Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

The Secret of Platform 13

by Eva Ibbotson, Sue Porter (Illustrator)

3.87 of 5 stars 3.87 · rating details · 5,022 ratings · 375 reviews

Under an abandoned railway platform in one of London's busiest stations is an old doorway covered with peeling posters. No one walking by (if anyone did) would guess that it is the entrance to a magical kingdom--an island where humans live happily with mermaids, ogres, feys, and wonderful creatures called mistmakers. Carefully hidden from the world, the Island is accessibl...more

Hardcover, 231 pages

Published June 1st 1998 by Dutton Children's Books (first published 1994)

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

This book is not yet featured on Listopia. Add this book to your favorite list »

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 3,000)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Nov 08, 2008 Jess rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: fans of Dahl, Rowling

Shelves: fantasy, juv, lis565

Chapter book - fantasy
For grades 2-7

An ogre, a wizard, a fey and a hag are sent to our world to rescue a young prince who was stolen as a baby in this humorous, low-fantasy adventure.

Every nine years, for nine days, a doorway is open between our world and the Island, which is inhabited by all manner of fantastical creatures; when four of these magical people come through to rescue their prince, the mix-ups and adventure that ensue are more than enough to keep any young fantasy fan entertained. I...more

like 3 likes · see review

Jul 23, 2008 Namratha Kumar rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: childrens-fantasy, eva-ibbotson-gems

My foray into the crazy world of Eva Ibbotson continues!

Platform 13 at London Station has remained shut since a very long time. But any attempts to make renovations always....always get botched up. The reason being that Platform 13 hides a "gump" : an opening to a secret, utopian island. It is a blissful place, ruled by a well-loved King and Queen and plays home to all kinds of humans, animals and magical creatures. However the gump opens once in nine years for nine hours only. So anyone who wan...more

like 2 likes · see review

Mar 24, 2013 Von Fritz rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi-and-fantasy

I saw a copy of this at Booksale some years ago. The title is catchy enough: The Secret of Platform 13. Which sounds like, Platform 9 3/4. Harry Potter rip off? I didn't mind.

Then I saw a bargain copy lately, back to back books by Eva Ibbotson for only 55 Php. Cool enough. Two books: The Secret of Platform 13 and Island of the Aunts. I started reading The Secret of Platform 13 as soon as possible. I was inspired when I saw the publishing year: 1994. Harry Potter was first published 1997. So the...more I saw a copy of this at Booksale some years ago. The title is catchy enough: The Secret of Platform 13. Which sounds like, Platform 9 3/4. Harry Potter rip off? I didn't mind.

Then I saw a bargain copy lately, back to back books by Eva Ibbotson for only 55 Php. Cool enough. Two books: The Secret of Platform 13 and Island of the Aunts. I started reading The Secret of Platform 13 as soon as possible. I was inspired when I saw the publishing year: 1994. Harry Potter was first published 1997. So the book is not a rip off after all.

So other than the world behind Platform 9 3/4, there's also a world...beneath Platform 13 in King's Cross Station. That world leads to a port where you can travel on a ship straight into an island of hags, mermaids, trolls, feys, witches, wizards, and other magical beings. This island is ruled by a king and queen who are kind and are well loved by their people. The gate beneath the platform opens for 9 days...every 9 years. What happened in the story is that, the adorable baby of the king and queen was taken beyond the gate into London...and was lost for 9 years. And after 9 years, a group of rescuers are sent to bring back the prince.

The group is composed of a wizard, a fey, a giant, and by request, a young hag named Odge (and she's the main character in the story). For nine days, they did their best to bring home the lost prince. But there seemed to be a problem. They were confused of who the real prince is. Whether it's Raymond, the spoiled son of the Trottles or Ben, the kind-hearted grandson of a servant of the Trottles. There come the twists. And in the end, the real prince comes back and it's all thanks to little Odge.

I honestly had fun reading this book. This is one of a kind, and it's my first Eva Ibbotson. I guess I have to read all her books. It's a fast read. She writes like CS Lewis and Lemony Snicket...or more like Roald Dahl. And maybe if the book turns out to be a movie, it'll be an animation by Hayao Miyazaki.

I particularly like the humor. This is a book for kids but there are slices of life...stuff that kids may learn when they grow up. Lots of unforgettable characters. We can learn so much from Odge...who had her hopes on her feelings. Not just by what is supposed to be, what is given, what is seen, what is there. She believed in her heart and she turned out right.

