SOLVED. middle grade book about girl, circus elephant, friendship with older couple [s]

[Kerry]

generally, i barely remember the plot at all. what i remember is that it involves a girl, maybe 12 years old, who strikes up a friendship with an older couple that has something to do with an elephant--i believe they used to be in the circus and retired.

the scene i remember is of the older woman teaching the younger girl how to find her future husband's name by twisting off the stem of an apple while reciting the alphabet, and wishing on cutting a banana widthwise and seeing if there was an "x" or a "y" in the center.

the older man's name was bert. i think the girl's name might have been meg or molly. i think she had a little brother.

i read it in 1998, but i think it was already pretty old by then.

i think the cover was blue.

[Ayshe]

I have no idea whether it has the scenes you describe, but there's a Molly and old couple in this book: Their House
Here's the Kirkus review: https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-re...

[Ayshe]

The Secret of Stone House Farm looks better match? Searching inside the google book: https://books.google.com/books?id=HkQ... it has "A Wish on a Banana" chapter and something about her not having to worry any more about the way her fortune had come out when she had turned the apple stem. H for Harley.

[Kerry]

Ayshe wrote: "The Secret of Stone House Farm looks better match? Searching inside the google book: https://books.google.com/books?id=HkQ... it has "A Wish on a Banana" chapter and something..." YES THIS IS IT