What's the Name of That Book??? discussion
This topic is about
The Apple-Stone
SOLVED: Children's/YA
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SOLVED. YA Fantasy. Kids find a magic pit that brings things to life. Read late 1970s/early 1980s. Spoilers ahead. [s]
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I wish I had something useful to suggest (I saw a book called THE DRUID AND THE PLUMSTONE: BOOK 1 ), but it doesn't sound right.I just wanted to say that when I read your header, I thought you meant pit as in hole or depression, not pit as in a seed in a stoned fruit.
If they are burning Guy Fawkes effagies, then would it be a safe assumption that it's a British book? In that case, "fruit stone or pit" might help get you more views. :) Also, I'd bet on plums or damsons, then, unless it was a core (apple/pear/quince/etc.), seeing as it would be too far north for peaches, apricots, and the like..? (Do Aussies and Kiwis do Guy Fawkes, too?!)
Will keep my eyes open - sounds bizarre and great!
I hadn't thought of that. Thanks!
re: Guy Fawke's Day celebrations:Some measure of celebration remains in New Zealand, Canada, and South Africa.[74] On the Cape Flats in Cape Town, South Africa, Guy Fawkes day has become associated with youth hooliganism.[75] In Canada in the 21st century, celebrations of Bonfire Night on 5 November are largely confined to the province of Newfoundland and Labrador.[76] The day is still marked in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and in Saint Kitts and Nevis, but a fireworks ban by Antigua and Barbuda during the 1990s reduced its popularity in that country. (WIKIPEDIA)
So it could be Antipodean, and then we'd have to rule in a lot more fruit.
Do you remember if it was a hardcover or paperback or anything about the book's appearance? Slim and short? Illustrated?
(I've tried looking for magical walnuts, too, but haven't hit upon it yet)
Other British fruits/variations on the above that could have a stone or pit in them: cherry, greengage, prune,
Greengage! Thanks Florence - hadn't tried that one! (Still no hits for me...)I added this book to Goodreads: https://www.amazon.com/midsummer-acor...
Pub. 1967 - can't find details. Any chance you recognize the cover? (Not uploaded to GR yet - see Amazon link) :) A Midsummer Acorn: Three Tales of Midsummer Magic
EDIT: Not it. Found another reference:
Each of the three stories in this collection has it's beginning on midsummer's eve, a time of magic and wonder. Comprises "The horse from the sea"; "The sealwoman's children" and "The Brightly coloured birds."
Ayshe wrote: "The Apple Stone maybe?"(Ayshe! Another win, I'm sure! Well done!)
It was an odd-looking apple —dull yellow and crinkled all over with age— but it had a nice smell. And, as they soon learned, that's not all it had. "It's Magic," said Missie. The others— her older brother Jeremy, her sister Jo, and their cousins, Douglas and Nigel—scoffed. BUT..."A very sensible thing to say," said the apple stone, and went on to admit modestly that, "One touch from me animates the inanimate." As good as its word, the apple stone, with its remarkable and sometimes dangerous talent, led the five of them into one incredible adventure after another with things that were never meant to be alive: the leopard-skin rug, a model rocket ship, and a bookend in the shape of an elephant, to mention only a few. Lots of surprises and zany humor highlight this charming fantasy, in which the true-to-life quality of the gang— bossy Jeremy, Missie, Jo, and the quarreling cousins—adds to the fun.
Yes! Thank you Ayshe. Only took 40 years.
Down side: seems it's out of print.
Even if you are a fan of printed books like me, you still have the chance of reading it at the Internet Archive. You need to be a member, but only need an email to join.https://archive.org/details/appleston...
I would prefer David's kind suggestion above myself, but if you feel like shelling out, there are used copies available at present (starting around 50 bucks, though) on Bookfinder.com (or about 100 on Amazon, and 100+ on Abebooks, just FYI). Other options include eBay, Etsy, and Paperback swap.
Oh, right! Should have checked there first.Thanks!
What's the Name of That Book???
Books mentioned in this topic
The Apple-Stone (other topics)The Apple-Stone (other topics)
A Midsummer Acorn: Three Tales of Midsummer Magic (other topics)
THE DRUID AND THE PLUMSTONE: BOOK 1 (other topics)
A group of kids on summer vacation decide to try one of each kind of fruit (apples? I'm not sure) in an orchard. One is way up at the top of a tree and when they cut it open, they find a giant pit encrusted with symbols. It can talk and tries to disappear into the ground after it distracts them by insisting they eat the fruit.
It turns out that anything you touch it with becomes alive. [Spoilers from here] They animate a Guy Fawkes effigy and talk to it before it throws itself on a fire. They animate some kind of animal rug, but it runs away before they can find out what it was. At some point, they animate a doll and it stays alive, living with an old, lonely woman.
Each time they use it, it gets heavier. Finally, they can't carry it anymore (and they decline the option of de-animating the doll) and so it disappears back into the ground.