The Secret of Platform 13

Rating:
Summary: Great Read
Review: My daughter, husband and I read together every evening and we recently read this book -- having run out of HP books! At first glance, it looks like HP knock-off -- until one sees that this book was published BEFORE the first HP book.

The story is quite enjoyable. It is about a land in another dimension that has an open porthole to our world every 9 years. In this land witches and hags and ogres and many more magical creatures happily reside. There is a king and queen in this world and they have a son. But, one day, the nannies who care for the baby go for a visit through the porthole (which happens to be located inside Platform 13) and lose the baby!

The porthole closes and the king and queen must wait 9 long years before they can send a band of rescuers.

It is a delicious story, filled with Eva Ibbotson's usual quirky characters and heart-stopping climaxes. She is a whiz at writing fiction -- and interesting to read. Like JK Rowling, she is from the British Isles. Unlike her, I think she grew up using a sort of cockney. There are many references to things like "lorries" and "prams" etc. A child may need an interpreter, but it makes a lovely "read-together" book.

Rating:
Summary: The Secret of Platform 13 Book Review
Review: At first glance, readers might think the secret Island is perfect; blue water, brilliant sun, it's got it all. Except... a prince. As the rescuers from the secret Island pass through the entrance called the gump, they are determined to bring back the prince who has been stolen for nine years. This novel is extremely delightful to read, and the characters in this book are completely made from imagination.
In The Secret of Platform 13, there is not only one main character, but many. There is one character who seems to stand out. Odge Gribble is a hag, who has unusual and unique features. She has a blue tooth, and one eye is brown, the other green. When describing the characters, I could distinctly tell what each character looked like, and the personality of the character. Certain parts of the book were hysterical because certain characters said funny things. In this book, Ibbotson's created a whole new and exciting world, with extraordinary animals with special talents.
Teamwork and courage is clearly a theme in The Secret of Platform Thirteen. When all the rescuers come up with a plan to capture the prince, they all work together. I think it took courage for Odge to join the group of rescuers at such a young age, and for the servant boy Ben to try to rescue the mist maker from the Island. By making such a strong and recognizable theme to her book, Ibbotson really made the story more entertaining.
I would recommend this book to anyone who loves to read fantasy. If you like action-packed and thrilling books, this may not be the book for you. In The Secret of Platform 13, Ibbotson really takes fantasy to its highest level.

Rating:
Summary: Good enough
Review: _The Secret of Platform 13_ was a hit with the 6-year-old bookaholic in our house; I can't say (speaking as the person who read it aloud to her) that it did all that much for me, though. The basic plot is simple enough. Through the nefariousness of a rich but childless woman named Mrs Trottle, a baby is abducted--who is, unbeknownst to her, the prince of a faraway magic island. The "gump", a magic hole that joins Platform 13 of King's Cross Station in London with the island, only opens for nine days every nine years; though Ibbotson states that the island is simply on a remote part of the Earth (not on a different world entirely), the King & Queen seem inexplicably to think it necessary to wait nine years till the next opening of the gump before they can rescue the child. So: jump ahead nine years, & a bunch of rescuers make the journey to London: an old wizard named Cor, a "fay" named Gerkintrude, a giant named Hans (rendered invisible with feenseed), & a young hag named Odge. There they encounter an incredibly nice, helpful boy named Ben at Trottle Towers, whom they initially assume is the Prince, but they then discover he's only in a quasi-menial position there, & that the son of Mrs Trottle is really the odious Raymond. Ibbotson hints heavily from the start that Ben is the real Prince & that Raymond is indeed pure Trottle--suffice it to say even my 6-year-old daughter already had it figured out after a few chapters--so the main suspense (aside from the increasingly elaborate plans to kidnap the disgusting Raymond from his possessive mommy) is exactly when & how the rescuers will figure out the switch.

Like other reviewers I find it hard not to compare this book to the Harry Potter series (which of course postdates Ibbotson's book). Imagine a Harry Potter book if Dudley Dursley became a central figure, & you begin to see the problem with _The Secret of Platform 13_. Furthermore, there's a big difference: the Dursleys are fools & subjected to an endless series of humiliations, but they are basically figures of fun. But Ibbotson's visceral loathing of Raymond Trottle & his mother pushes beyond Rowlingesque slapstick into genuine hatred, & occasionally into borderline prurience (the fascination with Mrs Trottle's personal hygiene, her appalling perfume called "Maneater", her interest in attracting the attentions of a male bass player when she's away from her husband [her plan is to place a rose in her cleavage]). -- Ben himself is pure goody-two-shoes: he knows (& pointedly tells the other characters on occasion) that you shouldn't tell lies, that you must always keep a promise, &c &c. I guess I could take this seriously if he actually had much personality but he's basically there to be a paragon of niceness. Animals like him, too, & in general he's just too good for this world, so it's just as well there's another world to be going to.

