What children's sci-fi book is this?
September 14, 2012 9:20 AM Subscribe
Book Filter: What children's sci-fi book (written for kids around 5th to 6th grade age) included scenes where the border between the parallel universe and our universe would open up and household items would travel between the two universes?
This was a book I read in elementary school around the year 1992 and the book would have been around a 5th or 6th grade reading level.
All I remember about it was that it included a very clever explanation for how, for example, you couldn't find your keys and you search everywhere for them and then you find them in exactly the place you had already looked. The explanation was that there was a parallel universe right next to ours where the border between the two would break open (for a reason I can't remember) and as household items from our universe would fall into the other universe, people in the parallel universe would be frantically trying to sew up the border, and in the meantime, tossing your items back through the hole as it got smaller as it was being sewn back up.
If the hole was sewn up too quickly before the parallel universe people could throw our universe's items back over to us, they'd have to wait until the next hole opened up and then toss them through, which would explain why we couldn't find some items in our universe for days and then they would suddenly show up.
If I recall correctly, our universe had zero clue about this border and the parallel universe, but the parallel universe people definitely knew about us.
It also explained why we often only find one sock in the dryer when we could've sworn we put both in. Apparently, dryers are common weak links between the two universes.
Anyone know of this book? I've been thinking about it a lot lately and would love to re-read it.
This was a book I read in elementary school around the year 1992 and the book would have been around a 5th or 6th grade reading level.
All I remember about it was that it included a very clever explanation for how, for example, you couldn't find your keys and you search everywhere for them and then you find them in exactly the place you had already looked. The explanation was that there was a parallel universe right next to ours where the border between the two would break open (for a reason I can't remember) and as household items from our universe would fall into the other universe, people in the parallel universe would be frantically trying to sew up the border, and in the meantime, tossing your items back through the hole as it got smaller as it was being sewn back up.
If the hole was sewn up too quickly before the parallel universe people could throw our universe's items back over to us, they'd have to wait until the next hole opened up and then toss them through, which would explain why we couldn't find some items in our universe for days and then they would suddenly show up.
If I recall correctly, our universe had zero clue about this border and the parallel universe, but the parallel universe people definitely knew about us.
It also explained why we often only find one sock in the dryer when we could've sworn we put both in. Apparently, dryers are common weak links between the two universes.
Anyone know of this book? I've been thinking about it a lot lately and would love to re-read it.
Best answer: Whoa, I'd forgotten all about that book! Finders Keepers, right?
posted by Trespassers William at 10:13 AM on September 14, 2012
posted by Trespassers William at 10:13 AM on September 14, 2012
Response by poster: Finders Keepers sounds just about right. Thank you! :)
posted by lea724 at 11:24 AM on September 14, 2012
posted by lea724 at 11:24 AM on September 14, 2012
You might also find a short story by Alan E. Nourse called Tiger By The Tail intriguing.
posted by Rash at 1:38 PM on September 14, 2012
posted by Rash at 1:38 PM on September 14, 2012
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by mneekadon at 9:56 AM on September 14, 2012