Category Archives: 1950s

Rereading The Children of Green Knowe by L.M. Boston

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You can listen to the episode here.

Oops! Mary Grace made a mockery of the show title by picking a book that it turns out she probably didn’t read as a child. What she (and Deborah) actually did read was The RIVER at Green Knowe. Nevertheless, they had a great time discussing The Children of Green Knowe, the first book in the series, which is about a boy named Tolly who goes to live with his great-grandmother in a mansion haunted by seventeenth-century children. It was well-written but kind of plotless. As they know from being in a book group together for decades, though, not-so-good books often make for the best discussions and that was the case this time.

Here’s the Amazon review that Mary Grace mentioned where the reviewer complains about the book being edited to remove references to a servant’s child being born out of wedlock.

Here’s the first edition cover:

Here’s the cover of the current American paperback edition:

Other books about meeting up with children from the past that Mary Grace discussed:

Seven-Day Magic by Edward Eager

George Washington and the Magic Hat by Deborah Kalb (yes, that Deborah Kalb)

John Adams and the Magic Bobblehead by Deborah Kalb

Thomas Jefferson and the Return of the Magic Hat by Deborah Kalb

The podcast is hosted by Buzzsprout at rereadingourchildhood.buzzsprout.com and is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and other podcast platforms. 

You can find Deborah’s author interviews on her blog, Books Q&A by Deborah Kalb, and Mary Grace’s adventures in the 1920s on her blog, My Life 100 Years Ago.

This episode was edited by Adam Linder of Bespoken Podcasting.

Rereading Henry Reed, Inc. by Keith Robertson

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On the third episode of Rereading Our Childhood, Mary Grace and Deborah discuss Henry Reed, Inc., Keith Robertson’s 1958 novel about a boy who starts a research business while spending the summer with his aunt and uncle in a small town in New Jersey. This is the first in a five-book series about the adventures of Henry and his friend Midge. You can read this episode here.

Other books in the series:

Henry Reed’s Journey (1963)

Henry Reed’s Baby-Sitting Service (1966)

Henry Reed’s Big Show (1970)

Henry Reed’s Think Tank (1986)

As Mary Grace mentions, Robertson’s first novel, Ticktock and Jim, is available as a free e-book at Project Gutenberg.

You can read Robertson’s New York Times obituary here.

You can read Robertson’s daughter Christina’s tribute to his honorary daughter Mariko Sasaki Sendai here.

Mary Grace and Deborah discuss these books by Henry Reed, Inc. illustrator Robert McCloskey:

Homer Price (1943)

Centerburg Tales (1951) (the Homer Price sequel that Deborah mentions)

Make Way for Ducklings (1941)

Here’s the original cover of Henry Reed, Inc.:

Here’s the cover of the current Puffin edition. This edition includes Robert McCloskey’s original illustrations, but the cover illustration, from 1989, is by Melodye Rosales. Obviously it’s an adaptation of the original cover, with updated clothes (though the loafers and white socks are a debatable choice), more dangerous chair position, etc.

Also recommended for fans of Henry Reed:

Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective (1963) and the rest of the series, plus Robert McCloskey’s Homer Price books, mentioned above.

The podcast is hosted by Buzzsprout at rereadingourchildhood.buzzsprout.com and is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and other podcast platforms.

You can find Debby’s author interviews on her blog, Books Q&A by Deborah Kalb, and Mary Grace’s adventures in the 1920s on her blog, My Life 100 Years Ago.

This episode was edited by Adam Linder of Bespoken Podcasting.