And I believe about her love for Ben.

I also believe that JK Rowling might have read the book. I just wonder if Eva sued her or something. I don't care. I now love Eva Ibbotson as much as I love JK Rowling. And I might ask for her autograph in London if she's still alive (she died 2010).

Can't wait to finish reading Island of the Aunts.(less)

like 1 like · see review

Dec 02, 2012 Jori Richardson rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: kids-books-read-as-an-adult

I was browsing through a thrift store, and when I saw this short little children's book, I decided to read it right on the spot.
I remember seeing this book everywhere when I was a younger teenager, but for some reason I never ended up reading it. It was probably during the years that I refused to read anything but historical fiction and classics (which, I must admit, still sounds loosely similar to how things are today).

But anyways.

In "The Secret of Platform 13," there is an Island somewhere (no...more I was browsing through a thrift store, and when I saw this short little children's book, I decided to read it right on the spot.
I remember seeing this book everywhere when I was a younger teenager, but for some reason I never ended up reading it. It was probably during the years that I refused to read anything but historical fiction and classics (which, I must admit, still sounds loosely similar to how things are today).

But anyways.

In "The Secret of Platform 13," there is an Island somewhere (not really in our world, but kind of within it... it's never really said. But it's just somewhere else) in which there is a portal. This portal opens up every 9 years, and leads to a tube station in the London underground. One day, two nurses are taking the infant crown prince out for a stroll, and get tempted into the portal and into a sweets shop. They only let the baby out of their sight for a moment, but the prince has already been stolen by Mrs. Trottle, a snooty and dreadfully rich woman who decided on a whim one day that she wanted a baby.
Plans are made to go and recover the lost prince in 9 years when the portal opens up again.
A clever young hag named Odge convinces the queen to let her go along on the rescue mission, and a small troop of varied islands set out to find the lost prince and bring him home.

This book is written in a sort of detached, factual, stuffily funny sort of way that reminded me of the Lemony Snicket books.

I suppose it was alright, and I can't think of much to complain about, but I didn't ever enjoy the story, and my interest in finishing was halfhearted.

Some of the plot twists don't make much sense if you think about them. Why would the royal family not storm the Trottle's house to get the prince after their efforts to kindly get him out fail? They even have a formidable army waiting eagerly to do just that, but they keep holding off, for no apparent reason.
And the rescue party that the royal family sends out is not exactly the most promising of individuals. Ibbotson supports the underdog through-out the story, which is great, but it didn't make sense to send a ragtag group of average people on the most important journey in the Island's history. And they have been planning this for nine years, remember.
I know that this is a children's book, which partially why I'm not being so hard on it stretching the imagination a bit too much. But I believe that a good, strongly written children's book should stand up to adult skepticism and practicality. What you write has to make sense, whatever the target audience.

The story was very predictable and run-of-the-mill, and never surprised me. I guessed the secret about the prince the moment that Odge stepped onto the Trottle's lawn. Yawn.

Although I couldn't say I liked this book, there were some witty, memorable moments and phrases here and there. The fluffy creatures that create mist (so that the Island can never be found) were an un-needed, but cute, touch. Instead of saying 'quick,' the author instead uses the words 'like greased lightning,' which for some reason stuck in my head.
And the one thing in the book I found genuinely funny were the prince's ex nurses, living in a dreadful cave to punish themselves. They have vowed to live as miserabley as possible until the prince is found, which Odge discovers when she goes to visit them. I think this sentence, spoken from one nurse to another, explains it well enough: "The toast is not burnt enough, Lily. Go and burn it some more."

All in all though, I can't see why this book became so popular. Right after I read it, I found myself making apologies for it owing to the fact that it is a book written for children 9 - 12. But I've decided that that is no excuse - earlier this year I read "Coraline" and loved it. It's certainly possible to write strong, fascinating children's books that adult readers are able to enjoy as much as any other book. And in my opinion, this isn't one of them.(less)

like 2 likes · see review

Jul 21, 2012 Night Fury rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A neat story.

For a ten year old or twelve - I don't know.

Despite my ruthless comment up there, from the POV of a ten-or-twelve-year-old, the story was pretty interesting. Don't get me wrong. But seeing as I am no longer of that age, I don't WANT to give the review.