Ibbotson's habitual themes turn up in the book, as one expects: I've yet to read a book of hers, for instance, that didn't have an unsubtle plug for vegetarianism in it (here, the fay Gerkintrude can virtually hear the bits of meat calling out in pain when she has to go into a fancy restaurant). The incredibly disgusted portrait of the harpies (their reek & lack of hygiene is described in the most hyperbolic terms) is clearly meant as a dig at Margaret Thatcher--Ibbotson equips each harpy with a handbag, to cement the resemblance. & there's other bits of editorializing here, like the flat assertion at one point that bad parenting is to blame if a kid turns out no good. Well, fine, I'm hardly asking that kid's books be bland & lacking in strongly held ideas; for that matter the kinds of disgust & hatred on display here are emotions that kids can certainly relate to--witness Roald Dahl's books (though Dahl is far better at transmuting these emotions into knockabout comedy, removing their sting). But looking at this book with an adult's eye I can't really enjoy it too much: it's simply too pushy & tetchy. I'll give this 3 stars for my daughter's enjoyment, but it's not I think all that good nonetheless. Like Philip Pullman, whose recommendation emblazons my edition of _The Secret of Platform 13_, Ibbotson rather lacks a light touch. This book isn't nearly as funny as it _could_ have been.

Rating:
Summary: despite comparisons, it's not MEANT to be like Harry Potter!
Review: This book was written years before Harry ever wound up on a publisher's desk, and it should not be viewed in comparison to J.K. Rowling's books. The value of Platform 13 comes in the delightful opportunities for imagination and discussion when an adult and a child read it together. We used this book for a mother/daughter group and had wonderfully creative time addressing points in Ms. Ibbotson's book. What atmosphere is the best place for a gump, and where would be the best place to find a gump in this country? If YOUR child was stolen, who would you send to rescue him or her - Odge and her friends or the harpies? (Moms had a surprising answer for this one.) Is it true that "when children behave badly it is nearly always the fault of those who bring them up"? Other quotes that sparked spirited debate included, "when you have worked and worked for something, it is almost impossible to believe that you can fail", and "it doesn't matter what your home is like - it's that it's yours that matters". This is an ingeniously creative fantasy for pre-teens, and for those adults who can still see magic in the art of storytelling. If you open your mind and your imagination you'll love this book for what it offers, and not find it necessary to make comparisons. Oh yes, if you're all grown up, don't forget to check out the harpie with a handbag, who bears a curious resemblance to a former prime minister...

Rating:
Summary: You have got to read this book!
Review: Anyone who read Harry Potter should love the secret of Platform 13. It takes place in England. To be more specific, it takes place in London. The book is about a secret island hidden behind a gump, a secret door that only opens for nine days every nine years. There are many wild creatures on the Island, along with ordinary humans. The main charactors are an ogre named Hans, an old Wizard named Cor(short for Cornelius), a fey named Gurkie, a hag named Odge, and Ben, a regular human. Hans, Cor, Gurkie and Odge set off to find the long lost son of the King and Queen. To find out what happens next, you'll have to read The Secret of Platform 13. I really liked this book

