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Summary: the source of Harry Potter
Review: Just a response to the accusation that this book is a rip-off of Harry Potter-- if you did a little research, you might notice that The Secret of Platform 13 was published in 1994, while Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone was published in 1997. If anything, ...(an entrance to a magical world through a London train station, a boy growing up without his parents in a household with another boy of the same age who is spoiled by his pernicious mother, etc.), not the other way around. ... At least she had the grace to change Platform 13 to Platform 9 3/4.
All that said, The Secret of Platform 13 is a delightful book that is a wonderful choice for a family read-aloud. It is whimsical and intelligent.
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Summary: the bad and the boring
Review: DO NOT READ THIS BOOK! SAVE YOURSELF! I was forced to read this for school and I'm tell ya quite frankly, this is the worst book in the entire world. The writer completely copied the Harry Potter books. The good person in the book was mistreated exactly like Harry. Raymond who was the other boy in the house was fat and spoild exactly like Dudley. The writer even had raymond's mother call him sweety pie names like Raymonkins and stuff. Geeze, the writer even has the secret entry to another world go through a train platform in london. Begining to see some simalarities to Harry Potter? Eva didn't even do a good job with the writing. She doesn't make the sentences flow so it makes it easy to read smoothly. Through out the whole book it is all goody-goody. Nothing bad can happen and all they do is skip around happily. so there you have it, this book is predictable, goody-goody, boring, and is a bad copy of a well writen book harry potter. I wish they would let me choose to give this one star because that's what it deserves. You have been warned of this book and let me say DON'T BE THE NEXT VICTUM! SAVE YOURSELF!
Rating: 
Summary: well...
Review: if you've read the harry potter books, this book really seems like a bore. it didn't really hold my attention, but i finished and throughout the novel i couldn't help but compare it to harry potter. the plot and ending is predictable, characters aren't that well developed, but the story does hold some originality to it. i give this book three stars because it's written fair enough...fair, that's the book, only average.
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Summary: The Secret Of Platform 13
Review: Eva Ibbotson does a great job in explaining small details in a vivid way. She makes it so you can see that character's perspective of the story. Most of the scenery is complex during the story but Eva Ibbotson weaves in some really descriptive words so you can see the scenery in a clear form.
The main idea in this book is that the special people who are called rescuers need to find the lost prince after he was kidnapped by his three nannies. They do most of their investigating in London, and I think since that's a particularly large place that's a good setting for investigation. The investigation takes nine years and exactly nine days.
Most of the rescuers were very different especially in terms of their personality. There are ogres, wizards and even invisible people as the rescuers. Which all have different and special talents. There are four of them to help along with the investigation.
This book taught a number of great lessons over the course of time. One of is to always believe in yourself and don't let others put you down. Because of the funny investigation and the lesson involved in the story I would recommend The Secret Of Platform Thirteen for ten to eleven year olds.
Eva Ibbotson wrote a number of great books, which include some adventure. She wrote Island Of The Aunts, Dial A Ghost, Which Witch and Journey To The River Sea. I'd recommend reading The Secret Of Platform 13 for anyone who would like a good taste of an interesting adventure.
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Summary: it's awesome
Review: platform 13 is probly the best book i've ever read and trust me i've read many. this book is great for people between the ages of 8 and 900. it's fun and adventurus, i'd choose this book as my favorite any day!
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Summary: A girl trying to fit in who is willing to risk her life!
Review: The Secret on Platform 13 by Eva Ibbotson, is a fun-filled story about a young girl, Odge, trying to fit in to her very unusual family who is willing to face any danger and take any risk to do so. The story takes place in a secret fantasy world where ogres and beasts are just normal everyday creatures living in the human world (not like what we live in). The kingdom is ruled under a king and queen who have recently just had a baby. But one day while out in the "real world" the Prince is snatched by an evil woman who becomes his new mother until the portal entering the "real world" opens up again nine years later. It is up to Odge and a team of unusual creatures to go back to the world and rescue the Prince and bring him back to their world where he belongs.
