Eva Ibbotson’s Followers (2,327)

Eva Ibbotson

Born

in Vienna, Austria

January 21, 1925

Died

October 20, 2010

Genre

Children's Books, Young Adult, Romance

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Eva Ibbotson (born Maria Charlotte Michelle Wiesner) was a British novelist specializing in romance and children's fantasy.

She was born in Vienna, Austria, in 1925. When Hitler came into power, her family moved to England. She attended Bedford College, graduating in 1945; Cambridge University from 1946-47; and the University of Durham, from which she graduated with a diploma in education in 1965. Ibbotson had intended to be a physiologist, but was put off by the amount of animal testing that she would have to do. Instead, she married and raised a family, returning to school to become a teacher in the 1960s. Ibbotson was widowed with three sons and a daughter.

Ibottson began writing with the television drama 'Linda Came Today', in 1965. Ten y Eva Ibbotson (born Maria Charlotte Michelle Wiesner) was a British novelist specializing in romance and children's fantasy.

She was born in Vienna, Austria, in 1925. When Hitler came into power, her family moved to England. She attended Bedford College, graduating in 1945; Cambridge University from 1946-47; and the University of Durham, from which she graduated with a diploma in education in 1965. Ibbotson had intended to be a physiologist, but was put off by the amount of animal testing that she would have to do. Instead, she married and raised a family, returning to school to become a teacher in the 1960s. Ibbotson was widowed with three sons and a daughter.

Ibottson began writing with the television drama 'Linda Came Today', in 1965. Ten years later, she published her first novel, The Great Ghost Rescue. Ibbotson has written numerous books including The Secret of Platform 13, Journey to the River Sea, Which Witch?, Island of the Aunts, and Dial-a-Ghost. She won the Nestlé Smarties Book Prize for Journey to the River Sea, and has been a runner up for many of major awards for British children's literature.

Her books are imaginative and humorous, and most of them feature magical creatures and places, despite the fact that she disliked thinking about the supernatural, and created the characters because she wanted to decrease her readers' fear of such things.

Some of the books, particularly Journey to the River Sea, also reflect Ibbotson's love of nature. Ibbotson wrote this book in honor of her husband (who had died just before she wrote it), a former naturalist. The book had been in her head for years before she actually wrote it.

Ibbotson said she dislikes "financial greed and a lust for power" and often creates antagonists in her books who have these characteristics. Some have been struck by the similarity of "Platform 9 3/4" in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter books to Ibbotson's The Secret of Platform 13, which came out three years before the first Harry Potter book.

Her love of Austria is evident in works such as The Star Of Kazan and A Song For Summer. These books, set primarily in the Austrian countryside, display the author's love for nature and all things natural. ...more

Combine Editions
Eva Ibbotson’s books

Average rating: 3.97 · 144,621 ratings · 12,050 reviews · 73 distinct works • Similar authors

	A Countess Below Stairs 3.91 avg rating — 21,397 ratings — published 1981 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Journey to the River Sea by Eva Ibbotson, Kevin Hawkes 4.20 avg rating — 16,909 ratings — published 2001 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Secret of Platform 13 3.95 avg rating — 14,885 ratings — published 1994 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Which Witch? 3.96 avg rating — 13,062 ratings — published 1979 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A Company of Swans really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 10,473 ratings — published 1985 — 43 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Star of Kazan 4.04 avg rating — 8,942 ratings — published 1999 — 64 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Island of the Aunts by Eva Ibbotson, Kevin Hawkes (Illustrator) 3.95 avg rating — 8,809 ratings — published 1999	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Reluctant Heiress 3.93 avg rating — 8,501 ratings — published 1982 — 40 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Morning Gift 3.98 avg rating — 8,368 ratings — published 1993 — 46 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A Song for Summer 3.83 avg rating — 7,269 ratings — published 1997 — 41 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Quotes by Eva Ibbotson (?)

“It's true that adventures are good for people even when they are very young. Adventures can get in a person's blood even if he doesn't remember having them. ”
― Eva Ibbotson, The Secret of Platform 13

1546 likes

“Slowly, Anna put up a hand to his muzzle and began to scratch that spot behind the ear where large dogs keep their souls.”
― Eva Ibbotson, A Countess Below Stairs

tags: dogs

134 likes

“And so they played some of the world's loveliest piano music - the exiled homesick girl, the humiliated, tired old man. Not properly. Better than that.”
― Eva Ibbotson, A Countess Below Stairs

129 likes

See all Eva Ibbotson's quotes »

Polls

What randomly selected book would you like to read in April?

Wither by Lauren DeStefano

39 votes, 29.1%

White Cat by Holly Black

33 votes, 24.6%

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

15 votes, 11.2%

A Countess Below Stairs by Eva Ibbotson

11 votes, 8.2%

Love Story by Jennifer Echols

11 votes, 8.2%

Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow by Jessica Day George

10 votes, 7.5%

Raw Blue by Kirsty Eagar

5 votes, 3.7%

Evil Genius by Catherine Jinks

4 votes, 3.0%

Walk of the Spirits by Richie Tankersley Cusick

3 votes, 2.2%

Bella at Midnight by Diane Stanley

3 votes, 2.2%

134 total votes

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Eva Ibbotson’s Followers (2,327)

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