The magical world of Eva Ibbotson: a guide to her books for children and young adults

Set on an island with magical inhabitants that can only be reached through a secret door at London’s King’s Cross Station once every nine years, The Secret of Platform 13 is a fantasy adventure story for children aged 9-12, but beloved by all ages. Readers will root for the motley crew of ogres, ghosts and harpies as they embark on a mission to find the island’s lost prince and bring him back home.

This award-winning book has everything Ibbotson’s stories are best known for: an epic journey into the unknown, memorable characters, and a fantastic setting. The tale of a young girl who is tragically orphaned and sent to live with distant relatives in the depths of the Amazon jungle, Journey to the River Sea is filled with mystery and fun.

A great chapter book for independent readers, this story of an evil wizard who embarks on a search for a suitably fiendish witch to be his wife is full of magical trickery.

A spooky story without the scary bits for fantasy fans of all ages! In this classic tale of good against evil, skeleton Humphrey the Horrible wishes he was as ghastly as his siblings, but when he foils a plot to hurt his family he discovers that he doesn’t have to be terrifying to be a hero.

In this new story, prize-winning children’s author Sibéal Pounder takes young readers on a brand new adventure with Odge Gribble, Ben and the rest of the gang (via Platform 13 of course). 

Beautiful and full of adventure, Escape to the River Sea is Emma Carroll's compelling novel inspired by Eva Ibbotson's classic masterpiece, Journey to the River Sea. Featuring places and characters known and loved by fans of Journey to the River Sea (including, among others, Maia, Finn, Miss Minton and Clovis) this spectacular new chapter in the story tells of the next generation and the growing threats to the Amazon rainforest that continue to this day.

A novel about displacement, love, and belonging, set against the backdrop of the outbreak of WWII. Charting the tale of Ruth, an eighteen-year-old woman who is forced to choose between love and being reunited with her family, and the consequences of her decision, and set in Vienna and in London, Ibbotson drew on her family’s own experience as wartime refugees for The Morning Gift. 

When the 1917 revolution tears Russia apart, young countess Anna Grazinsky has to say goodbye to her grand home in St Petersburg and embark on a new life as a housekeeper in England. Hired to maintain the Earl of Westerholme’s crumbling mansion, Anna settles into her new world, until the day the young Earl returns from the war, and a spark is ignited.

A novel for anyone who dreams of an adventure working abroad, A Song for Summer is the story of Ellen Carr, who leaves behind her dreary 1930’s London life to take a job as a housekeeper at a boarding school in the mountains of Austria. Set at the onset of the Second World War, and filled with period details, this is a sweeping romantic story about how love can triumph in the toughest of circumstances. 

A collection of eighteen romantic short stories that blend great passions with shrewd observations on everyday life. Great Uncle Max is paralysed with indecision between the captivating glove shop assistant Susie and his devoted opera-singing wife, Miss Bennet organises the nativity play at a quiet primary school and makes a miraculous discovery in the search for a baby Jesus, and the lonely dreamer Edwin finds cast-out ballerina Kira on the winter streets of St. Petersburg. 

Comical, satirical, romantic and characteristically unpredictable, these enchanting stories are a delight from start to finish.

This award-winning Macmillan Collector's Library edition of Journey to the River Sea has everything Ibbotson’s stories are best known for: an epic journey into the unknown, memorable characters, and a fantastic setting. The tale of a young girl who is tragically orphaned and sent to live with distant relatives in the depths of the Amazon jungle, Journey to the River Sea is filled with mystery and fun.