Rating:
Summary: A GREAT BOOK TO READ!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Review: Our world is completely normal...or is it? Eva Ibbotson, author of the book The Secret of Platform 13 will take you on a magical journey from reality to fantasy with the turn of a page! At Platform 13, inside Kings Cross Station in London, the ancient platform consists of a so-called "gump" which is the passageway to a magical island, a world full of amazing creatures and people. The island inhabitants lived in harmony together until it was time for the "gump" to open again. For nine days every nine years, the "gump" will open for people to go back to London or to have people join the glorious fantasy of the island.
During the year of the opening, the queen had a son. When out of the queen's care, the sons' babysitters took him through the "gump" to see the streets of London. They had sat on a park bench and fell asleep totally forgetting to tend to the young prince.
Conflict enters into this story when the author introduces the other characters in the story, such as Mrs. Trottle. Mrs. Trottle had always wanted a child, but no matter what she did she couldn't have one. When she saw 3 young girls sitting on a park bench fast asleep with a baby next to them, she took action. She took the baby prince! Mrs. Trottle called the prince Raymond, and fled away to Switzerland, planning to come back in a year and pretend Raymond was her own.
When the babysitters came back empty handed, the king and queen sent out a search party. This was the best part of the book for me as the author entered more humorous, endearing characters into the story! Cor (Cornelieus), was an old, yet wise and faithful wizard. Gurkie, was a friendly young girl, who loved plants and people. Han was a giant, strong yet sensitive, but most important of them all, was Odge, she was a young eight-year-old hag, and she felt she had no meaning in life, she did have a blue tooth and two different colored eyes. She wished to set out for the prince with the others because she wanted to prove to herself that she could do something to be remembered by.
From that point on this adventurous book and its fun filled pages kept me smiling as I read the fantasy filled story. I think that the authors theme and intentions of depicting courage and teamwork were clearly evident beneath the fun-filled descriptive characters. I rate this book with five stars especially if you enjoy fantasy. I literally couldn't put it down. If you want an adventurous, amusing story this is the book for you. The Secret of Platform 13 is a GREAT book to read!

Rating:
Summary: A Very Enjoyable book, but not a great one
Review: The Secret of Platform 13 is an enjoyable book that separates two worlds by a "gump" in a railroad station. The "gump" only opens up every nine years, during one of these openings the infant prince of another world is kidnapped in our world. The rest of the book involves the rescue of the prince nine years later.
This book has been compared to Harry Potter many times, which I feel is, unfair they are two different books. This one is clearly written for younger children.
(Interestingly, there is a parody of Harry Potter where the main character is named "Trotter" the arch villain in Platform 13 is named Trottle, I wondered if the parody was trying to point that out?)
While I did enjoy the book there were things that I found disappointing, for instance, the Ibbotson goes to the trouble of creating another world and yet the majority of the plot is set in London, that's too bad as it would have been far more interesting to tell us about the other world.
Where other books in this genre leave the world as we know it, Ibbotson can't seem to get herself to do it.
Ibbotson tells us that "And in 1983- the year the Americans put a woman in space-..." I kept wondering what was going to happen that made 1983 important, as it turned out the date had no significance to the story at all, no other years were mentioned. The Americans and the woman in space were simply thrown in for a PC statement. Throughout the book she never lets you leave this world. Even when she travels to the other world, she keeps reminding you of this one.
There are the "Harpies" which she describes as horrible vulture type creatures that smell horribly. She describes their leader "Mrs. Smith" having a face of a "bossy lady politician." This and the following description was an obvious dig a Margaret Thatcher. The illustrator left no doubt here that is what she meant.
Later we also are told that Raymond's dad is a banker, which gives Ibbotson another opportunity to express a political opinion.
In spite of all this, the book is fun to read, however it could have been better.

Rating:
Summary: The Secret of Platform 13
Review: This story was delightful, I absolutley loved it. It had me lauging, it had me crying, it had me on the edge of my seat. I don't have words to describe how wonderful it is. The book has many main characters and the one that is my personal favorite is Ben. Ben is a nice little kitchen boy, all though, maybe that is not all, he is sensitive but he has tough skin. His Nanny Brown is sick and he doesn't know if he should help his friends or her. This book was absolutley great.

Rating:
Summary: Not Perfect, but Fabulous
Review: For those of you out there accusing Eva Ibbotson of copying Harry Potter:

THIS BOOK WAS WRITTEN LONG BEFORE HARRY POTTER.

That would make it a little hard for her to copy HP, now wouldn't it?

Both Harry Potter and Platform 13 are amazingly engaging and the worlds are wonderfully constructed. I would tell anyone to read this book. And Harry Potter, of course.

Rating:
Summary: The Secret of Platform 13
Review: I read this book over the summer and my mom forced me to read it. I, myself hate reading story books and would rather read the encyclopedia(and I really do read the encyclopedia). I thought this was going to be another dumb fanticy books with all the usual boring creatures, but this one was different. It has creatures I have never heard about and a world never imagented. The story has a great intro making the story very clear. The story line is very smooth and keeps making you want to read more. I'm not going to tell you anything about the book so you will have to find out for yourself.
To let you know, just because I read referance for fun, doesn't mean I'm some nerd and I'm really 13, not 12.