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thestoryowl's review against another edition
4.0
A fun little romp about a magical island and a prince gone missing. A good fantasy adventure for upper elementary kids.
kylastearns's review against another edition
3.0
I wouldn't have picked this out on my own, but I feel like it would be a great read for young kids or a bedtime story for littles.
rebekah_rei's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
towering_tbr's review against another edition
3.0
This was a fun children's fantasy with loads of magical creatures in it. The prince is kidnapped and a band of rescuers go on an adventure to try to bring him back.
lattelibrarian's review against another edition
4.0
On the cover of my edition, it says that this book is perfect for fans of Harry Potter. I mean, they're not wrong, considering that this book predates HP and is so clearly a base text from which HP springs. There are a lot of similarities, lots of same archetypes, and many bits of familiarity. Even so, Secret makes for an entertaining read, full of magical creatures, kingdoms, and high emotions.
How to make the prince come when he clearly doesn't want to? And how did he get so mean? Is it nature versus nurture? Or had everybody simply misjudged him when he was young? Ibbotson's text is a great fantasy book to read for fans of contemporary fantasy and middle grade literature.
Review cross-listed here!
How to make the prince come when he clearly doesn't want to? And how did he get so mean? Is it nature versus nurture? Or had everybody simply misjudged him when he was young? Ibbotson's text is a great fantasy book to read for fans of contemporary fantasy and middle grade literature.
Review cross-listed here!
ameserole's review against another edition
4.0
Am I worried that I dove into a kids book all by myself? Nope. Does it matter that I'm not a kid? Also - nope!
It might be weird that I dove into The Secret of Platform 13 while I'm in the middle of re-reading Harry Potter though. Mostly because I was looking at the reviews before I decided to write mine and many people mentioned Harry Potter lovers loving this book. So, yeah, it might be a coincidence.. or I might just be weird for randomly finding this book to read for a certain challenge.
In the end, all that matters is that I enjoyed the book. It honestly didn't faze me that people could steal children and then raise them as their own. I mean.. we live in this real world where that does happen. I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing since I just went with it all. Then again, it is a book.
Back to the book though. Right from the very start, things start happening. We get introduced to a world where it didn't matter what magical creature was taking care of a baby. They just were. So every nine years, for about nine days, a doorway is open. The adventure this time around is to save the prince and trust me, it was a lot of fun to read about.
In the end, can I take a quick vacation to this wonderful island?
It might be weird that I dove into The Secret of Platform 13 while I'm in the middle of re-reading Harry Potter though. Mostly because I was looking at the reviews before I decided to write mine and many people mentioned Harry Potter lovers loving this book. So, yeah, it might be a coincidence.. or I might just be weird for randomly finding this book to read for a certain challenge.
In the end, all that matters is that I enjoyed the book. It honestly didn't faze me that people could steal children and then raise them as their own. I mean.. we live in this real world where that does happen. I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing since I just went with it all. Then again, it is a book.
Back to the book though. Right from the very start, things start happening. We get introduced to a world where it didn't matter what magical creature was taking care of a baby. They just were. So every nine years, for about nine days, a doorway is open. The adventure this time around is to save the prince and trust me, it was a lot of fun to read about.
In the end, can I take a quick vacation to this wonderful island?
monarchgirl's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
This was a really good childhood favourite.
mariahistryingtoread's review against another edition
4.0
This was the first Eva Ibbotson book I ever read as a kid. I had this special two books in one where it was paired with Island of the Aunts. I actually hate that format for books now, but I still purchased the same edition when buying the book for nostalgias' sake.
Anyways I would say this is one of her best. It's right up there with Which Witch? though now that I'm older I would say that Which Witch? is objectively better.
Similarly, this features more of an ensemble cast but it doesn't use them as effectively as that book does. I'm used to her characters not having a whole lot of depth in the first place, however, I felt this book had a perfect set-up (the rescue of the Prince from Up Top) that would have allowed Ibbotson to flesh the cast out more akin to the competition in Which Witch?
Otherwise it's her standard fare - upstanding and pragmatic kids, magical creatures, the villains being primarily selfish and greedy, a huge emphasis on how being a kind person takes you far, and a dash of mystery to make things interesting. If you've read any of her other books then you already know what I'm talking about.
In short, it's a quick read, it's charming and I love the way Ibbotson treats magical creatures with such compassion. This sentiment has informed my perception of magical creatures like my entire life; as long as they're not malicious they deserve rights too! Just because they look funny doesn't mean you should disrespect them.
If you want a comfort read, this is definitely it.
The Haunting of Granite Falls
Which Witch?
The Great Ghost Rescue
Anyways I would say this is one of her best. It's right up there with Which Witch? though now that I'm older I would say that Which Witch? is objectively better.
Similarly, this features more of an ensemble cast but it doesn't use them as effectively as that book does. I'm used to her characters not having a whole lot of depth in the first place, however, I felt this book had a perfect set-up (the rescue of the Prince from Up Top) that would have allowed Ibbotson to flesh the cast out more akin to the competition in Which Witch?
Otherwise it's her standard fare - upstanding and pragmatic kids, magical creatures, the villains being primarily selfish and greedy, a huge emphasis on how being a kind person takes you far, and a dash of mystery to make things interesting. If you've read any of her other books then you already know what I'm talking about.
In short, it's a quick read, it's charming and I love the way Ibbotson treats magical creatures with such compassion. This sentiment has informed my perception of magical creatures like my entire life; as long as they're not malicious they deserve rights too! Just because they look funny doesn't mean you should disrespect them.
If you want a comfort read, this is definitely it.
The Haunting of Granite Falls
Which Witch?
The Great Ghost Rescue
bluestarfish's review against another edition
5.0
Mistmakers are adorable! This is a sweet little tale about the gump (a secret passage way that only opens up every nine years) and a lost prince. Really like the style and the story and the little details.
kristenremenar's review against another edition
4.0
Cozy and British and lovely. Great fantasy read-aloud or independent reading for 2-5 graders.