The Boy Who Saw Bigfoot (
Marian T. Place, 1979) is the fictional(?) story of ten-year old orphan Joey Wilson, who encounters a Bigfoot monster shortly after being adopted by a lumberjack family living in a remote log cabin in the forests of southwest Washington.
You'll be pleased to know this title was hand selected by the prestigious
Weekly Reader Selection Board for inclusion in the Weekly Reader Book family.
The story, told in the first person by Joey himself, is enjoyable enough, but what makes this book even more interesting is the blatant product placement. On page one (and a few other times in later chapters) of this Weekly Reader Book we learn that Joey's story was allegedly covered as news in a little magazine you may have heard of...
The Weekly Reader.
Later, after Joey has revealed the details of his Bigfoot encounter at school, his teacher explores the subject with the class, reading from a library book called
On the Track of Bigfoot.
Who would have guessed this is a real book written by none other than...
Marian T. Place?
Both books are out of print as of this writing.
The Boy Who Saw Bigfoot (Marian T. Place, 1979) is the fictional(?) story of ten-year old orphan Joey Wilson, who encounters a Bigfoot monster shortly after being adopted by a lumberjack family living in a remote log cabin in the forests of southwest Washington.
You'll be pleased to know this title was hand selected by the prestigious Weekly Reader Selection Board for inclusion in the Weekly Reader Book family. 
The story, told in the first person by Joey himself, is enjoyable enough, but what makes this book even more interesting is the blatant product placement. On page one (and a few other times in later chapters) of this Weekly Reader Book we learn that Joey's story was allegedly covered as news in a little magazine you may have heard of... The Weekly Reader.
Later, after Joey has revealed the details of his Bigfoot encounter at school, his teacher explores the subject with the class, reading from a library book called On the Track of Bigfoot. 
Who would have guessed this is a real book written by none other than... Marian T. Place?
Both books are out of print as of this writing. 
Marian T. Place was my grandmother. She would be thrilled to know her book made mention in your blog. She wrote certain books specifically for use in schools and in conjunction with established programs like The Weekly Reader. I'm guessing she used her own book (On the Track of Bigfoot) in the story because she already had the rights. She was a former librarian as well, so she had a good idea what worked for kids.
ReplyDeleteThe book is indeed fiction but I'm not sure my grandmother thought Bigfoot was fake. What's rather funny is that I now work with a woman whose relatives were behind the hoax. Still, I think Bigfoot is real if you want it to be.
P.S. If you read the dedication in the front of this book, you will see my name. :)
Amy,
ReplyDeleteI was a 10-year-old Bigfoot nut when I first read your grandmother's book and it obviously stuck with me (even though I'd only borrowed it from the school library and never owned a copy myself).
Thanks for stopping by and sharing some more info about Marian T. Place!
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAmy, I am now 42 and took the time to look this book up for my children to read. (I couldn't remember the name or author but remembered the cover) It left that much of an impression on me. 😁
ReplyDelete