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The Terrible Churnadryne
When Tom and Jennifer see a mysterious shape on San Lorenzo mountain, they decide it is a monster known as the churnadryne.
125 pages, Hardcover
First published June 1, 1959
26 people want to read
About the author
Eleanor Cameron
28 books52 followersEleanor Frances Butler Cameron (1912 - 1996) was a Canadian children's author who spent most of her life in California. Born in Winnipeg, Canada in 1912, her family then moved to South Charleston, Ohio when she was 3 years old. Her father farmed and her mother ran a hotel. After three years, they moved to Berkeley, California. Her parents divorced a few years later. At 16, she moved with her mother and stepfather to Los Angeles. She credits her English mother's love of story telling for her inspiration to write and make up stories.
She attended UCLA and the Art Center School of Los Angeles. In 1930, she started working at the Los Angeles Public Library and later worked as a research librarian for the Los Angeles Board of Education and two different advertising companies. She married Ian Cameron, a printmaker and publisher, in 1934 and the couple had a son, David, in 1944.
Her first book came out in 1950, based on her experience as a librarian. It was well received by critics, but didn't sell well. She did not start writing children's books until her son asked him to write one starring him as a character. this resulted in her popular series The Mushroom Planet.
With the success of the Mushroom Planet books, Cameron focused on writing for children. Between 1959 and 1988 she produced 12 additional children's novels, including The Court of the Stone Children (1973) and the semi-autobiographical five book Julia Redfern series (1971–1988). She won the National Book Award for Court of the Stone Children in 1973, and was a runner up for To The Green Mountains in 1979.
In addition to her fiction work, Cameron wrote two books of criticism and reflection on children's literature. The first, The Green and Burning Tree, was released in 1969 and led an increased profile for Cameron in the world of children's literature. Throughout the 1970s, 1980s, and early 1990s Cameron worked as a traveling speaker and contributor to publications such as The Horn Book Magazine, Wilson Library Bulletin, and Children's Literature in Education. She was also a member of the founding editorial board for the children's magazine Cricket, which debuted in 1973. In 1972 she and Roald Dahl exchanged barbs across three issues of The Horn Book, a magazine devoted to critical discussions of children's and young adult fiction. Her second book of essays, The Seed and the Vision: On the Writing and Appreciation of Children's Books, came out in 1993. It is her final published book.
From late 1967 until her death Cameron made her home in Pebble Beach, California. She died in hospice in Monterey, California on October 11, 1996 at the age of 84.[
She attended UCLA and the Art Center School of Los Angeles. In 1930, she started working at the Los Angeles Public Library and later worked as a research librarian for the Los Angeles Board of Education and two different advertising companies. She married Ian Cameron, a printmaker and publisher, in 1934 and the couple had a son, David, in 1944.
Her first book came out in 1950, based on her experience as a librarian. It was well received by critics, but didn't sell well. She did not start writing children's books until her son asked him to write one starring him as a character. this resulted in her popular series The Mushroom Planet.
With the success of the Mushroom Planet books, Cameron focused on writing for children. Between 1959 and 1988 she produced 12 additional children's novels, including The Court of the Stone Children (1973) and the semi-autobiographical five book Julia Redfern series (1971–1988). She won the National Book Award for Court of the Stone Children in 1973, and was a runner up for To The Green Mountains in 1979.
In addition to her fiction work, Cameron wrote two books of criticism and reflection on children's literature. The first, The Green and Burning Tree, was released in 1969 and led an increased profile for Cameron in the world of children's literature. Throughout the 1970s, 1980s, and early 1990s Cameron worked as a traveling speaker and contributor to publications such as The Horn Book Magazine, Wilson Library Bulletin, and Children's Literature in Education. She was also a member of the founding editorial board for the children's magazine Cricket, which debuted in 1973. In 1972 she and Roald Dahl exchanged barbs across three issues of The Horn Book, a magazine devoted to critical discussions of children's and young adult fiction. Her second book of essays, The Seed and the Vision: On the Writing and Appreciation of Children's Books, came out in 1993. It is her final published book.
From late 1967 until her death Cameron made her home in Pebble Beach, California. She died in hospice in Monterey, California on October 11, 1996 at the age of 84.[
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
October 18, 2013
Canadian author Eleanor Cameron(1912-1996) was best known for her children's books, most especially The Mushroom Planet series. THE TERRIBLE CHURANDRYNE was another.
