Return to Ribblestrop

Ribblestrop #2

by Andy Mulligan

A new term means new trouble in this rollicking sequel to Ribblestrop , which has the “crazy-school appeal of Hogwarts and the grim humor of Lemony Snicket” ( The Independent ).

The headmaster at Ribblestrop is hoping for a bit more organization as a new term gets underway. But secrets remain buried, the new Chaplain is not all that he seems, and a truckload of circus animals has taken refuge on the school grounds. There’s also a new student who’s a soccer protégé, not to mention a pregnant panther and an escaped crocodile. Basically, things are about to go from bad to worse at Ribblestrop. Can Millie, Sanchez, and the gang help save the day once more?

Genres: Childrens, Middle Grade, Humor, Fantasy

352 pages, Hardcover

First published February 3, 2011

About the author

Andy Mulligan was brought up in the south of London. He worked as a theatre director for ten years before travels in Asia prompted him to retrain as a teacher. He has taught English and drama in India, Brazil, the Philippines and the UK. He now divides his time between London and Manila.

Reviews

[Candy Wood]

Ribblestrop Towers school already had hidden underground tunnels, a dodgy past, unorthodox teachers, and a ghost. In Return to Ribblestrop, it has a menagerie as well. Possibilities for mayhem increase dramatically with the addition of Flavio and his panther, lioness, tigers, crocodile, python, and scorpion. Add Miles, the only boy ever expelled from Ribblestrop (he set the fire before the first book, and his favorite game is Russian roulette with Sanchez's gun), the greedy and sadistic ex-priest and ex-convict Father O'Hanrahan, Ruskin's even geekier brother Oli, and another Colombian soccer star called Imagio, and the scene is set for Andy Mulligan to indulge again in lots of bloody violence. The perspective shifts even more than in the first book, so that no one character emerges as protagonist. The value of teamwork, whether at soccer, circus skills, detection, or science lessons, is thus emphasized as everyone gets to play an important part.

[La La · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is Middle Grade? With a child MC who smokes cigarettes and hitchhikes, and one of the characters is described as a "fetus dressed in clothes"? The writing was all run ons, and mashed up chaos. It is trying to be Lemony Snicket style, but the author doesn't "get it"; that there is a finesse to it. This book is just disturbing garbage. JUST NO! It was a dnf for me. The half an hour I spent with this book was a total waste of my time. I was approved for an eARC, via Edelweiss, in return for an honest review. This book will not be reviewed on my blog because it is less than four stars.

[Elsabeth Marriott · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this as much as the first but was dissapointed the direction the story went. No follow up on the school progressing or further involvement from the automata. I thought the money hungry old lady in the attic might come round after the events of the last book but instead it seems to go backwards. The new characters were great and the classes and misadventures very entertaining. Felt like a natural follow on from the first book.

[John Hinchliffe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another wonderfully entertaining listen! The story continues the adventures of a selection of misfit boys—and one girl—at a struggling school, leading to a series of wild and amusing escapades. It’s often laugh-out-loud funny, though with a surprisingly dark edge at times that adds depth to the adventure. Tom Hollander’s narration is absolutely brilliant as he brings each quirky character to life. I'm already looking forward to book 3.

[Simone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Na skolaky je tam par divnoveci, s kterymi teda vubec nesouznim, ale kdyz je dam bokem, opet velmi zabavne cteni. Jen teda zaver byl docela dost desivy - na prijemne poctenicko.

[Steph · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this series so much I went right back to the beginning to listen to it again straight away.

So much fun, kind of like St Trinnians for boys.

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

After Christmas break, Millie, Sam, and Jake return to their unorthodox boarding school with a Brazilian ex-circus performer and his animals and an ex-priest exorcist bent on stealing the Vyner family treasures. Second in the series but stands alone well. I haven't yet read the first.
An off-beat non-stop adventure that is almost impossible to summarize or label...a mystery, a treasure hunt, a ghost or boarding school story? With a constantly shifting focus among plot strands and from one set of characters to another, this is not an easy read but the suspense (and some actual nail-biting danger) keeps you going. Definitely requires a willing suspension of disbelief. As an adult, I most appreciated the flexible teachers and headmaster; kids will like the barely suppressed sense of insurrection. There’s lots going on under the surface at this school and it’s clear that the kids are running the show.

[Jayaprakash Satyamurthy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow. This book one-ups the first Ribblestrop novel in every way! More students! More danger! More dastardly villains! We delve deeper into the weird, twisted world of Ribblestrop School, and this time there are alligators, tigers, a scorpion, a defrocked priest and a legendary sword to add to the confusion. School is a kind of circus, but Ribblestrop literally puts together its own circus complete with acrobats and trained animals. It's amazing how many registers Mulligan sounds, from the broadly comic to the nail-bitingly suspenseful to moments of deeply emotive character insight. Also, Professor Worthington is an ace teacher, finding ways to turn all the madcap fun into an educational experience, and vice-versa.

[Monica Edinger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this tremendously. Definitely a school story, but a very unique one --- funny, adventurous, and a very entertaining read. Mulligan's statement after it won the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize gives you a good taste of what is in store: "I never expected the Guardian to award such a stonker of a prize to a book that is dangerous, violent, irreverent, politically incorrect, joyously sentimental, anti-adult, pro-child and sometimes bizarre - but I'm very glad they have..." It is indeed all that and more which may be why it and the first book have yet to be published in the US.

[Tammy Wooding]

It's a new term at Ribblestrop and the headmaster is hoping for a bit more organisation. But secrets remain under the ground, the new Chaplain is not all that he seems, and a truck load of circus animals has taken refuge in the school grounds. Amongst the new intake are a footballing protégée and a trainee psychopath....Things are about to go from bad to worse at Ribblestrop... can Millie, Sanchez and the gang help save the day once more?

[Danielle Price · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn't put it down sequel to Ribblestrop. Wickedly funny with a cast of appealing kids who could survive anything, anywhere. Filled with corrupt authority figures, a (politically incorrect?) troupe of orphans, circus animals . . .. Irresistible.

[Alexa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid second installment in series about the adventures and mishaps (some really serious- like kids getting beaten or kids playing Russian roulette!) in a fantastical private British school/circus/science lab.

[Lara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is the best out of all three the excitement and adventure is just fantastic

[Angela Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Totally brilliant! Never has a book made me grin so happily from ear-to-ear!

[Lily · Rating 3 out of 5]

it got slightly boring towards the end