The Secret of Platform 13 Paperback – 9 Oct. 2014

This book is a brilliant adventure story! It kept me engaged the entire time, and I really enjoyed the plot twists.This book is suitable for children aged 7-10. It is very funny and has comical names (Cornelius, Gurkintrude,Odge Gribble and the Trottles!)I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did!

lots of make-believe mythical creatures, lots of to & fro, from 2 places which is not obvious.not great for young readers. Paragraphs jump between places without a change in style/font/heading which was hard for my 8 year old to understand. I started re-reading it with him cos he said 'i don't get it' and a few times I was caught out and saying "oh, hang on, we've now jumped back to the first place and the other lot of people!"

Some say this was the original Harry Potter. (But even if it was the Harry Potter series of reading that we now know, Love and enjoy has given the Children and Adults of the modern world the Joy of starting or re-starting reading books with a good story line). but after reading This little book you could get the feeling that maybe the Lovely and talented Miss Rowling just maybe may have read this little book when she was a small child, and enjoyed it so much that it buried its self in her Sub-conscience. probably not , but its a nice whimsical thought. but all i know my neice did seem to have enjoyed it and so did I :-)

A bit 'younger' than some of her other books for children, which I have enjoyed more. Maybe I am growing up myself!

This is an amazing book. I recommend it to people aged 5-13 however, I think that it can be read by any aged person.

Great book for any children who are fans of Harry Potter. It's very similar however still offers its own unique story

Having read Harry Potter was looking for something similar but less chapters to read to my class, this was perfect and just as magical. We even made our own Mistmaker as a pillow!!!

Great story, my 9 year old loves it.

Great story, a must read. Both my daughter (9) and I enjoyed it.

My son liked this book, and so did my daughter, who is a huge Eva Ibbotson fan. However she says that Eva Ibbotson's non-fantasy books are better than this one.

Une jolie histoire de sorcières et autres êtres fantastiques sur fond de monde réel (Londres). Rapide à lire, bien écrit, agréable et bien mené. Ca se lit tout seul et l'anglais y est facile.

Excellent book

I got a very old copy of it, as if it was years olderI hope it does not happen again

Hier handelt es sich um ein wunderbares Buch das ich jedem nur sehr empfehlen kann - auch Erwachsenen mit Kinderherz - danke Eva!

I loved it from beginning to end, it's clever, funny and especially well written. I'm going to look into other books by the same author. Harry Potter fans, this is a book for you!

Platform 13 of King's Cross Railway Station has a doorway that leads to a magical island harmoniously inhabited by a diverse assortment of beings, including humans, hags, feys, mermaids, and furry little creatures called mistmakers. The kingdom's prince was kidnapped as an infant during a visit to London. Nine years later, when the portal between worlds reopens, four rescuers -- Cornelius, an elderly wizard who used to be a university professor in our world; Odge, a young and remarkably unhaglike hag; Gurkintrude, a fey who is sort of a goddess of agricultural plenty; and Hans, a kindly one-eyed ogre from the Alps who yodels and tends goats -- are sent by the king and queen to bring him home. The story is full of eccentric characters, mostly likable, a few definitely not: sundry ghosts who help the rescuers; Melisande, a water nymph who wants it known that she has feet and is not a mermaid; the hilariously obnoxious Mrs. Trottle and her equally unpleasant son; some horrifically amusing and ghastly harpies who have permanent waves and carry handbags; and Ben, a delightful kitchen boy of unknown parentage. The whole thing is very humorous, lively and imaginative, and fans of Diana Wynne Jones and J.K. Rowling most likely will enjoy it immensely. Also well worth reading are Ms. Ibbotson's extremely funny ghost books, obtainable in British paperback editions.

The funny thing is that I'm an adult and read this just for fun, and i found it quite entertaining. it was nostalgic of me, bc i read her other novel Which witch when i was young, and it's nice to see that her style wasn't just something i enjoyed because i was a kid, but something i loved because it was good. Very good book for ur children, so give it to them!

Very cute story. The ending was a bit abrupt but I still enjoyed it. This would make a good children’s movie too.

I've been making my way though a fairly long list of recommended books by my librarian friend, and a few years ago, one of said books was a funny little fantasy fairy tale called "Which Witch". After greatly enjoying it, I decided to look up the author's other works, and found a whole slew of similar spooky tales for younger readers. The premise of this one sounded interesting, so I gave it a shot. But in the end, I'm torn. While there's plenty of cool world building and characters present, the plot leaves a bit to be desired.In the heart of Great Britain, near the River Thames, lies Kings Cross Station, and unbeknownst to us common folk, there lies a secret, magical door under Platform 13---a door that, once every nine years, opens to grant access to a magical kingdom that's every person's dream come true. But one fateful night, the baby prince of the kingdom is kidnapped, and the magical residents are forced to have to wait for the door to open again so they can mount a rescue. Nine agonizing years later, a wizard, an ogre, a fairy, and a hag are dispatched to our normal world to retrieve the long lost prince....and are horrified to discover that he's seemingly grown up into an incredibly spoiled and rich brat. Will our rag tag group of heroes be able to convince the snotty and rude boy to come home? Or is the kind and caring child they befriend along the way the one who truly deserves to return with them to paradise?Getting the good out of the way first, the characters are all memorable and fun, especially Odge the hag who, despite being a child, is the bravest and most sensible of the rescue group--taking charge where the others fail. The mishaps they get into while trying to navigate the "normal" world are funny, especially when they debate over which kid they'd like to take back to the fantasy world. All of them hate the bratty prince, and would rather do right by the gentle and kind child that helps them along the way, but having to put the mission first, they resolve to try and do the right thing, even if they don't like it. And the magical kingdom they come from sounds interesting and is like a literal paradise I'd like to visit, with a wide variety of creatures, both from folklore, and made up wholesale for the story.The plot, however, is about as basic as they come. It quickly becomes obvious who the true prince of the kingdom is, and the whole time, I was waiting for some twist to happen, and it never does. This could've been a unique chance to talk about what true family is, or have the bratty kid learn to be a better person, or have the prince shock everyone and choose to stay in the normal world...but no, the book ends with a neatly tied up and easily predictable ending. Then again, I guess I'm judging by what I would've wanted to see, versus what I actually got, and for what I got....it's just okay. It's a fun read for sure, but with a bit of tweaking and a bit of a "deeper" meaning, this could've gone from just being a good book to a GREAT book.So while this IS still a funny little adventure that's worth your time, if you want a story that has much stronger messages about being true to yourself and forming a family (whether you're related or not), then check out either "Which Witch" or "Dial A Ghost".

Platform 13 in Kings Cross Station is unused, but noone will tear it down. Under Platform 13 is a gump, a secret opening to another world. The king and queen of that world have a baby who is kidnapped on a visit through the gump. Unfortunately the gump only opens once every nine years and then for only nine days. The royal couple sends a foursome of rescuers to find him at the next gump opening, but do they really want him back?This is a very well written and enjoyable story. The characters are wonderful and it is suitable for children of all ages.

I love this book. I read it as a child and purchased it as an adult after reading a slightly disturbing novel. It was a great light hearted pick me up and that I desperately needed. I plan on reading it to my nephew in a few years. Wonderful characters and creatures.

school book

I read this book back when I was in elementary school (I am 18 now) and I absolutely loved it! I really loved the magical island and the fantastical setting. I thought this was an awesome book when I was younger and I plan on getting my 12 year old brother to read it. I definitely think it is worth owning.