Mountwood School for Ghosts

by Toby Ibbotson

A funny ghost story from Toby Ibbotson, son of award-winning author Eva Ibbotson, based on an idea conceived by Eva Ibbotson, with a cover by Alex T. Smith.
Fredegonda, Goneril, and Drusilla are Great Hagges, much more important and much rarer than regular old hags. They think that ghosts these days are decidedly lacking and that people haven't been scared of ghosts for years. So one day they decide that something needs to change - it's time for these ghosts to learn a thing or two about being scary. And what better way to teach them than to set up their very own school for ghosts?

Genres: Fantasy, Middle Grade, Childrens, Ghosts, Fiction, Horror, Audiobook

224 pages, Hardcover

First published October 9, 2014

About the author

Toby Ibbotson is the eldest son of award-winning author Eva Ibbotson, whose novel, The Abominables, he edited with her first publisher, Marion Lloyd, after his mother's death. Mountwood School for Ghosts is his debut novel, and is based on an idea conceived with Eva, and planned out in detail by the two of them before her death. Containing all the warmth, humour and spark of Eva's novels for younger readers, Mountwood School for Ghosts marks Toby out as an exciting new storytelling talent in the children's book world. He lives in Sweden with his family and writes whenever he can.

Reviews

[Dyah · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's not as fun as I hoped it would be...but still a worthy read. The author definitely continues Eva Ibbotson's style of writing.
The pace is a bit slow, so I got bored during some parts. The climax feels detached, somehow I can't sympathize. However, the plot is neat, all problems solved. I don't think I can detect any plot holes.
The characters aren't exactly lovable, but they sure are interesting.

[Shimmering.blue · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ein schönes Buch für kleine Leser (ich würde das Lesealter zwischen 8 und 10 ansiedeln). Eine schöne Geschichte mit nem roten Faden. Gespenster, die bei Großhexen lernen, wie sie spuken müssen. Zwei Kinder, die gegen einen bösen Unternehmer kämpfen, um ihre Häuser behalten zu dürfen. Als Kind hätte ich es gemocht, als Erwachsene, die auch gerne Jugendbücher liest, leider zu kindlich. Dem Klappentext konnte ich das nicht so entnehmen, deshalb auch nur drei Sterne.

[Kaya Kobold · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sehr lustig, sehr gruselig schön.
Gespenster die voller Ängste sind und zurückgezogen Oberhexen, die ihnen "eine solide Berufsausbildung" geben möchten und kurzer Hand eine Schule gründen.
Dazu ein Konflikt Bürger gegen korrupte Beamte.
Viele Lacher und stellenweise nichts für Kindergarten Kinder. Aber definitiv etwas für die Familie.

[BrookesEducationLibrarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

We loved this book! It is a quirky and slightly gruesome children's horror story and is fantastically witty throughout. Three Great Hagges (they are spelled differently because they are quite rare) decide to come out of retirement and start up a school to teach ghosts and other paranormal entities to be scary again! This book is written by Iva Ibbotson's son and based on an original idea by Iva. It certainly doesn't disappoint!
Yes the plot does tend to feel quite predictable but it's a children's book and we definitely recommend it for them! The characters are charming and the writing is humorous! A definite favourite for us this Halloween!

[Robin Stevens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Utterly charming in a distinctly Ibbotsoneque way, but with a deliciously bloodthirsty undercurrent that sets it apart from Eva's own books, this is a worthy successor to the great woman's work that's not just a simple copy. I loved it!

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was really for my children, but I couldn't resist reading it first! Although it is a ghost story it is not really too scary, but it is a lot of fun! I really liked the humour in the book which made me laugh out loud in places. (I will let the children read the book now)

[Jason Ravara · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little bit of a slow-starter but a good read nonetheless if you're looking for something light. I liked the well-illustrated eccentricity of some of the characters, but some just felt a little flat.

The story revolves around the issues that occur in the lives of Daniel and Charlotte at markham street and the ghosts of mountwood(who are learning how to haunt properly).

The fun parts are a little bit of average, though, so nothing really sticks out as great.

[Tim Robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Funny in places. But the story splits into two parts and too much time is wasted before they join together again in a totally predictable fashion. To be honest, I didn't have much sympathy with the "Save Our Street" arc (why are authors never in favour of progress?), and the ghost lessons weren't much better. There is rather a clash in styles between those two arcs, as well. Gloomy sentimental Socialist Realism on one side, and cheerful slapstick toilet humour on the other.

[Cai · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ugh. I had to nudged myself to finish this book. Needs a lot of improvement.

[ArtemisKate · Rating 2 out of 5]

Toby is not as great a writer as his mom - but I do appreciate that he brought one of her ideas to life after her passing.

[Fiona · Rating 3 out of 5]

A light read. I enjoyed the quirkiness of it

[michele · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
Such a fun book! Would definitely recommend to a younger crowd, maybe middle school age or close to that age group.

