An Eva Ibbotson Collection: Which Witch?, The Secret of Platform 13, Island of the Aunts

Excellent book, highly recommended, has 3 novels in one.

We loved the fact that the three books came all in one binding. Platform 13 has been a favorite for years, so we are excited to read the others by this fun author.

My 8 year old swallowed it in one gulp.

I have not had the opportunity to read this but it is for my grand child. The book was received quickly and in excellent condition.

British author Eva Ibbotson has gained a reputation for charming, funny light fantasy, and her popularity has only grown with the rise of books like "Harry Potter." This slipcased three-pack is a fun collection of Ibbotson's most popular titles: "The Secret of Platform 13," "Which Witch?" and "Island of the Aunts.""The Secret of Platform 13" is that it has a secret doorway into a magical land -- and one day, the young Prince's nannies accidently lost him to a greedy woman who wanted a baby of her own. Many years later, a rescue squad sets out to bring back the young prince -- but can this rude, gluttonous, nasty boy be their long-lost prince? Or do they have the wrong boy?"The Island of the Aunts" gives a new spin to "hidden" magical creature -- old ladies Etta, Coral and Myrtle live on an otherwise deserted island, caring for a group of magical creatures, including a selkie, mermaids, and a kraken. But the aunts are getting old, and so they decide that they'll get some children to help them care for the magical creatures. The problem is, they have to kidnap them...In "Which Witch," wizard Arriman the Awful has to get married so he can produce a wizardly heir. The problem is, he has to marry a witch -- and the thought of marrying a repulsive crone makes his skin crawl. A contest is held to see who will be Arriman's wife, and poor white witch Belladonna thinks that her sweetness-and-light spells don't stand a chance. Can she manage something really nasty for the contest?Sure, "Harry Potter" may be more popular, but Ibbotson's ogres, wizards, mermaids and plucky preteen boys were there first. These three books are probably among Ibbotson's best, although admittedly I have not read every single novel she's written.Ibbotson has a knack for comedy and whimsy, sometimes with a slightly grotesque twist (such as a legendary skinless creature in "Platform" -- all organs on display). But the crisp prose keeps it steady and grounded, as if magical beasties and disgruntled wizards were all perfectly normal. In Ibbotson's fiction, they are.Charming, funny and a bit goofy, these three books showcase Eva Ibbotson in fine form. Definitely something to check out.

On one hand this is a fun, fast moving, and engaging kids book that's got a dark and twisted sense of fun. However, and perhaps this is a left-over from it being written in the seventies, but there are unnerving moments of bigotry peppered through it. Characters insult each other by calling each other "faggot" in a derogatory sense, and there are occasional racial jokes like all "Chinamen look alike". A parent reading it to their kids can easily censor or discuss this with their kid, but depending on the circumstances the casual bigotry in the book might be enough to cause one to choose a different story. Be warned.

I read the book Island of the Aunts by Eva Ibbotson. It was fairly enjoyable though a bit boring in some parts. The story is about 3 aunts who live on a magical island, and are worried about what will happen to the creautres when they die, so they kidnap two children Minette and Fabio. The story then goes on to be about what happens when they come, and problems with the kidnapping. Girls and Boys ages 10 - 13.