What's The Name of That Book??? discussion
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Child/YA book set on moors with young boy and big black dog
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Dianne
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Mar 21, 2010 10:18am
I read this book in 4th or 5th grade, so it would be in the early 1970s--I'm sure I got it from Scholastic Books. It was a gothic-style story about a young boy who was orphaned (I think) and had to go live with his grandfather (I think) out on the desolate moors. I remember a grandfather clock on the stair landing, and a huge black dog that was frightening until the end when he saves the boy (I think). The imagery made a big impression on me and I'd love to find it again!
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It sounds like a John Bellairs book! Try The House with the Clock In its Walls or one of his many others.
Bellairs books are almost all set in small Midwestern towns, I don't think any are on the Moors.Blair's Nightmare occurred to me because it does have the boy and the frightening dog that turns out to be friendly, but also not on the moors, although I think the house was somewhat isolated.
It was definitely set on the moors, in either Scotland or northern England. I have an image in my mind of the boy in a ditch (maybe a peat bog?), running from the dog, with a bucket in his hand...? Who knows--I could be conflating all sorts of different things in my memory!
What about The Grey King by Susan Cooper? Its set in Wales which may seem similar and there is a dog in it that certainly stood out in my memory.
Perhaps The Witches' Bridge by Barbee Oliver Carleton? (Also called The Mystery of the Witches' Bridge.)
When I read the original post, I thought it sounded a lot like a book I had read in my childhood, but I just couldn't remember the name. I now realise I was thinking of the one BookWoman suggested. I loved Mystery of the Witches' Bridge as a child. Very good book, and worth a read even if it isn't the one the original poster was looking for!
Dianne's profile is private so I can't nudge her with a PM; should we move this thread since we have several good suggestions and no response?
Are you thinking "Abandoned" folder or "Possibly Solved" folder? To my mind, it could go in either of these.
What's The Name of That Book???
Books mentioned in this topic
The House With a Clock in Its Walls (other topics)Blair's Nightmare (other topics)
The Beast of Noor (other topics)
Mystery of the Witches' Bridge (other topics)
