ABANDONED. MG/ YA SciFi anthology. Boy grows third arm after encounter with UFO. Cover: dark blue. Read 1978-1980.

[Kevin]

In 1978-1980 (5th & 6th grade) I started reading an anthology book with a dark blue cover. I also don't recall which of those years I read the book. I don't recall if I finished the book. I don't remember the title or author/editor.

The first story was of a boy who went walking in the woods one night and encountered a UFO. The craft shone a blue light at/through him. Shortly after he grew a third arm out of where the light struck him. He was teased at school so much he went to his family's doctor to get the arm surgically removed. The doctor wasn't sure about doing it. The boy went home. The next day at school, one bully started a fight. The protagonist won the fight because of the third arm. The boy elected not to have surgery. Other people had begun to report the same UFO and blue light, so he didn't feel so alone.

The book was oversized paperback, typical of Scholastic books. I called Scholastic and they claim the book was not theirs. Their database may not go back that far. I've contacted the school librarians of the schools I attended to see if they still have the book in their collections (very slim chance). I've asked the Los Angeles Science Fantasy Society (LASFS) who pointed me to another source (no luck so far). I've tried Loganberry Books and their Stump the Bookseller; one respondent thinks the story title might be “Me and My Third Arm” but that is just the name of the story, maybe. The book’s title is still not known. I asked my local used bookstore for advice or hints (they suggested more internet searches).

It's not like I'm going to perish if I don't find this book, but it would be nice to know I'm not living in the Twilight Zone and an alternate universe. Somebody else must have heard of this. :)

[Kris]

Kevin, is this a science fiction anthology or does it also contain fantasy stories? Single or multiple authors?

[Kevin]

Hi, Kris,
I honestly don't remember. It could have contained fantasy as well, but the only story that I remember is the one described. I vaguely recall I didn't finish the book after trying a few more of the stories, or I finished the book but none of them stuck with me as well as the third arm.

As to the authors, I wasn't paying too much attention to that detail in 5th or 6th grade.

[Ayshe]

The Third Arm and Other Strange Tales of the Supernatural maybe? There's cover on amazon for the 1977 Xerox edition: https://www.amazon.com/Third-Other-St...

[Kevin]

Hey, Ayshe,
After looking at the cover on Amazon, I will admit it looks familiar. So much for my memory of a dark blue cover! Thank you for your help. I'll look into what you provided.

[Warren]

Hey Kevin,

It's so strange that there's another person on Earth looking for this book, and that you happened to have posted only a few weeks ago. The book Ayshe linked to on Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/Third-Other-St...) is absolutely the book you (and I) are looking for. I specifically remember that cover like it was yesterday. My mom was an elementary school teacher, and she had the book in her classroom -- I read it after school, and it's the first horror book I specifically remember reading. I'm unable to locate a copy, so if you find somewhere to buy or download it, please let me know. I'm very curious to read it again, and to see if it holds up against the test of time. :-)


Warren

[Jaclyn]

This is maybe too modern, but maybe Mindstorms: Stories to Blow Your Mind by Neal Shusterman? I found this anthology terrifying when I was a kid, and there's a story about a boy who picks up the wrong luggage after a trip. Turns out it belongs to aliens with a third arm, and by wearing the clothes and eating the food he becomes one of the aliens.

[Rainbowheart]

Mindstorms wasn't pubbed until 1996, but it sounds like a similar story.

[Gillian]

It looks as if you should be able to interlibrary loan The Third Arm (https://www.worldcat.org/title/third-...) as a couple of public and university libraries own a copy. Check with your local library to see if it is available through them. If nothing else, you could contact the owning library to see if they can find bibliographic info for the title story - it might have been first published in a magazine or something...

[Sarah]

Warren wrote: "Hey Kevin,

It's so strange that there's another person on Earth looking for this book, and that you happened to have posted only a few weeks ago. The book Ayshe linked to on Amazon (https://www.am..."

I think I found this on Abe Books - https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/Sear...

[Bargle]

I added an editon for the Amazon listing. The Third Arm and Other Strange Tales of the Supernatural.

[Kris]

No response, moving to Abandoned folder.

Kevin (OP) was last active on the site in November 2020.