Reviews

Monster Mission by Eva Ibbotson

misajane79's review against another edition

4.0

Gift for one of the nieces. Delightful story of mysterious creatures, awesome aunts, and kids that just need the right kind of attention. Really enjoyed it--hope she does too!

booksnorkel's review against another edition

4.0

A fun and light read, a great read aloud. Still very British, still a smacking of Roald Dahl and Harry Potter.

mjlin2009's review against another edition

5.0

This is the awesomest book ever. Everybody should read it!!

timberdoodle's review against another edition

adventurous lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

A sweet, if not compelling book, with a cast of delightfully unusual women and a simple plot. 

merrifield's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

bookymac95's review against another edition

1.0

I read this one during the camping trip also but it was strange and wasn’t my favourite out of Eve Ibbotson’s books.

north_willow's review against another edition

adventurous medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

lehine's review against another edition

5.0

Re-reading my childhood (2023).
Man I loved Eva Ibbotson. Which Witch was my favorite, but this was a close second. Magical creatures galore, a secret island, found family, environmentalism and conservation… what’s not to love? Almost makes you want to be kidnapped. I always appreciated a children’s author who didn’t talk down to their audience, and Ibbotson falls in that category. Things are not sugarcoated for easy consumption. People suck. Oil spills, abuse, threats, selfishness, neglect, racism, and more are all addressed, but in the context of this magical island full of warmth and lovable characters.

literatehedgehog's review against another edition

3.0

Ibbotson lives in the particular niche of English magical story between Edward Eager, Hugh Lofting, and Diana Wynne Jones. Her stories appreciate children - they are real people who do sometimes good, sometimes horrible things - and give them exciting adventures. Generally, children think in black and white, especially "fair" and "not fair", and this particular novel combines that thought process with treatment of animals and nature, and of course, a fair bit of the fantastic. While I loved all of that, I resisted some other parts. Perhaps Ibbotson misses the days of E. Nesbit and Roald Dahl - because some actions, especially comments by some adults, were uncomfortably old-fashioned. One might even feel a little squidgy about nearly sexist, racist implications. In some ways, the older English feel of fantastic events in our world was nostalgically wondrous, but it others it was uncomfortably out-dated. I've only read one other Ibbotson, so I don't want to wholly generalize, but I worry this is just part of her style. (I read Which Witch, where an evil wizard sets a contest to find an appropriately evil witch to marry - a little tongue in cheek about love and marriage, but quite hetero-traditional).

teresa_toffel's review against another edition

adventurous funny mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0