*Reverse psychology forces me to write*

The Secret of Platform 13 is as gripping as they come. (K fine... I probably found it not-so-boring)
But I'll come straight to the point - The plot was VERY obvious to me after I had read a few ch...more

like · see review

Feb 19, 2012 LH Johnson rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, childrens-literature

Oh, oh, oh, my love for Eva Ibbotson utterly continues.

The Secret of Platform 13 is furiously magical and madly inventive. It's the story of a hidden island, wrapped away from the 'everyday' by magic and mists (mists made, fyi, by the *most* amazing creation ever - mistmakers, seal-like creatures who produce mist every time they hear beautiful music). The island is accessible through a secret door on Platform 13, Kings Cross which opens briefly every nine years.

The island is desperately missin...more

like 1 like · see review

Feb 03, 2011 Fanda VIXXIO rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Eva Ibbotson memang piawai menulis kisah2 petualangan dengan hantu-hantunya. Enak dinikmati, ceritanya mengalir, dan meski buku ini ditujukan untuk anak-anak, tapi tetap menarik dibaca orang dewasa dengan imajinasi tinggi terhadap kisah fantasi.

Peron 13 mengingatkanku pada Harry Potter (dengan peron 9 1/2-nya). Keduanya berlokasi sama, di stasiun ter-ramai di London: King's Cross. Bedanya disini, setelah kau melewati ruang mantel laki-laki, kau akan menemukan lorong yang menuju ke sebuah pantai....more

like · see review

Nov 03, 2009 Alex Matsu rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: grade-8-ir-books

The secret of platform 13 is about a prince named Ben who came to Earth when he was a baby through a gump and was adopted by an evil rich lady named Ms. Trottle stole him. Unfortunately, she then got pregnant and named her new child Raymond, and the prince became a maid at her house. When the gump opened again the Kind and Queen sent four people (Odge, Cornelius the Wizard, Gukintrude the fey, and Hans the giant), to save their sun. But these people think that Mrs. Trottle's baby is the prince,...more

like · see review

May 30, 2009 Runa rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Secret of Platform 13 is the book everyone reads once they've finished Harry Potter and are dying for more. I first read it in a 4th grade book club, complete with brownies and all, in which I thought it was a good read, but entirely too forgettable. I still do think that Which Witch? is Ibbotson's best work by far, but this story is an engaging one as well. I could go on and on with the plentiful and slightly obvious Harry Potter parallels, so I'll spare you for now. I recommend this quirky...more

like · see review

Aug 29, 2011 Danielle rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-aloud

I've been reading this to the kids, a chapter each night. I chose it because it was on a recommended reading list in the library. They enjoyed The 13 Clocks so much, I thought I would try another amusing fantasy-type story. It's adorable (I actually cheated, and read to the end one night after they fell asleep).

like 1 like · see review

Apr 23, 2013 Rachel Caroline Deacons rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: young readers, fans of magic, kids under 12

I love Eva Ibbotson's books.

I loved them as a child, loved them during secondary school and I love them still.

I re-read this book (along with Which Witch?) a few weeks back and I seriously think that maybe JK Rowling may have been slightly inspired by this novel! The Secret of Platform 13 is set at Kings Cross Station England and once every nine years a gump is opened, leading to a magical world.

Now I'm not insulting JK, because every author is inspired somewhere, but give it a read and you'll...more

like · see review

Sep 05, 2011 Alexandra rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book was very good! For summer reading this was the fourth book I read! Eva Ibbotson is the author of this book and she is a wonderful author. I enjoyed reading this book very much. If I were rating this book I would give it three stars. Only because it was so confusing at times. In this book platform 13 is under King Cross Station. King Cross Station has a special attraction. This special thing is called a gump. A gump is a special magical portal that opens every year. This portal leads to...more

like · see review

Apr 24, 2012 Cheyen Schenck rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Secret of Platform 13 blends two worlds, the normal earth, with a mystical island kingdom that has every magical creature and everyone is gloriously happy. The Prince is stolen while being trapped outside of the passage between the two worlds as an infant and is brought up as an orphan boy to cater to his captor, her husband, and her son that is his age. The story is about the ogre, banshees, and other characters that plan a rescue mission to save him.
The story blends the frustrations of be...more

like · see review

Aug 22, 2011 Lee Nespor rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: childrens, fiction, juvenile

Definitely some similarities to Harry Potter - certain fundamental elements are there, the biggest being Kings Cross Platform 13, but where as Ibbotson handles the passage to magic in a CS Lewis manner (cloakroom doorway into another world), Rowling places it all firmly within our world and keeps it there. There is also the main character similarity - poor orphan boy living with mean adults who ignore him while adoring their spoiled son. Definitely rings some bells, but again not unique. You cou...more

like 1 like · see review

Jul 05, 2011 Amalie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: children-s-books, fantasy

There’s a Gump in every country, a special grassy mound with a hidden door which leads to a magical world. In Great Britain, this place is hidden under the platform 13 at Kings Cross Station, opened once every nine years and guarded by the Ghosts of the Gump.

