(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Fiona Robinson. The book opens with young Lady Agatha Farlingham being kidnapped by a grieving widower yeti; she decides to stay and provide the yeti's children with a "civilized English upbringing." Decades later, now-elderly Agatha sends her hirsute charges off to her family estate in England. Completed after Ibbotson's death, this romp employs her trademark whimsical humor. Line illustrations, cozy but surreal, suit the tone.

Reviewer: Monica Edinger | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2013

(2) 4-6 Hal's parents get him a dog for his birthday, but Fleck is only a rental, due back at the Easy Pets Dog Agency when the weekend ends. Ibbotson leads a brisk chase across London and, eventually, cross country as Hal, aided by kennel maid Pippa, finds Fleck and determines to take him to Hal's grandparents. This (sadly) last of the late author's novels features a journey with welcome echoes of Dodie Smith.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2012

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Lisa K. Weber. A hag, troll, wizard, and orphan are told to slay an ogre who holds a princess captive. Turns out the princess is with the ogre by choice: she wants him to change her into a bird so she needn't marry a foolish prince. Ibbotson's playful humor, pungent turns of phrase, and sturdy friendliness toward her child heroes suffuse the fantasy.

Reviewer: Deirdre F. Baker | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2011

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Kevin Hawkes. The invented country of Bergania provides the setting for this WWII adventure. Tally's school group performs at Bergania's international dance exhibition. There, Tally, an unsinkable heroine, helps rescue the crown prince from the Nazis. Each character in this deftly constructed tale is a gem, and the plottings, near escapes, secret identities, and ethical dilemmas are decorated with wry, confident humor.

Reviewer: Sarah Ellis | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2008

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Kevin Hawkes. To her usual mix of benevolent ghosts, moldering castles, kind children, and greedy villains, Ibbotson adds a mystery involving a herd of rare cattle. Madlyn and Rollo help their impoverished relatives attract tourists to Clawstone Castle by hiring ghosts to haunt it. The plot becomes somewhat chaotic, but the characters are memorable--especially the ghost with a rat gnawing on his heart.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Kevin Hawkes. Twelve-year-old Alex MacBuff, owner of the ancient castle Carra on the bleak Scottish coast, has been raised by ghosts. Life changes when Carra is sold to a millionaire who plans to transport it to Texas with the condition that there must be no ghosts. Ibbotson proceeds to pile absurdities upon impossibilites, and her knack for vivid detail individualizes the cast of stock characters.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2004

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Kevin Hawkes. Annika has been raised by cook Ellie and housekeeper Sigrid, but despite her love for her adoptive family, Annika is thrilled when an aristocratic woman shows up to claim her as her daughter. Ibbotson's latest has all the eventfulness of a Victorian orphan adventure and is shot through with good-humored matter-of-factness, and especially with Ibbotson's affection for her setting--1908 Vienna.

Reviewer: Deirdre F. Baker | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2004

(3) 1-3 Illustrated by Kevin Hawkes. Daniel is a lonely, neglected boy. He becomes involved in helping an animal witch named Hecate Tenbury-Smith turn evil people into animals so they cannot do any more harm. Like Ibbotson's previous fantasies, this is an imaginative, very funny romp with a satisfying conclusion. Hawkes's black-and-white illustrations are entertaining.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Kevin Hawkes. This novel infuses the macabre with an environmental sensibility. The unsure fate of a family of homeless ghosts inspires young Rick Henderson to take on the cause of Great Britain's specters displaced by rampant overdevelopment. The story moves along at a good pace, the heroes and the enemy are clearly delineated, and, even with some suspense, the happy ending is never really in doubt.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2002

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Kevin Hawkes. In 1910, orphan Maia leaves her pleasant but lonely life at a London girls' school to stay with recently discovered relatives in Brazil. The severe-looking governess hired to accompany her turns out to have a heart of gold, but the relatives are as distasteful as they appear. The Amazon natives and their jungle home are romanticized to be sure; still, it's all in keeping with the grand sense of liberation experienced by girl and governess alike.

Reviewer: Christine M. Heppermann | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2002

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Kevin Hawkes. Ibbotson's novel serves up just the right blend of coziness and chills, of whimsy and wickedness, as it documents how two very different ghost families find their way to Helton Hall, via the Dial-a-Ghost Adoption Agency. This clever fantasy is a good choice for readers who enjoy the wit, gothic atmosphere, and over-the-top pessimism of Lemony Snicket's series but still want everything to turn out all right in the end.

Reviewer: Christine M. Heppermann | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2001

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Kevin Hawkes. Kidnapped by three kind but eccentric women who live on an uncharted island, Minette and Fabio realize that they actually prefer their new lives and enjoy participating in the elderly sisters' efforts to rescue creatures in distress. The third kidnapped child is a spoiled brat, and his efforts to contact his father put everyone on the island in grave danger. A humorous and imaginative (if far-fetched) fantasy with an unusual ecological bent.

Reviewer: Anne St. John

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Annabel Large. Belladonna is far too white a witch ever to win the black magic contest to marry Wizard Arriman, but with help from ugly orphan Terence Mugg and his pet worm Rover, true love might triumph. Ibbotson juxtaposes magical fantasy with modern British vernacular to amusing effect, and her colorful descriptions and well-crafted plot are charming.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(4) 4-6 A complicated fantasy predicates an Atlantis-like island ruled by a beloved monarchy and populated by various magical creatures. When the island's baby prince is kidnapped, a troupe of the magical creatures attempts to rescue him. The star of the show is the young hag, Odge Gribble, whose ingenuity wins out in the end. Amusing at times but very British and a trifle long.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.