Timeslip/ Fantasy- Juvenile, ? 50's-70's. Read in late 70's, felt dated. A girl (& brother/cousin?) on holiday find portal to another land. Not Narnia. Castle, attic room, royalty, magic, fog, sea, windows, monument. Empowerment of children. Maybe British.

[Joan]

This is vague, I know. Over the years I have thought of it often but have never figured it out, even with the help of my mother who was a teacher librarian (& gave the book to me to read).

Read likely between 1978 and 1982 & I think it was older at the time. Likely written prior to 1978. I was a precocious reader and probably read it between the ages of 8 and 10.

There was a medieval & magical component as well as a stone monument or well. Water - the sea. An attic room. A girl is separated from her friend/family and tries to get back to the 'past' to find them maybe.

I think the original hardcover cover was cloth bound blue with with white letters and what looked like a monument or stone structure on it.

I have a lot of feeling associated with the novel, and little fact.

Please help if you can :)

[Kris]

Over Sea, Under Stone by Susan Cooper?

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11...

[Joan]

Myles - I was tempted to think it was this since I read those books around the same time but I think it may be the Susan Cooper book mentioned by Kris - Over Sea, Under Stone.

Kris -- Thanks, this may be it! I've ordered it & will hopefully know soon. It sounds just about right.

[Kris]

I hope it's the one you want.

That sreries was one of my favorites when I was a teen. (Still love it)

[Ann aka Iftcan]

I too was thinking the Over Sea, Under Stone series. That's a really good one.

There is another series that I will have to look and see if I can find--it came out about the same time and features children going through time portals. I have a rather extensive collection of childrens/YA fantasy and sci-fi so it will take a while. But I'll check and see if I can find that book.

[Joan]

Ann -- I am reviewing Edward Eager wondering if he penned the book I am looking for. Might you be thinking of his books?

[Ann aka Iftcan]

No, not EE. I do enjoy his books, but they are a lot more "Fluffy" than the one I'm thinking about. My Mum's health isn't good, so I have to spend a good amount of time with her, so my time to hunt is rather limited. But I'll see what I can find.

[Ms.soule]

Joan wrote: "This is vague, I know. Sorry. I was very young when I read the book. Over the years I have though of it often but have never figured it out, even with the help of my mother who was a teacher librar..."

Just in case the Susan Cooper book isn't the right one, your description reminded me of Five Children and It by E. Nesbit.

[Ann aka Iftcan]

no, its definately not any of Nesbit's books. I've read most of them too. :o) What can I say--a misspent youth doing a LOT of reading. Dad was career Navy and we were all over the world, and frankly, books were easier to "make friends with" since you know you'd be able to find more everywhere you went.

[Ann aka Iftcan]

Ok Joan, I finally found book 1 of the series I was thinking of. Check out The Time Keeper by Barbara Bartholomew. This particular one might not be it, but I believe that there are 3 books in the series. This novel involves 2 children (brother and sister) and what happens to them.

[Mir]

May I ask how long ago you were "very young" Joan? Would Dean's The Secret Country trilogy (published mid-1980s) be too recent?

[Ann aka Iftcan]

That seems to be an interesting series Miriam. But since Joan did say that the series was published in the 60's or 70's I'd say that it was too recent. However--you've given ME a series to track down. :o) I do love my old children's/YA series.

[Mir]

You're right, sorry, I read the first paragraph but not the subject header. My bad!

I highly recommend the series.

A real long-shot, but a couple of John Bellairs' books do feature other worlds. I remember one had the two kids lost in a place inhabited by wizards and a creepy garden.

[CLM]

It sounds familiar. Have you looked at Alan Garner, Nicholas Stuart Gray (one of my faves), Jane Louise Curry, Robert Westall?

[HJ]

I wonder if its Tom's Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce? It's one of my favorites! This is a synopsis I've copied:
"When Tom Long's brother Peter gets measles, Tom is sent to stay with his Uncle Alan and Aunt Gwen in a flat with no garden and an elderly and reclusive landlady, Mrs Bartholomew, living upstairs. Because he may be infectious he is not allowed out to play, and feels lonely. Without exercise he is less sleepy at night and when he hears the communal grandfather clock strangely strike 13, he investigates and finds the small back yard is now a large sunlit garden. Here he meets another lonely child called Hatty, who seems to be the only one who can see him."