The three nurses of the new-born Prince of the land: Violet, Lily and Rose step into the other side taking the baby with them to visit their old world. During this short visit Mrs. Trottle, a rich wicked lady steals the Prince and disappear...more

like 2 likes · see review

Feb 23, 2013 Erin rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

My favorite part of this book was the first chapter. The description of the gump, the secret passageway between our world and the magic island, is very fun to read. The rest of the story is cute too, though the writing wasn't quite up to the category of pure delight as the beginning was. The characters are fun and quirky, and the author does a thorough job of making Ben very loveable and Raymond and his mother very despicable. I thought after reading it how much fun the first graders I used to w...more

like · see review

May 01, 2011 Jessica rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult

Eva Ibbotson is the author of Which Witch, which I loved in elementary school and revisited last year. This was a great kids' story, about a magical island which is connected to England through an portal which opens only once every nine years. A series of mishaps causes the newly born prince of the island to end up in London, where he remains for nine years. The king and queen arrange a search party to go looking for the prince when next the portal opens, but the prince turns out to have been ho...more

like · see review

Sep 19, 2010 Shauna rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: with-aerie, with-coco

We have had this book for years. I bought it for Sophia long ago when she was LOVING Eva Ibbotsen (Which Witch? in particular.) She said she didn't like it (but I don't think she gave it much of a chance back then . . .) I picked it up and skimmed it and thought it was darling. Coco (4 stars) and Aerie (3 stars) agree. They were willing to clean their room in order to get extra chapters (on a few different occasions!). Even though I knew what would happen, I got a little "chokey" when the Prince...more

like · see review

Jan 06, 2013 Jody rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I found this book hiding on my bookshelf from when I was younger. I remember buying it from the Scholastic book order from school but I never got around to reading it until now.

This book was interesting. It kept my interest right up until the end. It is a children's book however, so I put it in a class with books such as Harry Potter, some would probably say Narnia but in my opinion nothing compares to Narnia (haha).

The reason for only 3 stars? Well, like I said, the book is kind of childish, w...more

like · see review

May 22, 2012 Katie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: suspend-reality, childrens-lit

The Secret of Platform 13 is arguably one of Eva Ibbotson's most famous books. The plot revolves around a secret island that can only be accessed every nine years for only nine days, when a magical doorway called a gump opens up. At the beginning of the book, the infant prince of the island is taken through the gump into the regular world (i.e., England, because it's always England) by his nursemaids. He is kidnapped, and unfortunately no one notices until the nursemaids have crossed back throug...more

like · see review

May 15, 2011 Catherine Austen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: children-s-novels

I read this to my 8-year-old and we both enjoyed it--he got out six other books of hers from the library and we're now working our way through those. So far this is my fave.

The book reads like an expanded fairy tale, with fantasy and supernatural elements. The prince of a magical land is stolen in infancy and a team of rescuers come to London nine years later to find him and steal him back. There is a sweet boy and a bratty boy, a good world and a greedy world, kind rescuers and scary rescuers....more

like · see review

Feb 06, 2009 Susan Katz rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: children-s-books

This book has one of those enchanting voices to which a reader can happily surrender and live, for the length of the book, in the world that voice creates. And in this book what a magical world that is - with the seal-like mistmakers hiding from the rest of prying humanity an island which can only be accessed for 9 days every 9 years through a tunnel called a gump, which is located in the old gentlemen's cloakroom of King's Cross Railway. The story itself is wonderfully funny, with as unlikely a...more

like · see review

Aug 19, 2011 Laurel S rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Secret of Platform 13 by Eva Ibbotson is a book about a motley crew of rescuers who find that their mission to save their prince will not be so easy after all. The first chapter is about a prince that was born on a magic island hidden in mist. In a secret cove there is this kind of door called a "gump" that opens for a short time before closing again for 9 years. The little prince is lost on the other side of the gump in London and is stuck there for 9 years. The next time the gump opens the...more

