Customer Reviews

The Secret of Platform 13

5 star:		(68)
4 star:		(24)
3 star:		(14)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

This book was written years before Harry ever wound up on a publisher's desk, and it should not be viewed in comparison to J.K. Rowling's books. The value of Platform 13 comes in the delightful opportunities for imagination and discussion when an adult and a child read it together. We used this book for a mother/daughter group and had wonderfully creative time addressing points in Ms. Ibbotson's book. What atmosphere is the best place for a gump, and where would be the best place to find a gump in this country? If YOUR child was stolen, who would you send to rescue him or her - Odge and her friends or the harpies? (Moms had a surprising answer for this one.) Is it true that "when children behave badly it is nearly always the fault of those who bring them up"? Other quotes that sparked spirited debate included, "when you have worked and worked for something, it is almost impossible to believe that you can fail", and "it doesn't matter what your home is like - it's that it's yours that matters". This is an ingeniously creative fantasy for pre-teens, and for those adults who can still see magic in the art of storytelling. If you open your mind and your imagination you'll love this book for what it offers, and not find it necessary to make comparisons. Oh yes, if you're all grown up, don't forget to check out the harpie with a handbag, who bears a curious resemblance to a former prime minister...

Platform 13 of King's Cross Railway Station has a doorway that leads to a magical island harmoniously inhabited by a diverse assortment of beings, including humans, hags, feys, mermaids, and furry little creatures called mistmakers. The kingdom's prince was kidnapped as an infant during a visit to London. Nine years later, when the portal between worlds reopens, four rescuers -- Cornelius, an elderly wizard who used to be a university professor in our world; Odge, a young and remarkably unhaglike hag; Gurkintrude, a fey who is sort of a goddess of agricultural plenty; and Hans, a kindly one-eyed ogre from the Alps who yodels and tends goats -- are sent by the king and queen to bring him home. The story is full of eccentric characters, mostly likable, a few definitely not: sundry ghosts who help the rescuers; Melisande, a water nymph who wants it known that she has feet and is not a mermaid; the hilariously obnoxious Mrs. Trottle and her equally unpleasant son; some horrifically amusing and ghastly harpies who have permanent waves and carry handbags; and Ben, a delightful kitchen boy of unknown parentage. The whole thing is very humorous, lively and imaginative, and fans of Diana Wynne Jones and J.K. Rowling most likely will enjoy it immensely. Also well worth reading are Ms. Ibbotson's extremely funny ghost books, obtainable in British paperback editions.

This book has plenty of good, solid fantasy. It mainly takes place on a magical island which you can access for nine days every nine years through a portal in an abandoned train station(the portal is called a gump,for future reference). The island is ruled by a King and Queen, who have a son a while into their reign. Unfortunately, the Prince's nannies decide to take him to the portal so they can glimpse the outside world they came from. They go out into the nearby city after a fish and chips smell comes that reminds them of their childhood. While outside, the child is kidnapped, which the nannies don't discover until just as the gump is closing. Nine years later, a rescue party is sent to bring back the Prince quickly, the members being a wizard, a giant(who is made invisible for security purposes), and a fey, a human who has a magical knack for growing plants. At the last minute, a hag is allowed to go as well. I've left out a lot, but the plot is so complex and interesting that you'll have to read the book yourself. Just for the record, though, this is definitely one of my Top Ten Favorite Books.

Well, I'm eighteen years old, and I still was enthralled by this book. It moves quickly, and the action is good. I figured out the ending well before the end of the book, but then, I'm six years older than the top of the suggested reading ages. Regarding it being compared to Harry Potter.....I love Harry, and would never insult the Potter books, but this one is less scary. I mean, in Harry Potter, there's he-who-cannot-be-named, and the dementors and such, whereas here, the scariest thing is a woman with some REALLY sharp knitting needles. Neither book is better than the other. They are different, but both fabulous...Read them BOTH!

A lot of the reviews of this book say that it's just a Harry Potter wannabe. NEWSFLASH!!!! This book came out 3 YEARS BEFORE SORCERER'S STONE!!!!! Check the copyright dates!! Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone came out in 1997, while Island of the Aunts came out in 1994. If anyone was copying anyone else, it was J.K. Rowling copying Eva Ibbotson. This is a wonderful book, by the way.

Desperate because you've read all the Harry Potter books? Try THE SECRET OF PLATFORM 13. This is the kind of charming, funny fantasy that the British seem to do so well.

Anyone reading The Secret of Platform 13 will see many elements that were taken by J.K. Rowling and used for her Harry Potter books, written several years later. Readers will find a boy with magical powers who has been separated from his true parents and not been told who he really is; another boy, fat and spoiled, very much the same as Dudley Dursley; there's Cornelius, a wise, old wizard with a long white beard who sets out to find him and bring him back to his real world; Odge, very much a Hermione figure. Then there is the entrance to the magical world at, of all places, the King's Crossing train station in London; there's a sea serpent monster at the bottom of a lake, reminiscent of the baselisk; and there are spirits who travel through water pipes, much like in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. It's too bad that Eva Illotson doesn't get more credit for thinking of these elements first.

Anyone who read Harry Potter should love the secret of Platform 13. It takes place in England. To be more specific, it takes place in London. The book is about a secret island hidden behind a gump, a secret door that only opens for nine days every nine years. There are many wild creatures on the Island, along with ordinary humans. The main charactors are an ogre named Hans, an old Wizard named Cor(short for Cornelius), a fey named Gurkie, a hag named Odge, and Ben, a regular human. Hans, Cor, Gurkie and Odge set off to find the long lost son of the King and Queen. To find out what happens next, you'll have to read The Secret of Platform 13. I really liked this book

This book is really good. The main story plot is a group of magical creatures trying to save a former prince of their country from the real world. The only problem is, the former prince is a spoiled brat. These creatures have all kinds of funny adventures and think up all these wierd ways to try and rescue the prince. Most of them are really wacky like dancing out of a giant cake and then grabbing the prince. (That on didn't work) It is a really good Harry Potter alternative.

If you love books you can't put down,you'll love THE SECRET OF PLATFORM THIRTEEN. This book is exciting,adventurous,and at some parts humorous. All the characters have their own personality. There are pictures, but the book is descriptive,so you don't really need the pictures to picture everything.You never know what's going to happen next. This book is wonderful. YOU HAVE TO READ IT!