Jane Louise Curry

The best discovery I've made in a long time of picking out vintage children's books. Jane Louise Curry's 'The Mysterious Shrinking House' (originally titled 'Mindy's Mysterious Miniature') begins with a young girl, Mindy, convincing her antique dealer parents to let her bid on a filthy dollhouse found in a barn attic at a country auction. For a handful of change and some deposit bottles, she takes home her treasure. Under the layers of filth Miranda and her father discover the house is a wonder. It is perfect to the last detail...too perfect. Mindy laughs at his suspicions, even when a mysterious snooper is seen prowling around their house. Later, Mindy invites her elderly neighbor Mrs. Bright to view the house. The two end up in the middle of a decades-long mystery of miniscule proportions.

This was such a bizarre book. When the other inhabitants of the miniature village are introduced it clinched this book as a keeper. It's a wonderful story, has aged beautifully and wraps up nicely in under 150 large printed pages with generous illustrations. Most early chapter books leave a lot to be desired, but this is worth seeking out.… (mehr)

This is a fun children's book from 1975. Young Rosemary, the daughter of uptight parents, stays with her eccentric Aunt Sibby in Maine. While exploring the overgrown garden at Aunt Sibby's house she discovers a curiosity which transports her back to early 18th century Maine. Adventures soon follow...

I enjoyed it and am looking forward to the next installment, The Magical Cupboard. Some words are unique to the time it was written/for American audiences, but otherwise the author has a nice style of writing. It transports you into another world and there are some lovely black and white illustrations to accompany the text.
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