Magic and mermaids, fierce old aunts and tenderly wicked witches, krakens and spoiled brats and adorable baby mistmakers. Eva Ibbotson is at her finest when writing about mystical places and fantastic creatures. Her legions of fans will be thrilled to see not one, not two, but
three fabulous titles from this master of droll fantasies collected in one thoroughly satisfying volume.
A powerful wizard seeks a wife from among the local witches in Which Witch?. Dismayed at the prospect of warts and whiskers, yet still grimly determined, he holds a contest to establish the very wickedest witch--with surprising results. In The Secret of Platform 13, a long-awaited baby prince is kidnapped from his secret island home. Nine long years later, the king and queen select several of the rather peculiar islanders to rescue the boy from London, where, unfortunately, he seems to have grown into quite an unpleasant child. And last but not least, The Island of the Aunts involves still more kidnapping. This time, three kindly but somewhat ferociously single-minded aunts decide they need a few children to help them care for the mythical animals that have found a safe haven on their island. Devotees of Roald Dahl and J.K. Rowling, take note! Eva Ibbotson is well worth more than a peek. (Ages 8 to 12) --Emilie Coulter
