much fun to read again after 30 years!
I could not remember the character's names and I'd forgotten about *tween*. I did remember that Chrystal and Cordy wrote a book together and that they went to the masquerade ball as rag dolls while the other girls were all glamorous Martha Washingtons - but it's hard to google those kinds of details to find a book!
No, I'm not familiar with Louly. I'll have to go look it up.
Thanks for posting!
I had exactly the same reaction when Kavik the Wolf Dog was reprinted. It was my favorite book as a child. I'm so happy for you!
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