[HJ]

Or - The Children of Green Knowe by Lucy M Boston?

[Joan]

Thank you *all* for your helpful contributions. I do rather appreciate it. If nothing else, I have some wonderful new reading material. I am still searching. It was definitely portal fantasy, not very sci-fi. It may well be the Susan Cooper novel mentioned above. I will post back if I find it is indeed.

Ann aka Iftcan -- I read the Timekeeper in HS. Loved it :)

I am still searching. I did read the book somewhere between 1977 and 1982 & think the book had been published prior to that, but am not sure how many years prior. My mom was a teacher librarian and brought me home all kinds of things to read, many were ones she was going to take out of circulation, Chances are the book was published before the mid-70's.

[Skyla]

There's a Canadian book that fits this description, it's the starting book of a series, called "The Tower of Geburah" by John White. It was published in 1978 & my copy of it has a blue cover, though it looks like the newer one doesn't. http://www.amazon.ca/Tower-Geburah-Jo...

[Barbara]

Joan, I'm interested to learn if you ever found this, as I am searching for a similar book. I'm pretty sure that you weren't searching for Over Sea, Under Stone since I know the children in that particular book do not travel to another land. (Although later in the series, there are trips to the past for a couple of them.)

[Shanna_redwind]

The Weirdstone of Brisingamen or The Moon of Gomrath by Alan Garner?

Probably not this one, but I'll throw it out there too.
The Talking Parcel

[Mir]

The Talking Parcel is also published with the title Battle of the Castle Cockatrice, btw.

How about Hero from Otherwhere? That was published in 73 and has two boys in a magic world where they must go on a quest. I don't remember how they got there, though.

[D.M.]

The Tower of Geburah had a sequel, The Iron Sceptre, which had one of the kid's relatives staying over for the holiday. She goes up into an attic and passes through televisions to Geburah, but lands in the frozen north. Water figures because much of the book is a travel along a river, and the people they need to rescue are trapped underneath the sea.

This is a pic of the original cover:

http://www.amazon.com/The-Iron-Sceptr...

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

Joan, are you still looking for this book?

[bookel]

http://www.librarything.com/list/602/...

Anything from this list?

[Joan]

I am still looking! Thank you for the resource list. I appreciate it :)

[Justine]

Could it be The Halfmen of O? Published at the end of your timeframe but still sounds similar.

[Joan]

Thank you Justine - I don't think it is The Halfmen of O. The mystery continues :))

[Janet]

I feel silly suggesting this, since it's so well known, but your description fits The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, part of the Narnia series by C.S. Lewis.

[Justanotherbiblophile]

I think the subject used to say (yesterday) "NOT Narnia", which is why nobody suggested it prior to you.

But yeah, Voyage or maybe _Magician's Nephew_ (attic w/torches, statues==monuments, and pools of water==portals &/or sea) - if Narnia is on the plate (and I'd really like to hear the OP say they've read those two Narnia stories since becoming an adult (assuming good memory on the OP's part), not just ruling them out because they're popular)

[Joan]

Yes, I should re-edit. Not-Narnia. Thank you though. I do appreciate everyone helping out!

[bookel]

The magician's house series by William Corlett?

[Joan]

Thanks for trying Bookel!

bookel wrote: "The magician's house series by William Corlett?"

[Joan]

Feel free to make fun of how vague my descriptions are. I realize the lack of clarity makes pin-pointing the book difficult. I do think there was a medieval & magical component as well as a stone monument or dias. An attic room. The girl gets separated from her friends and tries to get back to the 'past' to find them maybe...

[bookel]

I'm sure it'll be found eventually! You've provided good clues and it's a popular type of story. More searching required (notes).

[Tab]

Maybe, The Diamond in the Window from the Hall Family Chronicles series? https://www.goodreads.com/series/4973...

There is a mention of windows, attics, the kids live with their aunt and uncle. Here's one with a blue cover

If not this book, do you remember any illustrations in the book?

[Justanotherbiblophile]

Joan wrote: "...I do think there was a medieval & magical component as well as a stone monument or [dais]. An attic room. The girl gets separated from her friends and tries to get back to the 'past' to find them (maybe...) "

Hey Joan? Go back and edit your OP to include this (and any other hints developed in this thread), so all that info is in that first post.

You can also include a list of books that the request is NOT - and if you can specify *why* each book is not a good suggestion, it'll help flesh out the request/help searchers rule out other books because of those reasons...

