Out of the last four requests I've gotten for help identifying half-remembered books, I could only answer one; here are the other three, and if you recognize any of them, please leave a comment!
"I am looking for a fantasy novel I read partially when I was barely ten. The cover was ripped so I can not recall the title except that the story involved a young boy and girl who come across a talking talisman or artifact that was able to take them back in time every hundred or so years until the come to a medieval era in which mankind was enslaved by aliens, apparently the true origin of the talisman is revealed to be alien. I can not recall how the story ends but it is a very humorous novel with the talisman coming across as sarcastic yet funny."
"My boyfriend has a book in mind that he loved when he was younger. He said it was about someone who went into a tree and traveled way back in time, like to the dinosaur era. He's sure that it wasn't the series with the tree house though."
Sam has an answer for this one-- The Ancient One, by T. A. Barron; if that's not it, Reading Is My Life wonders if it might be a Ruth Chew book.
"When I was in middle school, which I'm not entirely sure when that was (I think it was around 98), we read a book about a girl who would go back and forth through time. All I can remember is the cover- A brunet girl stands in the middle, cut down the half, on one side she wears a tank top and blue jeans, and the other, some Civil war, or older dress. The scene that I remember is that she is running down an alleyway, trying to avoid being seen by surveillance cameras, and slips through time. She winds up in a tunnel, where she hides behind a wagon to avoid soldiers of some sort."
HumbleIndigo has suggested Running Out of Time, by Margaret Peterson Haddix, which definitely meets the cover criteria:
Deb also suggest Both Sides of Time, by Caroline Cooney, for this one.
I really wish someone would guess the alien one...sarcasm in mg sff is not as common as it should be, in my opinion.
Button styles
Sadly, none of those sound familiar to me, though from the descriptions, I kind of wish they did.
ReplyDeleteOne of the few time-travel books I remember reading as a kid involved a boy creating this sort of spiral-down timeline model thingy of pre-history. is prized dinosaur tooth gets stuck at one part of the timeline, and the next morning he wakes up to find himself in the time of the dinosaurs. I must have read it when I was 8 or 9, maybe, and I have no idea what the title was... Though I'm not looking for someone to tell me, either. I mostly mentioned it because it was one of the few time-travel books I remember reading as a kid.
I am glad you aren't asking for me help, because, once again, I dunno what book that is!
DeleteI got nothing. Absolutely nothing. I was hoping I'd be able to identify at least one, but I'm coming up empty.
ReplyDeleteCould the time-travel dinosaur tree be one of Ruth Chew's books? There is one called The Magic Treehouse. I don't specifically remember dinosaurs connected to her books, but I know there were dragons in at least one book.
ReplyDeleteThe cover on the last one reminded me of a book by Caroline B. Cooney, Both Sides of Time. Have a feeling that is not it...but throwing it out there just in case.
ReplyDeleteThe one about going back in time through the tree is one of my favorites: The Ancient One, by T. A. Barron -- http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1381292.The_Ancient_One - except it's not to the time of dinosoaurs, exactly (although there is a lizardy dinosaur like character in it).
ReplyDeleteCould the last one be Running Out of Time by Margaret Peterson Haddix? I never did get around to reading it, but I remember the cover looking similar to the one described.
ReplyDeleteI have emailed the to enquirers whose books may have been found--I'll keep you all posted!
ReplyDeleteThe last one is definitely not Both Sides of Time - the girl ends up in the Victorian era. And there are no surveillance cameras either; she's riding her bike when she slips through.
ReplyDeleteWould be helpful to know when the inquirer of the sarcastic scifi title was 10, could narrow down the books chronologically.
ReplyDeletegood point!!!!! I shall email him and ask.
DeleteWhat a fun idea for a post! I wish some of these descriptions rang a bell for me, but I've got nothing. Ruth Chew was my FAVORITE author as a kid though. I have eleven of her books on my shelf, and I'm pretty sure the tree one is not a Chew book.
ReplyDelete