Customer Reviews

An Eva Ibbotson Collection: Which Witch?, The Secret of Platform 13, Island of the Aunts

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

On one hand this is a fun, fast moving, and engaging kids book that's got a dark and twisted sense of fun. However, and perhaps this is a left-over from it being written in the seventies, but there are unnerving moments of bigotry peppered through it. Characters insult each other by calling each other "faggot" in a derogatory sense, and there are occasional racial jokes like all "Chinamen look alike". A parent reading it to their kids can easily censor or discuss this with their kid, but depending on the circumstances the casual bigotry in the book might be enough to cause one to choose a different story. Be warned.

This book was really good! I was waiting for the next Harry Potter book to come out when I saw this book. I was really glad I got it. It wasn't just filler. I really liked the way Eva Ibbotson made a whole different world, but it still felt like that world might actually be there. In Island of the Aunts, she shows how important it is to conserve nature and it's wonders. She was able to give that message without being depressing, like other books sometimes are.

Once you pass by these kinds of books, you might think to yourself that you would never try to read them until you had absolutely nothing left to do. That was the same for me. I sat one day staring at my shelf of books, and decided that I would read it, but if I thought the first page would be pure torture, I would just drop it. Five minutes later, I sat with my eyes glued to the book, laughing at paragraphs with clusters of witty humor. It seemed like I was tumbling through a dimension where common sense hailed magic, and where good always taught a lesson to evil. Don't worry; you'll see Eva Ibbotson's stories unfold right before your own eyes once you experience this book.

British author Eva Ibbotson has gained a reputation for charming, funny light fantasy, and her popularity has only grown with the rise of books like "Harry Potter." This slipcased three-pack is a fun collection of Ibbotson's most popular titles: "The Secret of Platform 13," "Which Witch?" and "Island of the Aunts."

"The Secret of Platform 13" is that it has a secret doorway into a magical land -- and one day, the young Prince's nannies accidently lost him to a greedy woman who wanted a baby of her own. Many years later, a rescue squad sets out to bring back the young prince -- but can this rude, gluttonous, nasty boy be their long-lost prince? Or do they have the wrong boy?

"The Island of the Aunts" gives a new spin to "hidden" magical creature -- old ladies Etta, Coral and Myrtle live on an otherwise deserted island, caring for a group of magical creatures, including a selkie, mermaids, and a kraken. But the aunts are getting old, and so they decide that they'll get some children to help them care for the magical creatures. The problem is, they have to kidnap them...

In "Which Witch," wizard Arriman the Awful has to get married so he can produce a wizardly heir. The problem is, he has to marry a witch -- and the thought of marrying a repulsive crone makes his skin crawl. A contest is held to see who will be Arriman's wife, and poor white witch Belladonna thinks that her sweetness-and-light spells don't stand a chance. Can she manage something really nasty for the contest?

Sure, "Harry Potter" may be more popular, but Ibbotson's ogres, wizards, mermaids and plucky preteen boys were there first. These three books are probably among Ibbotson's best, although admittedly I have not read every single novel she's written.

Ibbotson has a knack for comedy and whimsy, sometimes with a slightly grotesque twist (such as a legendary skinless creature in "Platform" -- all organs on display). But the crisp prose keeps it steady and grounded, as if magical beasties and disgruntled wizards were all perfectly normal. In Ibbotson's fiction, they are.

Charming, funny and a bit goofy, these three books showcase Eva Ibbotson in fine form. Definitely something to check out.

I have not had the opportunity to read this but it is for my grand child. The book was received quickly and in excellent condition.

I reviewed this book earlier, but I just reread it so I had to review it again.

1. This book looks impressing, but its really just because there are three books inside it. The pages are also thick, so its really not that bad.

2. You should get this book because it is very fresh and refreshing. It seems like you get more out of the book because there are three stories, so there are three plots, three expositions, three rising actions, three climaxes, and three resolutions.

3.Eva Ibbotson uses creative plots to get your attention. I was very surprised at the plots of the stories, but it was a pleasant surprise.

4. You REALLY should GET this BOOK!!!!!!!!

I DEFINETELY recommend this book to you!!!!!!!!!!

I read the book Island of the Aunts by Eva Ibbotson. It was fairly enjoyable though a bit boring in some parts. The story is about 3 aunts who live on a magical island, and are worried about what will happen to the creautres when they die, so they kidnap two children Minette and Fabio. The story then goes on to be about what happens when they come, and problems with the kidnapping. Girls and Boys ages 10 - 13.