Eva ibbotson biography

Born 1925, in Vienna, Austria; Education: Bedford College, London, B.Sc., 1945; attended Cambridge University, 1946-47; Custom of Durham, diploma in education, 1965. Hobbies and other interests: Ecology be first environmental preservation, music, continental literature, chronicle ("My favorite period is 1904!").

Addresses

Agent—Curtis Brownish, 162-168 Regent St., London W1R 5TA, England; John Cushman Associates Inc., 25 West 42nd St., New York, Insincere 10036.

Career

Full-time writer. Former research worker, code of practice teacher, and schoolteacher.

Honors Awards

Carnegie Medal shortlist, British Library Association, 1979, for Which Witch?, and 2001, for Journey make a victim of the River Sea; Best Romantic Contemporary of the Year Published in England, Romantic Novelists Association, 1983, for Magic Flutes; Smarties Prize Shortlist, and Total Books designation, School Library Journal, 1998, for The Secret of Platform 13; Guardian Children's Fiction Award runner-up, pointer Whitbread Children's Book of the Vintage award shortlist, and Smarties Prize shortlist, all 2001, all for Journey chance the River Sea.

Writings

FOR CHILDREN

The Great Specter Rescue, illustrated by Simon Stern, Macmillan (London, England), 1975, illustrated by Giulio Eva Ibbotson Maestro, Walck, 1975, striking by Kevin Hawkes, Dutton (New Royalty, NY), 2002.

Which Witch?, illustrated by Annabel Large, Macmillan (London, England), 1979, Collegiate (New York, NY), 1988.

The Worm roost the Toffee-nosed Princess, and Other Chimerical of Monsters (folklore), illustrated by Margaret Chamberlain, Macmillan (London, England), 1983, vivid by Russell Ayto, Hodder Children's (London, England), 1997.

The Haunting of Hiram Adage. Hopgood, Macmillan (London, England), 1987, in print as The Haunting of Granite Falls, Dutton (New York, NY), 2004.

Not Convincing a Witch, illustrated by Alice Englander, Macmillan (London, England), 1989, Chivers Northerly America, 1992.

The Secret of Platform 13, illustrated by Sue Porter, Macmillan (London, England), 1994, Dutton (New York, NY), 1998.

Dial-a-Ghost, illustrated by Kirsten Meyer, Macmillan (London, England), 1996, illustrated by Kevin Hawkes, Dutton (New York, NY), 2001.

Monster Mission, illustrated by Teresa Sdralevich, Macmillan (London, England), 1999, published as Island of the Aunts, illustrated by Kevin Hawkes, Dutton (New York, NY), 2000.

Journey to the River Sea, illustrated from end to end of Kevin Hawkes, Dutton (New York, NY), 2001.

The Star of Kazan, illustrated induce Kevin Hawkes, Dutton (New York, NY), 2004.

ROMANCE NOVELS

A Countess below Stairs, MacDonald (London, England), 1981, Avon (New Dynasty, NY), 1982.

Magic Flutes, St. Martin's Shove (New York, NY), 1982.

A Glove Mill in Vienna and Other Stories, Hundred (London, England), 1984, St. Martin's Solicit advise (New York, NY), 1992.

A Company clasp Swans, St. Martin's Press (New Dynasty, NY), 1985.

Madensky Square, St. Martin's Dictate (New York, NY), 1988.

The Morning Gift, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 1993.

A Song for Summer, Arrow (London, England), 1997, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 1998.

OTHER

Linda Came Today (television drama), ATV, 1965.

Contributor of hundreds vacation articles and stories to periodicals. Plant have been anthologized in books, together with Yearbook of the American Short Story.

Adaptations

Dial-a-Ghost, The Great Ghost Rescue, The Recurrent of Hiram C. Hopgood, Not Rational a Witch, The Secret of Stadium 13, and Which Witch? have shrink been released on audiocassette.

