Eva Ibbotson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Eva Ibbotson
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| Born | 21 January 1925 Vienna, Austria |
| Died | 20 October 2010 (aged 85) |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Nationality | British |
| Period | 1965–2010 |
| Genre | Children's (fantasy), historical fiction, romance novels, drama, |
| Notable works | Which Witch? Journey to the River Sea |
| Notable awards | Smarties Prize 2001 |
| Spouse |
Alan Ibbotson
(m. 1947; d. 1998) |
| Children | 4 |
| Relatives | Anna and Maria Paul Newham and Barry Stevens (half-brothers) |
Eva Ibbotson (born 21 January 1925 – died 20 October 2010) was a British writer. She was born in Austria. Eva Ibbotson is best known for her amazing children's books. She also wrote novels for adults. Some of her adult books have become very popular with teen readers too.
Her historical novel, Journey to the River Sea (2001), won the Smarties Prize for ages 9–11. It was also highly praised as a runner-up for the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize. Many other awards, like the Carnegie and Whitbread, also shortlisted her books.
Eva Ibbotson was a finalist for the Guardian Prize in 2010, the year she passed away. Her very last book, The Abominables, was also a finalist for the same award in 2012.
Contents
Eva Ibbotson's Early Life
Eva Wiesner was born in Vienna, Austria, in 1925. Her parents were Jewish, but they did not practice their religion. Her father, Bertold Wiesner, was a doctor. He helped many families have children using new methods.
Her mother, Anna Gmeyner, was a successful writer and playwright. She wrote plays and even film scripts.
Eva's parents separated in 1928 when she was three years old. Eva later said her childhood was "very cosmopolitan, sophisticated and quite interesting." But she also said it was "very unhappy," as she was "always on some train and wishing to have a home."
Her father moved to Edinburgh, Scotland, to teach at a university. Her mother left Vienna for Paris in 1933. This was because her work was banned by Adolf Hitler's government. This sudden change ended her successful writing career in Vienna.
In 1934, Eva's mother moved to England. She settled in Belsize Park, London. Eva joined her there. Other family members also escaped Vienna and came to England. This helped them avoid the dangers of the Nazi regime. Eva's experience of fleeing Vienna greatly influenced her life and her stories.
Education and Career Change
Eva went to Dartington Hall School. She later used this school as inspiration for Delderton Hall in her novel The Dragonfly Pool (2008).
At first, Eva wanted to be a physiologist, like her father. She earned a degree from Bedford College, London, in 1945. While studying at Cambridge University, she met her future husband, Alan Ibbotson. He was an ecologist, someone who studies how living things interact with their environment.
Marriage and Family Life
Eva married Alan Ibbotson in 1947. They moved to Newcastle-upon-Tyne and had four children: three sons and one daughter.
Eva decided not to become a scientist. She did not like the idea of doing experiments on animals. So, she went back to college. She earned a diploma in education from the University of Durham in 1965. She worked as a teacher for a short time in the 1960s. After that, she started her writing career.
Eva's husband, Alan, passed away in 1998. She felt "too sad to write in her usual humorous style." This led her to write Journey to the River Sea, a book that celebrates nature. Eva Ibbotson died at her home in Newcastle on 20 October 2010. She had just finished editing her last children's book, One Dog and his Boy. She was also starting a new ghost story.
Eva Ibbotson had two half-brothers through her father: writer Paul Newham and filmmaker Barry Stevens. She never met them.
Eva Ibbotson's Writing Career
Eva Ibbotson started her writing journey with a television play called Linda Came Today. It was shown in December 1962. Her first book in English was The Great Ghost Rescue, a fantasy novel for young readers. It was published in 1975.
Children's Books
Eva Ibbotson wrote more than a dozen books for children. Her books are full of imagination and humor. Most of them feature magical creatures and places. Eva once said she created these characters to help readers feel less scared of supernatural things.
Many of her books, especially Journey to the River Sea, show her deep love for nature. She wrote Journey to honor her husband, who loved nature. The story had been in her mind for many years. Eva Ibbotson often created villains in her books who were greedy for money or power. She disliked these traits in real life.
Her love for Austria is clear in books like The Star of Kazan and The Dragonfly Pool. These stories are often set in the beautiful Austrian countryside. They show how much the author loved nature.