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Summary: Magical
Review: The book, The Secret of Platform 13 by Eve Ibbotson was a wonderful, exciting book. My favorite character was the mistmaker because he was cute and mysterious. My favorite part was when Odge met Ben because her reaction was priceless. It was kind of like she fell in love. Also, he book was filled with magic and witch-craft. I would recommend this book to anyone, it is a magical book.
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Summary: The Secret of Platform 13 a Review by Robert
Review: By: Eva Ibbotson
Have you ever wondered if there was a place, somewhere where everything was peaceful and magical? In the book, The Secret of Platform 13, by Eva Ibbotson, this wonder becomes a reality. In the book, every nine years, for nine days, the gump in King's Cross Station in London opens so people can travel to the Island, a place of peace. But all is not right at the Island. Nine years ago, the young prince of the Island was taken through the gump to London for a visit, but then Mrs. Trottle, a lady who wanted a son, unfortunately kidnapped him. Now, four heroes have been chosen to go and rescue him when the gump opens.
The heroes are strange and unlikely: Gurkintrude, a fey; Cornelius, a wizard; Hans, an ogre; and Odge, a young hag. Rescuing the prince will be a very hard job. Many problems present themselves: what if the heroes cannot find the prince? What if Mrs. Trottle discovers their mission and takes the prince somewhere else? What if the prince does not want to go? Realizing these problems, Cornelius throws a festival on Midsummer's Eve to show Raymond, the prince the magic of the Island. When Raymond decides that he does not want to go to the island, the heroes must think up a different way to make him come. Read this great book, The Secret of Platform 13, to find out what happens when the heroes think up a different plan and try to take Raymond to the island again.
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Summary: A Perfectly Funny, Delightful Fantasy Romp!
Review: Under Platform 13 in one of London's busiest trains stations is an old, forgotten doorway covered with peeling posters. Little do the Londoners know that behind that door is the entrance to a magical kingdom - an island where humans live in harmony and happiness with mermaids, ogres, hags, mistmakers, etc. The door opens once every 9 years for 9 days and allows magical creatures to revisit old haunts in London and for other creatures to leave London for the island. The baby princes' nannies cannot resist the opportunity to taste fish and chips once again and take just a short visit to London. They run across a beastly woman named Mrs. Trottle who kidnaps the young prince and runs away with him just as the doorway closes for another 9 years. The whole island despairs and waits in mourning for the 9 years to pass for an opportunity to rescue the prince...After the nine years is over, four unlikely rescuers: an invisible ogre (except for his eye), a hag (well, she will be one when she is older), a wizard (who is a little older than he should be) and a fey (who cannot understand why Londoners don't wear beetroots in their hats) pass through the doorway to try and rescue the prince. They quickly proceed to the Trottles' house to try and persuade Raymond Trottle to return to the island with them. However, they quickly discover that Raymond is a terribly fat, spoiled and in every way rotten, mean little boy. Who wants to live on island where he is the king? If only the prince could be more like Ben, the kitchen boy... This is a classic Cinderella type tale where every adult (and most children) will immediately realize what the ending of the book will be. However, the fun part is trying to get to the ending. Eva Ibbotson has packed the book with hilarious characters and little surprises to make this book a fun read for everyone from 5 to 50 years old. If you like fantasy, give this one a whirl! The plot is fun and there are a few evil characters, but nothing scary and everything about the magicial creatures is explained. It is perfect for reading to/with your children as they wait for the next Harry Potter book to come out. Or, if you feel that your child is too young to read Harry Potter, this is a great book to give them.
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Summary: J.K. Rowling should be ashamed of herself
Review: Anyone reading The Secret of Platform 13 will see many elements that were taken by J.K. Rowling and used for her Harry Potter books, written several years later. Readers will find a boy with magical powers who has been separated from his true parents and not been told who he really is; another boy, fat and spoiled, very much the same as Dudley Dursley; there's Cornelius, a wise, old wizard with a long white beard who sets out to find him and bring him back to his real world; Odge, very much a Hermione figure. Then there is the entrance to the magical world at, of all places, the King's Crossing train station in London; there's a sea serpent monster at the bottom of a lake, reminiscent of the baselisk; and there are spirits who travel through water pipes, much like in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. It's too bad that Eva Illotson doesn't get more credit for thinking of these elements first.
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