Siblings Jennifer and Tom were visiting their grandmother in Redwood Cove for the summer when they heard the stories of Mr, Looper seeing a large sea creature two years before and were determined to see it themselves. A few others had claimed to see something as well, though most tempered it as shadows in the fog. Large shadows.
Most of the town thought they were just crazy.
Mr Looper, curator of his own museum, claimed it was an Elasmosaurus and had dubbed his find Elasmosaurus Californius because that's where he'd seen his creature.
The best point for sightings was atop the hills of San Lorenzo. Unfortunately the land was owned by a crabby old woman that didn't like people. Her only actions with them were a couple of days a week where she sold eggs, milk, and butter.
Mrs. Larkin was apoplectic to find them on her "proppity" and shooed them off. She mentions the Churnadryne as she does so and when they ask what that was, she replied you'll find out.
It's a short tale of adventure as the kids and old Mr. looper, not to mention the rest of the town, have their own confrontations in the thick fog.
This book might be called young adult these days. Even though I will be -mumble-mumble- next week, I think I could qualify.
Siblings Jennifer and Tom were visiting their grandmother in Redwood Cove for the summer when they heard the stories of Mr, Looper seeing a large sea creature two years before and were determined to see it themselves. A few others had claimed to see something as well, though most tempered it as shadows in the fog. Large shadows.
Most of the town thought they were just crazy.
Mr Looper, curator of his own museum, claimed it was an Elasmosaurus and had dubbed his find Elasmosaurus Californius because that's where he'd seen his creature.
The best point for sightings was atop the hills of San Lorenzo. Unfortunately the land was owned by a crabby old woman that didn't like people. Her only actions with them were a couple of days a week where she sold eggs, milk, and butter.
Mrs. Larkin was apoplectic to find them on her "proppity" and shooed them off. She mentions the Churnadryne as she does so and when they ask what that was, she replied you'll find out.
It's a short tale of adventure as the kids and old Mr. looper, not to mention the rest of the town, have their own confrontations in the thick fog.
This book might be called young adult these days. Even though I will be -mumble-mumble- next week, I think I could qualify.
February 21, 2018
I read this for a class on fantasy literature. I don't remember it beyond my class notes which I still have. The theme of the book is believing and not believing. The children see a monster, a prehistoric creature. It has also been seen by several adults. The townspeople believe the children but they hadn't believed the adults. Eventually even the children begin to believe that what they saw was a cow, but the girl and the adult who was not believed because he is peculiar still believe. They know it doesn't really matter whether they are believed. They know what they saw.
September 1, 2013
I thought it would be like the Phantom Tollbooth, but it didn't have much depth or a moral to the story.
November 17, 2025
I’ve been so fortunate to discover Eleanor Cameron due to my future husband who read this book when he was in the fifth grade. I had no idea I was going to discover a mid-century children’s author who writes so beautifully about the San Francisco Bay Area! As I grew up there before tech it’s very sacred to me and she just brought everything beautifully to life. I would’ve been too young for this era, but I remember hearing about it and dreaming about it. This is a wonderful story that moves very fast and involves a wonderful dinosaur and I don’t want give too much away. But these are delightful characters and you will be overjoyed.
November 15, 2021
Older is better? Quite often, I'm finding. This sixties tale of a California-coast 'Nessie' like creature, and the two kids who establish its existence, at least to their own satisfaction--well, this is a corker of a tale. It's true that some of the language is a little old-fashioned (Hoo-ray! we hear at one point), and that word choice at some points seems a little off (a young boy 'bellows,' a girl supposedly screams her dialogue), but taken tolerantly that's also a part of the charm. Cameron does a great job of keeping some complicated action clear, and the ending to me is near-perfect. Also, there's that mysterious word 'Churnadryne.' There's a clever, accidental little joke behind that.
It took me a while to acquire this book, since most available copies seemed overpriced, but I scored at last--and into my collection it goes.
It took me a while to acquire this book, since most available copies seemed overpriced, but I scored at last--and into my collection it goes.
December 27, 2021
I recall this book from my childhood. It is basically about people (in this case children) working themselves up into a frenzy about a monster that doesn't really exist.
Even as a child,, this was a bit disappointing. Great title for charades though.
Even as a child,, this was a bit disappointing. Great title for charades though.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 13, 2020
I’m going back and rereading some of my childhood favorites. This was one of them.
February 26, 2021
My library didn’t have the Eleanor Cameron book I wanted to read (The Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet) so I borrowed this one instead. A very fun-to-read story.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews