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

A short chapter book that belonged to my mom (must have been from the 1960s) about a boy who wants to win the science faire, so he genetically manipulates vegetables (I think with radioactivity or radiation). However, when people eat or use the G.M.O. plants (I think one woman used them to create a lipstick? could be wrong), they start becoming plant-like. The boy has to sit under a light to feel better because he becomes plant-like.

The boy wins the science faire despite all the concern around the effects of the plants. Black suits from the government show up and take everything. The boy muses about it all (perhaps plans to try again) and the book ends.

It was fun and weird (like most books from the 1960s, like the Mrs. Coverlet series by Mary Nash).

Do you recognize this weird science fiction romp? Please let me know! Have been looking for a decade, would love to read again!

Sounds kinda like Top Secret, but that wasn't pubbed until '84.

Well Rainbowheart, you magician, you earthangel you, you did it again! It is *indeed* Top Secret or as my mom's edition was called, "The Strange Thing That Happened To Allen Brewster" (I remember the funny cartoon kid with the blender now).

https://forgottenstoriesweb.wordpress...

The lipstick thing was the experiment he was supposed to be doing because his teacher assigned him that when he really wanted to see if he could photosynthesize like a plant.

This is the book I looked for for YEARS! However did you find it (and what have you been doing up all night?!)

You are incredible!

SOLVED! (in record time! like 30 minutes whaaatttt?!)

Haha, lucky I had insomnia tonight.

I've read this one, but it was quite a ways back. It's popular, though. It's come up on this group twice before. The only thing that was throwing me off was the publication date!

I was fortunate indeed!

I have asked my mom and auntie about this book (and also "Mrs. Coverlet's Magicians") and both acted like they never heard of it before even though it was theirs! Interesting that this has come up before! Not sure why they would have a kids book from 1984, they had both graduated from high school by then and neither are particularly imaginative or sentimental children-at-hearts (or readers of fantasy). Maybe it was published and re-published?

My grandmas's house was strange though, (this is absolutely true), every once in a while something would go missing, or someone would find something in a cabinet or closet or in a strange spot that no one in the house had any memory of. I always loved the house but my mom always felt uneasy there. The dog would bark at the fireplace for no apparent reason and my grandma once saw a shadow figure in her yard. When it seemed to realize she could see it, it sped away "as if its feet were wheels", almost like it was gliding or flying.

Indian burial ground? Glitch in reality? No idea. It was a magical place, a literal time capsule of the 1970s (she never changed anything). Sadly, it got destroyed in that massive flood in SouthEast Texas 2 years ago, and my grandma died one month ago today (October 12, 2019).

For anyone who wants to read it RIGHT NOW, there are multiple copies on Archive.org!

https://archive.org/details/strangeth...