R.I.P. Ms. Ibbotson
Oct. 27th, 2010 06:56 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
aunt_zelda Eva Ibbotson died a few days ago. I didn't know anything about her, besides that she was a woman and English. When I was a kid her books were among my favorites, I can't tell you how many times my mom read them to me. I have all of them on my shelf. They were very much 'kid books,' where the good guys are good and the bad guys are bad and the puns are prevalent and the jokes are clever, and there's usually a ghost or two in there and some wobbly cartoonish illustrations.
I'll never forget The Secret of Platform 13, The Great Ghost Rescue, and especially not the delightful tale of Which Witch? which had me and my mother sporfling for years. These books were the precursors to Neil Gaiman's material, getting me used to the idea of Urban Fantasy: witches taking the bus to their monthly coven and ghosts being tormented by tourists.
My favorite, though, would have to be Journey to the River Sea. It was a bit of a detour from Ibbotson's usual format, but that's part of what made it so special. It's what enchanted with with Brazil in the first place, told me about the Giant Sloth, got me interested in ballroom dancing, and showed me the strange visual of Mary Poppins' evil twin in love.
I don't care how old you are, do yourself a favor and pick it up sometime soon.
If you'll excuse me, I have to go and cry and huggle my book collection.
I'll never forget The Secret of Platform 13, The Great Ghost Rescue, and especially not the delightful tale of Which Witch? which had me and my mother sporfling for years. These books were the precursors to Neil Gaiman's material, getting me used to the idea of Urban Fantasy: witches taking the bus to their monthly coven and ghosts being tormented by tourists.
My favorite, though, would have to be Journey to the River Sea. It was a bit of a detour from Ibbotson's usual format, but that's part of what made it so special. It's what enchanted with with Brazil in the first place, told me about the Giant Sloth, got me interested in ballroom dancing, and showed me the strange visual of Mary Poppins' evil twin in love.
I don't care how old you are, do yourself a favor and pick it up sometime soon.
If you'll excuse me, I have to go and cry and huggle my book collection.
