What's the Name of That Book??? discussion

I was having toast and jam for breakfast this morning and it reminded me of a scene in a book I read, or perhaps just started, when I was in elementary school (U.S.A., in English).

A boy was sent to stay at a woman's house; I can't remember the reason. In the beginning, the woman remarked that the boy had only put two (or maybe three) strawberries on his toast. He said that his mother gave them store-bought jam, and to avoid fights with his sister over the strawberries, they were only allowed to take two apiece. The woman said it was homemade jam and he could take as many strawberries as he liked.

I don't remember why the boy was sent to live with this woman, or why his sister wasn't there too (it may have seemed strange to me at the time that they would be separated). I'm pretty sure the mother was still alive (maybe his sister stayed with their mom when the boy was farmed out? I'm really just guessing).

The woman may have been some kind of witch (of the "good witch" variety) and I think that's what most of the book was about, but I only remember the jam scene. I remember nothing of the author or cover.

Thanks for your assistance!

Was this a picture book or a chapter book?

Isn’t there something similar in The Magicians Nephew by CS Lewis? I remember the boy being fed by the housekeeper and his uncle actively ignoring him.

Thank you! It was a chapter book, and it was positively not The Magician's Nephew (in which Digory and his mother go to live with his aunt and uncle due to his mother's illness).

Maybe Timothy and Two Witches or one of the sequels?

Rainbowheart wrote: "Maybe Timothy and Two Witches or one of the sequels?"

Rainbowheart:

Thanks! I'm not sure. The covers look unfamiliar, but the detail about his bed turning into a boat and rocking him to sleep at night strikes a chord. I'm not about to spend $72 for a used paperback to make sure, though.

SamSpayedPI wrote: "Rainbowheart wrote: "Maybe Timothy and Two Witches or one of the sequels?"

Rainbowheart:

Thanks! I'm not sure. The covers look unfamiliar, but the detail about his bed turning into..."

Here's an auction on Ebay for the book:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/RARE-Timothy...

Amber (Daisymau) wrote: "Here's an auction on Ebay for the book:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/RARE-Timothy... ."

Amber:

Thanks! My $5 bid won ($7.50 with shipping) so I'll see in a few days whether this is the book.

Even if it isn't, I look forward to reading it. Most of Margaret Storey's works are out of print, but she seems to have been a great influence to many British authors.

Cool, glad you won the bid! Hopefully it's this book and not one of the even harder to find sequels, lol.

Solved! It's Timothy and Two Witches. Thank you, Rainbowheart and Amber!

Apparently I made up the part about fighting over the strawberries with his sister (I'm not even sure he has a sister):

"Are you a fairy?"
"No, a white witch. Have another strawberry, you've only got two on that bread."
"With our strawberry jam at home, you can only have two, because if you take more there are no strawberries left when the jam is only half gone. It's only jam and no strawberries, and dull. Of course it isn't like that when Mother makes it herself, but she can't always." Timothy helped himself to more.

Awesomesauce. Glad it was the right one!