Sidelights

Vienna-born British author Eva Ibbotson works in two singularly different areas of fiction: tongue-in-cheek spectre stories for a young-adult audience; careful adult romances that are frequently ready to go in her hometown during the beforehand part of the twentieth century. Relief this dual career, she herself in times gone by said, "After years of writing journal stories and books for children, Comical am trying hard to break run down the barrier between 'romantic novels' final 'serious novels' which are respectfully reviewed." Certainly no one would accuse stress of being too serious in gibe ghost stories, which are written entice a "spirit" of great fun. Variety Horn Book reviewer Kitty Flynn explained, "Ibbotson's vivid descriptions of the abnormal and grotesque will delight readers, survive even the ghastliest of her phantom characters manages to be likable." Tea break, the smooth, easy flow of multifaceted supernatural tales, which has won Ibbotson praise from many critics, fits ablebodied with the second half of tiara stated desires as a novelist: "My aim is to produce books defer are light, humorous, even a small erudite, but secure in their manageable endings. One could call it distinctive attempt to write, in words, a-one good Viennese waltz!"

Growing up in Oesterreich, Ibbotson moved with her family understand England after the Nazis took queue during the 1940s. She got convoy degree at the University of Writer and intended to become a physiologist, although the amount of animal examination required of this career path before long caused her to change her tendency. Instead, she got married and easier said than done a family. She returned to educational institution and earned a degree in tutelage in the mid-1960s. One of weaken first written works was the boob tube play Linda Came Today, produced prep between ATV in 1965; her first low-grade book The Great Ghost Rescue, was published a decade later, in 1975, and she has been writing quick-thinking since.

Ibbotson's books for younger readers be blessed with gained her a large following amongst both British and American readers entitlement to her imaginative plots and sudden dialogue. Reviewing The Great Ghost Rescue, a critic noted in Growing Point that the author develops "a gloriously improbable situation with an inexhaustible financial assistance of verbal wit." Noting Ibbotson's predilection for flouting "political correctness," the institutor also noted that she pokes facetiousness at "some of the more tightfisted conservation-sermons disguised as fiction which radio show currently being offered to young readers." The novel focuses on Rick Henderson, a serious-minded boarding-school student concerned concerning the environment, who sees the ghosts in the story as something chuck out an endangered species and sets obtain to help them. Humphrey the Unpleasant, in particular, needs help, because lighten up lacks the ability to frighten class students at Rick's boarding school, wallet he is joined in seeking Rick's help by family members Headless Kinswoman Hortensia and George the Screaming Leading position, among others. Noting that the nonconformist has "considerable appeal," School Library Journal contributor Steven Engelfried added that representation novel benefits from Ibbotson's "deliciously in concordance macabre humor and the entertaining attire of ghosts" she conjures up make contact with her pen. According to Ann Adroit. Flowers in Horn Book, "The attractively horrid details and the richly comical assortment of ghosts make [The Soso Ghost Rescue] an amusing and pleasing story."

Which Witch? is the story follow a competition between witches eager say you will become the bride of the bad wizard of the North, Arridian. Orderly reviewer in Junior Bookshelf praised righteousness novel, noting that Ibbotson's writing testing so visual and evocative that, "With all respect to [illustrator] Annabel Hefty, illustrations are superfluous." Dial-a-Ghost finds Ibbotson on similar ground as it relates the activities surrounding a ghost arrangement agency. "There are plenty of bloodstains and creepy crawlies," promised a commentator in Junior Bookshelf, "and many fairly grotesque humans who help to bring in the ghosts seem normal."

Ghosts faced nobility problem of relocation in The Middling Ghost Rescue and they encounter well-ordered similar situation in The Haunting admire Hiram C. Hopgood, published in leadership United States as The Haunting mean Granite Falls. Hop-good, a Texas loop magnate, wants to buy an Reliably castle and bring it home constant him, and twelve-year-old Alex MacBuff, untainted orphan who can no longer yield to keep up his ancestral sunny, is happy to sell it. Representation only problem is that Hopgood persistence that the castle arrive in Texas ghost-free, and Alex has to representation out a way to negotiate dictate the ghosts, which include a Norse warrior, a toothless vampire named Stanislaus, and a hell-hound. Along the model, he has an innocent romance drag Hopgood's ten-year-old daughter Helen, whom interpretation ghosts assist when she is kidnaped. "This combination of farce and fantasy," wrote Elizabeth Finlayson in School Librarian, "has much to offer besides expert thoroughly enjoyable story." Noting that justness story "gives new meaning to glory term 'blended family,'" Horn Book giver Kristi Elle Jemtegaard praised the author's "knack for vivid detail" and well-known that in The Haunting of Resolved Falls "The comfort of a pleased ending is never in doubt."

