Most Popular Books by Eva Ibbotson

Under Platform 13 in one of London''s busiest train stations is an old doorway. Behind that door is the entrance to a magical kingdom -- an island where humans live happily with mermaids, ogres, and mysterious creatures called mistmakers. When a beastly woman named Mrs. Trottle kidnaps the island''s young prince, it''s up to a strange band of rescuers to find him and save him. But can the rescuers -- an ogre, a hag, a wizard, and a fairy -- troop around London unnoticed?

A family of nice ghosts protects a British orphan from the diabolical plans of his evil guardians. When orphaned Oliver Smith inherits gloomy Helton Hall, his scheming cousins are determined to get rid of him and hire some terrifying ghosts from the Dial-a-Ghost agency to scare Oliver to death. But the creatures don''t behave as expected, and soon join Oliver against his cousins. However, they may have all underestimated the depth of the cousins'' evil intentions.

Rediscover the magical secrets at King''s Cross station in a 25th anniversary illustrated edition of Eva Ibbotson''s classic, The Secret of Platform 13. Under Platform 13 at King''s Cross Station there is a secret door that leads to a magical island . . . It appears only once every nine years. And when it opens, four mysterious figures step into the streets of London. A wizard, an ogre, a fey and a young hag have come to find the prince of their kingdom, stolen as a baby nine years before. But the prince has become a horrible rich boy called Raymond Trottle, who doesn''t understand magic and is determined not to be rescued. The Secret of Platform 13 is an exciting magical adventure from Eva Ibbotson, the award-winning author of Journey to the River Sea, in a special edition illustrated by Beatriz Castro. Discover more of the magical world with Sibéal Pounder''s exciting adventure sequel, Beyond Platform 13, based on characters from Eva''s original. ''This kind of fun will never fail to delight'' Philip Pullman

Aunt Etta, Aunt Coral, and Aunt Myrtle need help caring for the mermaids, selkies, and other creatures who live on their hidden island-and they know that adults can''t be trusted.

When Arriman the Awful, the handsome wizard of the North, announces a contest to choose his bride, every witch in town is a flutter. The meanest, most powerful witch will wed the wizard. But little Belladonna is dismayed, because as hard as she tries, her spells conjure up begonias and baby birds, and not a single viper or bloodshot eyeball. She just has to do something seriously sinister in time for the contest....

A richly imagined story of unexpected love, independence, and belonging – The Morning Gift is a classic WWII romance from Eva Ibbotson. With an introduction from Sarra Manning, author of Diary of a Crush. Eighteen-year-old Ruth lives in the sparkling city of Vienna with her family, where she delights in its music, energy and natural beauty. She is wildly in love with the brilliant young pianist Heini Radik and can''t wait until they are married. But Ruth''s world is turned upside down when the Nazis invade Austria and her family are forced to flee to England, and through a devastating misunderstanding she is left behind. Her only hope to escape Vienna comes from Quin, a young English professor, who unexpectedly offers her a marriage of convenience to bring her back to London. Ruth throws herself into her new life – but a secret marriage is more difficult than she expected, especially as she and Quin find themselves drawn together. ''I have binged on Eva Ibbotson . . . her elegantly written, witty and well-observed fables'' – Nigella Lawson, The Times Rediscover Eva Ibbotson, award-winning author of Journey to the River Sea, in her sweeping historical romances, including The Morning Gift, A Song For Summer and The Secret Countess.

As they get older, three sisters decide that they must kidnap children and bring them to their secluded island home to help with the work of caring for an assortment of unusual sea creatures.

Sent with her governess to live with the dreadful Carter family in exotic Brazil in 1910, Maia endures many hardships before fulfilling her dream of exploring the Amazon River.

Set against the backdrop of gathering war, A Song for Summer is an unforgettable love story from master storyteller Eva Ibbotson, with an introduction from Ella Risbridger. When Ellen Carr abandons grey, dreary London to become housekeeper at an experimental school in Austria, she soon knows she''s found her calling. Swept into an idyllic world of mountains, music, eccentric teachers and wayward children, Ellen brings order and joy to all around her. But it''s the handsome, mysterious gardener, Marek, who intrigues her – Marek, who has a dangerous secret. As Hitler''s troops march across Europe, Ellen finds she has promises to keep, even if it means sacrificing her future happiness . . . ''I have binged on Eva Ibbotson . . . her elegantly written, witty and well-observed fables'' Nigella Lawson, The Times

After the Russian revolution, Russian countess Anna flees to England and takes a job as servant in the household of the Westerholme family. Desperate to keep her past a secret, Anna is nearly overwhelmed by her new duties--not to mention her instant attraction to Rupert, the handsome Earl of Westerholme.

