SOLVED. MG (or possibly YA) fiction read in 1970's; girl lives with aunt while mother recovers from a serious injury. [s]

[SamSpayedPI]

All I can remember is:

- A girl (a pre-teen or possibly a young teen) has to stay with her aunt while her mother is in the hospital for an extended stay (like, months). The mother's injury was due to an icy road; either she slipped on the ice, or a car skidded on the ice and hit her, or both.

-At some point, it's the girl's half-birthday, and she's telling the aunt that some families celebrate half birthdays; they sometimes even bake half a cake. The aunt isn't buying it.

I don't remember what the book is actually about; it's possible I never finished reading it.

Thanks for trying!

[SamSpayedPI]

I remember the "half a cake" element because I figured it would be fairly simple: just halve a cake recipe, bake it in one round pan, then cut it in half and stack the two half layers, and ice the whole thing. I thought it was a great idea, but my half-formed plans to do this for someone in my family never panned out (I was probably too young to bake a cake by myself when I read the book, and my mom never encouraged my culinary interests).

I still think it's a great idea; I'm going to figure out everyone's half birthday and surprise someone, someday.

[Dichotomy Girl]

SamSpayedPI wrote: "I remember the "half a cake" element because I figured it would be fairly simple: just halve a cake recipe, bake it in one round pan, then cut it in half and stack the two half layers, and ice the ..."

Could it possibly be Amy Moves In ? They popped into my head, as I remember the Mom being injured. A reader who reviewed it wrote: "When her mother is involved in a serious accident and must stay in the hospital for a prolonged period of time, things get more difficult for Amy, as the family adjusts to life with Aunt Minnie, who runs a household much differently than Mama."

[SamSpayedPI]

Possibly!

The title "Amy Moves In" isn't familiar, but the series title, "Amy and Laura," strikes a bell. Those were the names of my two best friends in elementary school, and I vaguely remember being amused by the coincidence.

I'm on the waitlist for a copy in the Internet Archive; I'll post as soon as I know one way or the other.

Thanks!

[SamSpayedPI]

It's not Amy Moves In, but it is Amy and Laura, the third book in the series.

Thank you!

[Dichotomy Girl]

SamSpayedPI wrote: "It's not Amy Moves In, but it is Amy and Laura, the third book in the series.

Thank you!"

I'm glad we figured it out! The second book Laura's Luck was always my favorite. I was a sucker for camp books.