Reading Eva Ibbotson

The absolute best part about holidays is being able to read late into the night and stay in bed as long as you want the next morning. :)

I've been re-reading a lot of old favorites this summer and just perused some of Eva Ibbotson's books - so I thought I'd share them here (in case anyone has not yet discovered these little gems.)

Eva Ibbotson is a British writer, who was born in Austria. She's written a large number of children's books such as Journey to the River Sea, The Great Ghost Rescue, The Secret of Platform 13 and Island of the Aunts among others.

The first book of hers that I read was The Secret of Platform 13 - and I LOVED it. It's a great mix of fantasy and humor - very Roald Dahlish in character - and tells the story of a lost prince, a magical kingdom, a forgotten railway platform and a rescue!

The Secret of Platform 13

Since I was the school librarian at that time I promptly ordered every single other book written by the author. :) There are a lot but I'm just going to share a couple of titles. Amazon lists nearly all of them so make sure to visit and see what other titles are available. :)

Island of the Aunts is one of my all time favorites - it is the story of three "aunts" who look after a very special island and take care of some unique creatures. As they get older they decide they need some children to take over from them so they decide to kidnap two special children who can keep a secret. It's an absolutely fabulous story with an environmental theme running through it as well.

Island of the Aunts

Which Witch? tells the story of Belladonna, a white witch who longs to be evil but just can't manage it - until the day she meets Terence and his worm. Terence and Belladonna work together to help Belladonna win the contest to become the wife of Arriman the Awful - who will only marry the darkest of witches. Great fun - and there's some absolutely superb descriptive writing in it!!

Which Witch?

Journey to the River Sea is set in 1910 in the Amazon jungle and follows the adventures of Maia, an orphan sent to live with her aunt and spoiled cousins. Maia meets up with two more orphans and embarks on a journey of a lifetime. The descriptive writing is just beautiful and there's plenty of humor and a twisted plot. This is a very popular book at our school. :)

Journey to the River Sea

 Most of Ibbotson's books are a perfect read for grade 3 and up, although a few titles are more appropriate for older readers. 

If your kiddies enjoy Roald Dahl they'll enjoy Eva Ibbotson for sure! Give them a try!

Happy reading :)