Eth Clifford (1915–2003)

The library that Mary Rose and Jo-Beth Onetree are prisoners in is the Finton Memorial Library for Children. It's as well for Miss Finton, the librarian, that the girls are the daughters of Mr. 'Last-Minute Harry' Onetree. If their father hadn't put off getting more gas while driving the girls from their home in Fort Worth to visit their Aunt Madge in Indianapolis, his car wouldn't have stopped during a blizzard. If Jo-Beth hadn't needed to go to the bathroom, the girls wouldn't have gone show more into the library. If Mary Rose hadn't been so interested in the 'kid hack' display (and Miss Finton hadn't missed finding them), they wouldn't have been locked inside when the library closed.

Remember that blizzard? It took out the electricity and the phone lines. The girls are frightened, especially when something speaks to them as it flies past. Still, when they hear a noise upstairs, Mary Rose investigates. Jo-Beth comes along because she's afraid to stay downstairs without her big sister.

The library is a marvelous place and the girls have a good adventure. Jo-Beth's lively imagination adds to the fun. (I particularly enjoyed her ponderings when Miss Finton exclaims, 'If that doesn't beat buttered parsnips!')

The illustrations are nice. It certainly is a library I'd love to visit if it were real.

I want to look for the other books in this series! show less

I was surprised at how entertaining this story actually was. Many books of this short length speed through and leave out as much as they can in order to get to the end, but this one managed to be well rounded in its own way. There is humor for older readers or adults reading to younger children and the plot includes just enough suspense to keep the story going in a realistic way. There are times when things happen quickly for plot purposes, but again one must consider the length of the book. show more Reading this story helps you realize that though something may be frightening at first, once you explore it, you might find something new and exciting. show less

A child's imagination can expose the bumbled world of adults in ironic ways, and Eth Clifford continues to show the wistful seriousness of writing for the younger readers. Speaking for no other person, I immediately identified with the young people in this story. Two dastardly bank robbers buried stolen money on an island which operated carnival rides. Caught by kids.

An orphaned Jeff, with abandonment issues and a fascination with ant colonies, is taken in by his cousin's family. He show more row-boats away, heading straight for the island. Jeff leaves a cryptic note. Jo-Beth, and her older sister, Mary Rose, read the note, and head off to find him. Did I mention the dastardly bank robbers? show less

Family for sale by Eth Clifford. A genius simple story anyone with siblings could relate to, plus a small insight into what it's like as an orphan. No one likes housework as a kid (great solutions) and being the boss isn't as easy as it sounds. Nor is it fair being teased, bullied, picked on, being ignored and feeling like you have no friends. Add a dog for dog lovers and you have a quick read finished in less than a day. Borrowed from openlibrary.org (ePub).