Bookfilter : Purple hardback book I read as a kid.
May 15, 2005 10:09 AM Subscribe
Bookfilter : I'm looking for a book I read as a kid. As I remember it was of a similar genre to Narnia books or even Harry Potter in that kind of escapist way that I find I loved to read as a kid...
...It was by an author called Penelope (Lively?), it was a purple clothbound hardback. The story comprised of some kids (possibly a sister and a brother) going off to some relative's house by the sea perhaps? I remember train travel being involved to get there. Anyways, the next bit I remember is them being on some big green field which they must have got to by going through a portal of somekind or walking through a magical forest. On this field there were huge snails gently moving along and there was also the occasional phoenix born from the ashes of something that had just been burnt. Unfortunately that's all I can remember but I would love to find it and read it again..help!
N.B. Penelope could have been the name of one of the characters in the book?
P.S. If no-one can name this book...does anyone know of other sites where I can ask this kind of question?
...It was by an author called Penelope (Lively?), it was a purple clothbound hardback. The story comprised of some kids (possibly a sister and a brother) going off to some relative's house by the sea perhaps? I remember train travel being involved to get there. Anyways, the next bit I remember is them being on some big green field which they must have got to by going through a portal of somekind or walking through a magical forest. On this field there were huge snails gently moving along and there was also the occasional phoenix born from the ashes of something that had just been burnt. Unfortunately that's all I can remember but I would love to find it and read it again..help!
N.B. Penelope could have been the name of one of the characters in the book?
P.S. If no-one can name this book...does anyone know of other sites where I can ask this kind of question?
This is definitely not an E. Nesbit book -- no giant snails in any of those. (Also they are not quite so surreal.) It does sound like a Penelope Lively title, but I can't quite remember which was which and poking around in the Amazon descriptions isn't helping, I'm afraid.
Stump the Bookseller at Loganberry Books is a great source for this kind of thing. It does cost $2.00 to post a stumper of your own, but often poring over old stumpers will turn up the book you're looking for.
posted by redfoxtail at 12:20 PM on May 15, 2005
Stump the Bookseller at Loganberry Books is a great source for this kind of thing. It does cost $2.00 to post a stumper of your own, but often poring over old stumpers will turn up the book you're looking for.
posted by redfoxtail at 12:20 PM on May 15, 2005
there was also the occasional phoenix born from the ashes of something that had just been burnt
Not germane to the title search, but likely the ashes were those of the previous phoenix, ne pas?
posted by five fresh fish at 6:22 PM on May 15, 2005
Not germane to the title search, but likely the ashes were those of the previous phoenix, ne pas?
posted by five fresh fish at 6:22 PM on May 15, 2005
I remember reading children's books by Penelope Lively. There's a list of them on her website. I don't remember much about them, but could it have been The Voyage of QV66?
posted by Boobus Tuber at 9:30 PM on May 15, 2005
posted by Boobus Tuber at 9:30 PM on May 15, 2005
After searching a bit more, I found this. It doesnt sound as if that is it...
posted by Boobus Tuber at 9:32 PM on May 15, 2005
posted by Boobus Tuber at 9:32 PM on May 15, 2005
This thread is closed to new comments.
http://www.classicbookshelf.com/library/e_nesbit/
posted by annathea at 10:29 AM on May 15, 2005