Adult and Young Adult Books
Ibbotson also wrote several novels for adults. Some of these have been re-released for teen readers and became very popular. Sometimes, they were even given new titles. Eva was surprised by this, as she thought they were only for adults. Examples include A Countess Below Stairs (now The Secret Countess) and Magic Flutes (now The Reluctant Heiress).
In 1992, Ibbotson's writing for adults and teens changed. She started writing romantic novels about the difficult times of war and prejudice. Two of her well-known books are set in Europe during World War II. They reflect her own experiences from that time. The Morning Gift (1993) became a best-seller. Her last novel for adults was A Song for Summer (1997), also set during World War II.
The Secret of Platform 13 and Harry Potter
Some people have noticed similarities between Ibbotson's The Secret of Platform 13 (1994) and J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter books. In Ibbotson's book, there's a magical "Platform 13" at King's Cross station in London. In Harry Potter, there's a magical "Platform 9 3/4" at the same station.
A journalist named Amanda Craig wrote about these similarities. She said Eva Ibbotson could have claimed her idea was copied. But Eva Ibbotson said she would "like to shake her (Rowling) by the hand." She believed that "we all borrow from each other as writers."
Published Works
German Language Books
These books were translated into German and published in Switzerland.
- Der Weihnachtskarpfen (1967) (The Christmas Carp)
- Am Weihnachtsabend (1968) (On Christmas Eve)
- In den Sternen stand es geschrieben (1971) (In the stars it was written)
Children's Fiction Books
- The Great Ghost Rescue (1975)
- Which Witch? (1979)
- The Worm & the Toffee Nosed Princess (1983)
- The Haunting of Hiram C. Hopgood (1987); also known as The Haunting of Hiram (1988) and The Haunting of Granite Falls (2004)
- Not Just a Witch (1989)
- The Secret of Platform 13 (1994)
- Dial-a-Ghost (1996)
- Monster Mission (1999); also known as Island of the Aunts
- Journey to the River Sea (2001)
- The Star of Kazan (2004)
- The Beasts of Clawstone Castle (2005)
- The Haunting of Hiram (2008)
- The Dragonfly Pool (2008)
- The Ogre of Oglefort (2010)
- One Dog and his Boy (2010)
- The Abominables (2012) – published after her death
- The Island of Aunts (2001)
Adult and Young Adult Fiction Books
- A Countess Below Stairs (1981); later called The Secret Countess (2007)
- Magic Flutes (1982); later called The Reluctant Heiress (2009)
- A Glove Shop in Vienna: And Other Stories (1984) – a collection of short stories
- A Company of Swans (1985)
- Madensky Square (1988)
- The Morning Gift (1993)
- A Song for Summer (1997)
Awards and Recognition
- Best Romantic Novel of the Year Published in England, Romantic Novelists Association, 1983, for Magic Flutes
- Carnegie Medal
- Shortlisted in 1978 for Which Witch?
- Shortlisted in 2001 for Journey to the River Sea
- Shortlisted in 2005 for The Star of Kazan
- Best Books designation, School Library Journal, 1998, for The Secret of Platform 13
- Nestle Smarties Book Prize
- Shortlisted in 1998 for The Secret of Platform 13
- Winner in 2001, ages 9–11 years, for Journey to the River Sea
- Silver medal in 2004, ages 9–11 years, for The Star of Kazan
- Whitbread Children's Book of the Year, 2001 shortlist, for Journey to the River Sea
- Guardian Children's Fiction Prize
- Highly commended runner-up in 2001 for Journey to the River Sea
- Shortlisted in 2010 for The Ogre of Oglefort
- Shortlisted in 2012 for The Abominables
Film and Television Adaptations
- Eva Ibbotson wrote Linda Came Today (1962) for television.
- In 1978, she wrote Der Große Karpfen Ferdinand und andere Weihnachtsgeschichten for German television.
- In 2004, a film adaptation of Island of the Aunts was being developed.
- A film adaptation of The Great Ghost Rescue was finished in 2011.
- The Haunting of Hiram C. Hopgood was also adapted.
- Her best-selling drama The Morning Gift is also being developed as a film.
Images for kids
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Eva Ibbotson, a beloved British author.
See also
In Spanish: Eva Ibbotson para niños