like 1 like · see review

Jan 18, 2012 Doug rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This past Christmas afforded me the happy opportunity of researching what-next-after-Potter? books for a young relation, and of course I'm reading a bunch myself. This book shares the plot detail of a mysterious train platform leading to another world, but what it reminded me of most was Roald Dahl, perhaps because cute, quirky, and creepy are mixed in similar measure. I also thought that if James P. Blaylock tried his hand at a children's book, he might produce something with a similar whimsica...more

like · see review

Oct 01, 2012 Amy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ya

I enjoyed the world and the characters. There was a balance of important male and female characters that really gave a sense of a real world, rather than the male-centric universe that dominates so many books. There were many caricatures (the mothers in particular) but with such a large cast, that seemed to be alright. I was hoping to have a bit more depth in to a few characters, to one real protagonist, but otherwise, I was delighted with the story.

My best guess for the earliest age for this b...more

like · see review

Nov 30, 2011 Emma Thompson rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is one of those books that, in my childhood, I read again and again and again. What's relevant about that is that when I came back as an adult to read it again I couldn't remember anything about it other than it involving an alternate world.

Now, don't get me wrong, this is a fun, absorbing and light book that's great to read and the cracks on the spine tell you how much I enjoyed it as a kid, but there's nothing here that's deeply enduring. No characters who are deeply memorable, no plot tw...more

like · see review

Dec 21, 2010 Jenny rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: children-s-books

Although I figured out the ending near the beginning, I still really enjoyed this book by Ibbotson. It's a fun fantasy about a magical Island. People can only travel to/from this island once every nine years when a door opens on Platform 13 of the subway station in London. And nine years before, the prince's nannie had taken him through the door to buy some fish and chips and he was kidnapped. The king and queen have been waiting nine long years to send a team to rescue him, but when the team me...more

like · see review

Jul 30, 2009 Sarah Sammis rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: borrowed, read-in-2009

Although I've read Which Witch by Eva Ibbotson I hadn't heard of The Secret of Platform 13, that is until the recent accusations of her estate over possible plagiarism in the Harry Potter series. Curious over that, I checked out the book from my local library and loved it.

The parents though in The Secret of Platform 13 are alive and well, living as the King and Queen of the Island (aka Avalon and many other well known names). Their son was stolen from them the last time the gump opened under Pla...more Although I've read Which Witch by Eva Ibbotson I hadn't heard of The Secret of Platform 13, that is until the recent accusations of her estate over possible plagiarism in the Harry Potter series. Curious over that, I checked out the book from my local library and loved it.

The parents though in The Secret of Platform 13 are alive and well, living as the King and Queen of the Island (aka Avalon and many other well known names). Their son was stolen from them the last time the gump opened under Platform 13 in Kings Cross Station. Now that the gump has reopened (ten years later?) a rescue crew has gone to bring the lost prince home.

Gump being a nonsense word though ends up having many definitions. If you're an American and a fan of L. Frank Baum (as I am), "gump" will bring to mind a magical creature made up of the odds and ends of a typical Victorian attic. Most importantly though it will have a talking moose head tied to the front of two sofas latched together (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gump). What you won't immediately think of is a lump of dirt that sometimes opens to a magical world.

Most of the book though deals with the rescue of Raymond Trotter, the presumed prince of the Island. The rescuers have help from the grandson of the old nanny, both of who live in the basement of Trotter Towers.

Reviews I've read of The Secret of Platform 13 compare the relationship between Raymond Trotter and Ben to Dudley and Harry. They also see similarities in how Mrs. Trotter and Mrs. Dursley treat both boys. Yes, there are physical similarities between Raymond and Dudley but that's because they both fall on the old cliché of making very wealthy people spoiled and fat. As far as the two women go, Mrs. Trotter is actually nice to Ben than Mrs. Dursley is to Harry. Mrs. Trotter doesn't lock the boy up under the stairs, don't deprive him of food or deprive him of love and affection. He is treated as a servant, not as an abused child. He gets love and affection from the woman he believes to be his grandmother.

So having read most (not all) of the Harry Potter series, I don't think Harry Potter plagiarizes The Secret of Platform 13. I do however think that Ibbotson is the better writer.(less)

like · see review

Jan 18, 2010 At (Austin)SOF2014 rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: grade-8-ir-books-sam

This book is about a secret island hidden by a gump. A gump is a bump in the fabric of time and space that transports you to another place. One day, the princes babysitters take him out of the gump. Once they took him out, they went to buy fish and chips and the child was stolen. Years later, a team of strange misfits from the island went out to rescue the prince.

