The Velvet Room

The Velvet Room | Zilpha Keatley Snyder

pick

First of all—the variety of covers for this is hilarious! I read a digital copy (top left) that makes it look like a ghost story or gothic thriller. I see where this image comes into the story, but—it‘s so exactly wrong that it‘s maddening. If I‘d found this as a kid, no doubt it would have been the Dell Yearling edition there on the bottom left. 😆 This was a sweet, nostalgic hug of a book. It‘s exactly the kind of book I‘d have loved as a kid ⤵️

BarbaraJean (Cont‘d)—and I loved it as an adult. I completely resonated with that childhood magic of finding a perfect secret place that‘s all your own, where you can read and think and wonder. Even though I saw the ending coming, and it ties everything up far too neatly, I didn‘t care. This was a delight. Thank you to @TheAromaofBooks for this recommendation (several months back!!), and for pulling the right number to assign it as my April #BookSpin! 8mo

BarbaraJean And… this is my 1965 pick for #192025. @Librarybelle 8mo

Ruthiella That Dell cover looks familiar. Maybe I need it in elementary school? 🤔 8mo

See All 7 Comments

Librarybelle Thanks for posting the variety of covers - you‘re so right about the one looking spooky and gothic! 8mo

LeahBergen I remember the bottom pink cover! 8mo

willaful I have the pink cover. 😁 8mo

TheAromaofBooks The bottom right is my cover - it's a small book and so perfect for reading!! I'm really happy you enjoyed this one - it's one of my childhood heart books, so I'm not remotely objective about it haha - but rereading it as an adult didn't lessen my love for it at all. I've tried reading a few of Snyder's other books, but haven't found any others that come remotely close to this one. 8mo

39 likes7 comments

TheAromaofBooks

The Velvet Room | Zilpha Keatley Snyder

pick

Some books just live in your heart, and this is one of those books for me. I read it over and over again growing up. I always felt such a strong affinity with Robin - her tendency to “wander off“ when she needed to think things out, her love of books and reading, her special connection to her dad, and the way that she fell absolutely in love with a house. I was delighted at how well this book held up to a reread as an adult now that I have ⬇

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) finally gotten my hands on a copy! There is so much here about family, connections, finding a place, and the magic of books. Set in 1937 California, the story also touches lightly on wealth, class, and prejudice. There's an improbably happy ending here, but that's part of the reason that I love it so much. All the stars. ❤

#MtTBR
#WickedWords - Labor @AsYouWish
Last read for #SummerEndReadathon @TheSpineView
#BookSpinBingo 1y

LeahBergen I feel like rereading this now! 🩷 1y

TheAromaofBooks @LeahBergen - I don't know what happened to my childhood copy, but I have been wanting to reread this one forever and finally purchased another (identical) copy, although this book is oddly expensive now. It's one that should definitely still be in print but isn't! 1y

See All 15 Comments

TheAromaofBooks @BarbaraJean - Have you read this one? Because I think you would love it!!! 1y

rubyslippersreads I used to check this out of my elementary school library over and over again. It‘s available for Kindle and Kindle Unlimited, but I‘m shocked to see how expensive the hardcover is. 1y

willaful I have this exact same edition! Yeah, even as a kid I felt that the ending was a bit over the top, but still gotta love it. 1y

TheSpineView Fantastic!🤩📖🎃 1y

BarbaraJean I loved Zilpha Keatley Snyder when I was a kid, but I'd never heard of this one! I just checked and my library has it available through hoopla. 🎉 🎉 I'll have to check it out! 1y

TheAromaofBooks @rubyslippersreads - Even this paperback cost me around $20! 😳 1y

TheAromaofBooks @willaful - I had this edition when I was growing up. I love the tiny paperback!! 1y

TheAromaofBooks @BarbaraJean - I've read a couple of other of Snyder's books and none of them have grabbed me like this one does. It's a fast read so I hope you get to it soon!! 1y

BarbaraJean This goes on my list of comfort reads to help me finish #Clarissa 😂 My first Snyder is tagged--I just fell in love with it. People living in trees! Gliding from branch to branch in the light gravity of another planet! I remembered it as delightful & idyllic, then re-read it as an adult and discovered I'd not only completely forgotten all the dystopian undertones, I'd also completely missed all the clues that it was first in a trilogy. 😂

Below the Root

TheAromaofBooks Oh I will have to try and find this one!! Several years ago it suddenly occurred to me that, thanks to the power of the internet, I could actually look up childhood favorites and see if they had written anything beyond what my library had when I was a kid! It's been a mixed bag haha I may have only read one other of Snyder's books and didn't dislike it, just didn't LOVE it like The Velvet Room. Although, rereading my review, I may have just an ⬇ 1y

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) edition with really terrible illustrations 😂

@BarbaraJean - Apparently I forgot to tag you in the first half of this comment pair 😆 Too used to commenting on YOUR posts! LOL (edited) 1y

BarbaraJean Hahaha… and somehow I missed your tag in the second half of the comment pair and only found it because I was scrolling through the Clarissa hashtag 😂😂 Whole new worlds open up when you discover your favorite childhood authors have written books your library didn‘t own!! Thank God for the internet. 😆 And Internet Archive for those out of print titles! 1y

75 likes5 stack adds15 comments