[bookel]

Throwing random British time travel books out there.

A Sound of Crying by Rodie Sudbery
Originally published in Great Britain in 1968 as "The House in the Wood".
"What a sinister place to live!" Polly exclaims the very first moment she sees her cousin's house. "I'll bet it's haunted." "It is not!" Frederick snaps back. "And there's no such thing as a ghost!" But before long, even Frederick begins to wonder. As for Polly . . . she must find out the truth about the lonely 19th century girl who comes alive each night in Polly's frightening dreams.

Cat's magic by Margaret Greaves
Through a cat's magic, Louise meets and rescues some unfortunate forebears from Victorian times.

[bookel]

Search results to browse Search results for 'su:time travel' > '1950..1977' > 'Book' > 'Fiction' > 'English' > 'Juvenile' .

[bookel]

The Sword of Culann by Betty Levin
The peculiar bronze object of an old Maine fisherman introduces two twentieth-century children to Iron Age Ireland.

Anything from this time travel list?

[Joan]

Thank you :) Your help is wonderful.

Justanotherbiblophile wrote: "Joan wrote: "...I do think there was a medieval & magical component as well as a stone monument or [dais]. An attic room. The girl gets separated from her friends and tries to get back to the 'past..."

[Joan]

I will check these out! Thanks.

bookel wrote: "Search results to browse
Search results for 'su:time travel' > '1950..1977' > 'Book' > 'Fiction' > 'English' > 'Juvenile'
."

[Joan]

I will look at all of these, thank you.

bookel wrote: "The Sword of Culann by Betty Levin
The peculiar bronze object of an old Maine fisherman introduces two twentieth-century children to Iron Age Ireland.

Anything from this time travel list?"

[Joan]

This could be in the running. I'm going to look further into it. Thank you.

Tab wrote: "Maybe, The Diamond in the Window from the Hall Family Chronicles series? https://www.goodreads.com/series/4973...

There is a mention of windows, attics, the kid..."

[bookel]

Here is the Kirkus Review for The diamond in the window. May be spoilers below.
https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-re...

" ... Reminiscent in structure of Alice In Wonderland, it gives full vent to fantasy in following the escapades of Eddy and Eleanor in a world of dreams and nightmares. An old New England house about to be usurped by creditors, is the setting. Tracing valuable treasure to save it,- the problem. The solid citizens of Concord have threatened Aunt Lily with eviction unless she can scrape up the back taxes on her house. Determined to help, Eddy and Eleanor begin rummaging through the attic and discover a hidden room where two children lived years ago. According to Aunt Lily, Ned and Nora disappeared from their beds along with her fiance, Prince Krishna. As Eddy and Eleanor settle down in the mysterious beds, they are thrown headlong into a series of dual dreams --exciting and colorful -- each inspired by Uncle Freddy's quotations from Thorean and Emerson or by a possible clue to the hidden treasure. The bubble dream climaxes a long odyssey. Eddy vanquishes the villain imprisoning the missing trio and Prince Krishna presents Aunt Lily with the Star of India, a precious jewel heretofore considered worthless....
Pub Date:Aug. 29th, 1962
Publisher:Harper
Review Posted Online:May 1st, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue:Aug. 1st, 1962"

[Joan]

Wow - That sounds like it could be it as well. I am intrigued. Am going to order the book. It sounds like a good series regardless!

bookel wrote: "The Sword of Culann by Betty Levin
The peculiar bronze object of an old Maine fisherman introduces two twentieth-century children to Iron Age Ireland.

Anything from this time travel list?"

[Joan]

Thank you Bookel - A Sound of Crying would have been memorable had I been brave enough to get through it as a child :))

bookel wrote: "Throwing random British time travel books out there.

A Sound of Crying by Rodie Sudbery
Originally published in Great Britain in 1968 as "The House in the Wood".
"What a sinister place to live!" P..."

[Cheryl]

Joan, was it the Diamond in the Window, or anything else suggested, or did you find it yourself? Are you still looking?

[Joan]

Hi Cheryl - thanks for asking. I do not think it was The Diamond in the Window. I am still on the hunt for this beautiful elusive childhood memory ;)

[Grey]

To me it sounds like 'The Castle of Adventure' by Enid Blyton

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cast...

Regards

[Andrea]

The Way to Windra?