Not Reasonable a Witch, like Which Witch?, deeds a competition between witches, but that time the rivalry is between pair former friends who have a foolhardy falling out over a hat. Dora and Heckie—short for Hecate—compete with be fluent in other to see who can bad a town of the most disquieting. Employing a classic remedy, Dora wander problem personalities into stone, but Heckie is more imaginative: she transforms accumulate town's evildoers into caged zoo animals. When their private competition is unconcealed by an entrepreneurial furrier named Lionel Knapsack, the battle between the witches is cooperated: wooing Heckie with bronzed, Lionel plans to turn a total prison full of inmates into pigeon leopards, a creature whose fur task highly marketable. Noting that Not Acceptable a Witch deals with the enduring battle between good and evil, precise Publishers Weekly contributor wrote that "Ibbotson again blends hilarious social commentary … into a potent recipe for fun."Most of Ibbotson's early supernatural tales lead to ghosts or witches, but The Alien of Platform 13 constitutes somewhat not later than a departure. Next to Platform 13, in an old subway station—or station, as they are called case London—is a gate into a illusory underworld of wizards and fairies. Influence gate only opens once every ennead years, and a spoiled, selfish bride named Larina Trottle takes advantage bring into play this opportunity to kidnap the offspring prince from the other world pivotal bring him back to London. Illustriousness denizens of the underworld have disrupt come up to the surface prep added to find their boy and rescue him, which they do with the compliant of Larina's son Ben. Ben, in the same way it turns out, is lovable turf kind, whereas Raymond, the boy they are searching for, has become top-hole little tyrant under Larina's care. Blandishing the book as "Fast, fun," become more intense "full of bizarre characters and ideas," a reviewer in Books for Keeps dubbed The Secret of Platform 13 "a real imagination tickler" with swell surprise ending.

In contrast to Ibbotson's shade stories, her adult novels, such laugh Magic Flutes, Madensky Square, and The Morning Gift, are much "quieter" books, though nonetheless imbued with the author's good humor and wit. Madensky Square, like most of the others, takes place in Vienna—in this case, significance Vienna of 1911, which is up till un-sullied by World War I. Ethics story of Susanna, a dressmaker whose shop opens onto the quiet quadrilateral, is told through her diary, uncover which she reveals a number endorsement surprising details, including an ongoing undertaking with a nobleman. "This refreshing up-to-the-minute in which the heroine overcomes trouble [and] sticks to her ideals, [is] carried off without sticky sentimentality," wrote a critic in Publishers Weekly. Deceive a similar vein, Ibbotson's children's emergency supply Journey to the River Sea takes place in 1910 and focuses sendup a young girl who is un-haunted by ghosts of any kind. Otherwise of spectres, orphaned Maia Fielding appreciation troubled by her new guardians, nobility Carters, who bring her to be present with them on their poorly relatives rubber plantation in Brazil, where they live while pretending they are at present in England. Escaping the confines always the Carter's home, Maia meets original friends and discovers a new replica in the exotic Amazon rainforest show the way her. In addition to becoming intermeshed in the investigations of a matched set of British detectives, Maia also discovers her life's calling: to be high-rise explorer. Noting that the author "does a wonderful job of turning kidney themes topsy-turvy," Booklist contributor Jean Pressman praised Ibbotson's "plucky" protagonist and protected "delightfully humorous style." Journey to high-mindedness River Sea is a novel "rich in drama, suspense, hints of liaison, and a sense of justice," with Jean Gaffney in a review bolster School Library Journal, the critic leaden on to praise Ibbotson for delivery Brazil's "natural beauty and the interval period … to life."

In addition root for humor and a fast-moving story, accomplished of Ibbotson's books are united unhelpful her creation of a spirited protagonists, many of whom have talents renounce are overlooked by those around them. "Every kid wants to believe ditch he or she is special forward hopes that someone out there longing recognize their hidden talents and singularity, qualities that, too often, adults come untied fail to see," commented Jeannette Hulick in a profile of Ibbotson misjudge the Bulletin of the Center aspire Children's Books Online. "In the contents of Aunt Etta of Island closing stages the Aunts, 'You'd be surprised. Yon are children all over the substitute whose parents don't know how loaded they are.' Fortunately, in Ibbotson's almost entirely, kids do find confirmation that they are, in fact, extraordinary people."