[Shelby · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Ida Cahling · Rating 2 out of 5]

Den här boken lånade jag för att läsa för barnen på Halloween. Tråkigt nog är det otroligt liten del av boken som handlar om spöken och vad som händer på Mountwood. Istället har hela boken otroligt mycket fokus på politik i en annan stad som man tidigt anar att dessa spöken till slut kommer att bli inblandade i. Men spökerier kommer inte in i bilden förrän de sista kapitlen. Jag var nära att ge upp och lämna tillbaka boken flera gånger, men den var bra vid nattning för yngsta sonen somnade så bra till den eftersom den var så tråkig.

[Johanna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pacing is a problem (very up and down), climax is not dramatic enough, but the characters are good and there's a lovely warm feeling to reading this despite the extensive discussion of death.

[Asyirah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this a few years ago but I remember liking it more than I expected! I really wanted a sequel and I just checked to see if there is one, but there isn’t, what a shame.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars ⭐️ will read more from Eva Ibbotson would have loved her subject matter as a kid.

[Marylou · Rating 3 out of 5]

I could definitely see traces of Eva Ibbotson here, especially in the character of Percy. But overall it lacked the charm of most of her books. Worth reading if a bit disappointing.

[Daniil Ucrainciuc · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great and spooky story. I enjoyed it very much. Was in one breath reading.

[Amee · Rating 3 out of 5]

First half repeatedly put me to sleep (quite useful actually), second half picked up and the last third was a good read. Nice touch with Angus at the end.

[Nena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ganz schön gruselig der Spuk, aber auch viel britischer Humor. Halloweeneinstimmung gelungen.

[Jamie Phinyosmosorn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would've enjoyed this book more if I was younger. The plot was quite predictable, but I still enjoyed the story as the characters in the books are quite unique and interesting. I would consider it a nice light read which passed by quickly, as it was humorous and entertaining. Would totally recommend it for kids.

[Widad Oteh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Since I've just finished, I must first say that the ending is a wreck. There is not the slightest hint to the twist ending that happens so it appears extremely suddenly, and the 'last battle' is written like the essays I only remembered about 24 hours before they were due: badly. The attempt at showing a peaceful Markham falls flat, and is equally sudden. A mildly interesting character is introduced only for him to be brought literally nowhere (see my updates while reading this). I've read 'fairy tale endings' before, but this is worse than that: it's a badly written one.

In terms of the story, I was experiencing deja vu a lot of the time. A bunch of ghosts who band together to help human friends? Ah yes, The Beasts of Clawstone Castle. The moral that nature and places should be preserved in time? Oh, Monster Mission. The cliche rich, evil villains who want to destroy an important place? The aforementioned two, and The Secret of Platform 13. What would be a fairly interesting plot on its own comes across as a cross-stitch of the author's mother's own works. I understand the plot was a joint effort between them, but this is a bit much.

If you're going to read this book, you will get the most enjoyment out of it if you haven't already read the above mentioned works, or if you've read them so long ago you don't remember them that much. If you have ... well ... You should probably still read it if you like Eva Ibbotson, but be warned that you already know what's going to happen.

[Lisa Fransson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Both me and my daughter guessed pretty quickly in what manner Markham Street would be saved, but then it took the whole book for the big save to get going. The long middle seemed to consist of a planning permission plot that not even the most skilled writer could have livened up. Jack Bluffit is a great evil character, but he's the evil character set into that planning permission plot. We did read to the end and both of us thought the book was ok, even though we had hoped for more ghostly interactions throughout.

[Johara Almogbel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up in Virgin because I liked the feel of the cover, it was one of those smooth matte ones and prettily illustrated. I'm glad I did, it's a delightful story with properly fleshed out characters, and two brave children who don't do much but still manage to accomplish quite a lot. It plods along a bit slowly to begin with but then the story picks up.

Recommended for kids (and adults) who would like to read a nice adventure that ends well.

[Claire Fayers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Three Great Hagges set up a school for haunting, while, in a nearby town, Daniel's street is under threat from developers and Daniel himself has to live with the constant presence of his horrid great-aunt. The various elements come together in a charming and funny adventure with quirky characters and a peppering of delightfully gruesome hauntings. Kids will love it.

[Lana · Rating 4 out of 5]

a fun book but also powerful in that it was children who saved the day in the end and who would not let the big and powerful demolish the village housing and have the families re-housed!! its great to see kids take up a fight and involving ghosts to scare the shit out of the horrible business men is just great!!

[Margaret Pemberton · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun story of ghosts and learning how to haunt. It is written by the son of the wonderful Eva Ibbotson, a talent who is sadly missed. A great book for the younger confident reader, full of humour and action.

[F Begum · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was alright. There was a dip in interest in the middle and it didn't really feel like a cohesive story at times. Not what I expected. At times the writing is also a bit weak which makes it boring at times.

[Tricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lovely gentle slightly scary adventure.