I would connect to Odge the most. Odge is a misfit hag. She fels out of place. I feel like that at imes but in the end, im over it.

I...more

like · see review

Aug 11, 2011 Beth Bonini rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Ibbotson had the idea of a "special" platform in King's Cross Station several years before JK Rowling made good use of it, but to be fair, the idea is developed in an entirely different way.

This lovely book has all of the hallmarks of the Ibbotson genre: there is a good child and a bad child (somewhat Dahl-esque); there are unusual, magical creatures; there is a happy ending in which everyone receives their just desserts; and most of all, there is a charmingly told story with plenty of Ibbotson...more

like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 99 100 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
JK rowling stealing ideas!	16	136	Oct 22, 2012 01:52pm

combine
Other Editions (36)

More editions...

Genres

Fantasy

318 users

Childrens

74 users

Young Adult

62 users

Adventure

31 users

Fantasy > Magic

24 users

Childrens > Middle Grade

15 users

Childrens > Juvenile

11 users

Mystery

11 users

Humor

9 users

Science Fiction Fantasy

8 users

See top shelves...

Readers also enjoyed similar books

About Eva Ibbotson

Eva Ibbotson (born Maria Charlotte Michelle Wiesner, 1925, Vienna, Austria) was a British novelist specializing in romance and children's fantasy. Eva Ibbotson was born in Vienna, Austria, in 1925. When Hitler came into power, Ibbotson's family moved to England. She attended Bedford College, graduating in 1945; Cambridge University from 1946-47; and the University of Durham, from which she graduat...more Eva Ibbotson (born Maria Charlotte Michelle Wiesner, 1925, Vienna, Austria) was a British novelist specializing in romance and children's fantasy. Eva Ibbotson was born in Vienna, Austria, in 1925. When Hitler came into power, Ibbotson's family moved to England. She attended Bedford College, graduating in 1945; Cambridge University from 1946-47; and the University of Durham, from which she graduated with a diploma in education in 1965. Ibbotson had intended to be a physiologist, but was put off by the amount of animal testing that she would have to do. Instead, she married and raised a family, returning to school to become a teacher in the 1960's. Ibbotson was widowed with three sons and a daughter.

Ibottson began writing with the television drama Linda Came Today, in 1965. Ten years later, she published her first novel, The Great Ghost Rescue. Ibbotson has written numerous books including The Secret of Platform 13, Journey to the River Sea, Which Witch?, Island of the Aunts, and Dial-a-Ghost. She won the Nestlé Smarties Book Prize for Journey to the River Sea, and has been a runner up for many of major awards for British children's literature. The books are imaginative and humorous, and most of them feature magical creatures and places, despite the fact that she disliked thinking about the supernatural, and created the characters because she wanted to decrease her readers' fear of such things. Some of the books, particularly Journey to the River Sea, also reflect Ibbotson's love of nature. Ibbotson wrote this book in honor of her husband (who had died just before she wrote it), a former naturalist. The book had been in her head for years before she actually wrote it. Ibbotson said she dislikes "financial greed and a lust for power" and often creates antagonists in her books who have these characteristics. Some have been struck by the similarity of "Platform 9 3/4" in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter books to Ibbotson's The Secret of Platform 13, which came out three years before the first Harry Potter book.

Her love of Austria is evident in works such as The Star Of Kazan and A Song For Summer. These books, set primarily in the Austrian countryside, display the author's love for nature and all things natural.

(less)

More about Eva Ibbotson...

Books by Eva Ibbotson

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About The Secret of Pla...

1 trivia question

More quizzes & trivia...

Quotes from The Secret of Platform 13

“It's true that adventures are good for people even when they are very young. Adventures can get in a person's blood even if he doesn't remember having them. ” — 92 people liked it

“She spoke to the King, hoping he would forbid his son to go, but he said: "Well, dear, it's true that adventures are good for people even when they are very young. Adventures can get into a person's blood even if he doesn't remember having them.” — 13 people liked it

More quotes…

title link	preview: The Secret of Platform 13
avg rating	preview: The Secret of Platform 13 Goodreads rating: 3.87 (5022 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1934824.The_Secret_of_Platform_13?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1363529853l/1934824.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1934824.The_Secret_of_Platform_13?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]The Secret of Platform 13 by Eva Ibbotson[/url]

The Secret of Platform 13

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website