A whip-smart observation of the passions and tragedies behind daily life, Eva Ibbotson''s Madensky Square is a classic snapshot of Viennese life before WWI. Susanna Weber''s dress shop stands in the picturesque Madensky Square, a quiet little world of its own, nestled in the heart of glittering pre-war Vienna. As the winter of 1910 unfurls into spring, Susanna starts a journal about life in the Square, about the buildings and their colourful inhabitants. There''s Frau Schumacher, with six daughters and a baby on the way, Professor Starsky and his menagerie of sickly reptiles, an aging bookseller, a teenage Anarchist, and little Sigi - an orphaned child prodigy forced to play the piano all day, every day. And then there''s her dear friend Alice, the only person who has noticed the heartbreak that hides beneath Susanna''s brisk kindness and brilliant talent . . . Discover more of Eva Ibbotson''s sweeping historical romances in Magic Flutes, The Morning Gift, The Secret Countess, A Song for Summer and A Company of Swans.

The ghosts of Britain need a sanctuary. Castles with central heating, bogs drained for motorways, dismal forests cleared for car parks-there are few places left for a respectable ghost to haunt. Humphrey the Horrible (actually his name is simply Humphrey-he added "the Horrible" to help himself become horrible) is a small, mostly unsuccessful ghost in a family of ghastly ghouls. His mother worries. But Humphrey has enough pluck to befriend a smart, politically aware schoolboy, Rick Henderson, who is willing to take the ghosts'' cause right to the top, to number 10 Downing Street-home of the Prime Minister.

Renowned literary great Eva Ibbotson delivers a final novel in her classic, much-loved style. A previously unpublished work from this favorite author, The Abominables follows a family of yetis who are forced, by tourism, to leave their home in the Himalayas and make their way across Europe to a possible new home. Siblings Con and Ellen shepherd the yetis along their eventful journey, with the help of Perry, a good-natured truck driver. Through a mountain rescue in the Alps and a bullfight in Spain, the yetis at last find their way to an ancestral estate in England—only to come upon a club of voracious hunters who have set their sights on the most exotic prey of all: the Abominable Snowmen.

A Company of Swans is a sweeping tale of romance, freedom and the beauty of dance from award-winning author, Eva Ibbotson, with a new introduction by Joanna Nadin. Weekly ballet classes are Harriet Morton''s only escape from her intolerably dull life. So when she is chosen to join a corps de ballet which is setting off on a tour of the Amazon, she leaps at the chance to run away for good. Performing in the grand opera houses is everything Harriet dreamed of, and falling in love with an aristocratic exile makes her new life complete. Swept away by it all, she is unaware that her father and intended fiancé have begun to track her down . . . ''I have binged on Eva Ibbotson . . . her elegantly written, witty and well-observed fables'' Nigella Lawson, The Times Rediscover Eva Ibbotson, award-winning author of Journey to the River Sea, in her sweeping historical romances, including The Morning Gift, A Song For Summer and The Secret Countess, originally published as A Countess Below Stairs, Magic Flutes, originally published as The Reluctant Heiress, Madensky Square and A Company of Swans.

With a beautiful cover illustration by Alex T. Smith, creator of the Claude series, The Ogre of Oglefort is a wonderfully spooky young fiction title from the award-winning author of Journey to the River Sea, Eva Ibbotson. When a Hag, an orphan boy called Ivo, Ulf the troll and wizard Brian Brainsweller are sent to rescue a princess from an ogre, they briefly consider running away and hiding. Can they be any match for the gruesome, terrifying, ghastly, flesh-eating Ogre of Oglefort? But not all is as it first appears – the Ogre is depressed and the princess doesn''t want to be rescued. The Norns, who rule their fates, decide to take things in hand and send a gang of the vilest, most petrifying ghouls to get the job done properly . . .

A gorgeous 20th anniversary hardback jacketed gift edition of Eva Ibbotson''s award-winning, bestselling classic adventure. Fully illustrated in colour throughout by Katie Hickey. ''The most perfect children''s book . . . captivatingly told, funny and moving'' – Nicolette Jones, Sunday Times A joyous Amazon adventure set in the lush nature of Brazil, Journey to the River Sea is filled with mystery and extraordinary characters. It''s perfect for girls and boys of 9+. Maia, an orphan, can''t wait to reach her distant relatives a thousand miles up the Amazon. She imagines a loving family with whom she will share great adventures. Instead she finds two spiteful cousins who see the jungle as the enemy and refuse to go outdoors. But the wonders of the rainforest more than make up for the hideous twins and their parents. And when Maia meets a mysterious boy who lives alone on the wild river shores, she begins a spectacular journey to the heart of an extraordinary and beautiful new world. Winner of the Smarties Gold Medal. Shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal and the Whitbread Award (now the Costa).

This interdisciplinary collection with contributions in English and French explores how the various disciplines of law and linguistics appreciate and work towards improving the nature of clarity and obscurity in legal language. For the first time, it brings together legal academics and practitioners, jurilinguists and linguists from the common law and civil law with the specific aim to understand the complex nature, practice and tools of clarity and obscurity in legal drafting. Topics addressed include how the Clarity framework has been put into practice through the use of plainer language, better comprehensibility, readability and access to legal or administrative texts. In an attempt to reflect the more recent development of the Clarity-Obscurity debate, the editors have also focused on the use of specific instruments to respond to the problems raised by obscurity to improve clarity.