The Secret of Platform 13 - Eva Ibbotson
(listened on tape, read by Angela Thorne)
I came across a few books by Eva Ibbotson at Waldenbooks while working in the Intermediates section, and just judging from the covers (which of course you shouldn't do) they had the sort of quirky British humor and magic that seems to be so popular these days (think Harry Potter, for instance, or Roald Dahl {although he's not actually British, but you get the idea}). We had a trip to Kansas City to make, so I got the book on tape from the library (unabridged, of course) and we enjoyed a wonderful fairy tale-ish story read in a delightful British accent.
As far as the plot goes, the baby prince on a secret island is stolen by the horrendous Mrs. Trottle. The islanders have to wait nine long years before the "gump" (a doorway to London proper) opens back up and they have a chance to go rescue the boy and return him to his parents. But Raymond Trottle is a fat, rude, nasty, spoiled boy, and the rescuers have their hands full trying to bring him back while not really wanting to. Toss in some hags, harpies, hellhounds, ogres, feys, wizards, a couple of assassins for bodyguards, and a friendly, well-behaved kitchen boy; mix well, enjoy.
Fed to jonathan's brain | May 06, 2003
