Eva Ibbotson, born Maria Charlotte Michelle Wiesner
(1925–2010), was an Austrian-born British novelist, known for her
children's books. Some of her novels for adults have been
successfully reissued for the young adult market in recent years.
For the historical novel Journey to the River
Sea (Macmillan, 2001), she won the Smarties Prize in category
9–11 years, garnered unusual commendation as runner-up for the
Guardian Children's Fiction Prize, and made the Carnegie Medal,
Whitbread Award, and Blue Peter Book Award shortlists. She was a
finalist for the 2010 Guardian Children's Fiction Prize at the time
of her death. Her last book, The Abominables, was one of eight
books on the longlist for the same award in 2012.
Kevin Hawkes is the author and illustrator of The Wicked Big
Toddlah and The Wicked Big Toddlah Goes to New York, and is the
illustrator of many well-loved books for young readers including
Imagine That:! How Dr. Seuss Wrote the Cat in the Hat, Library
Lion, My Little Sister Ate One Hare, My Little Sister Hugged
an Ape, And to Think That We Thought That We'd Never Be Friends,
The Road to Oz, Velma Gratch, and The Way Cool Butterfly. He
lives in Gorham, Maine.
The fast-moving plot, sympathetic characters, and moments of humor keep the story humming along to its satisfying conclusion. (Booklist)
The author of Dial-a-Ghost and Which Witch? conjures more rib-tickling entertainment in this fantasy featuring a witch bent on saving the world from wickedness. After graduating from witch school and settling in the small town of Wellbridge as a pet shop owner, Heckie, an animal witch, begins her campaign to flush out evildoers and transform them into exotic beasts. With the help of a motley crew of other witches and wizards, three young human beings and her "dragworm" (her half-dragon-half-worm "familiar"), she successfully manages to change a cruel nursing home director into a "warthog with a greedy snout." She then goes on to turn an abusive chicken farmer into a rare fish. Trouble brews when one of the most ghastly men in town, Lionel Knacksap, a furrier, witnesses Heckie's power and hatches a plot to sweep Heckie off her feet with his charms and make a tidy profit along the way. Blinded by love and seduced by soft-center chocolates, Heckie nearly creates disaster when she agrees to supply her new beau with 300 snow leopards. Ibbotson again blends hilarious social commentary and classic themes of good overcoming evil into a potent recipe for fun. Hawkes's whimsical portrayals of offbeat heroes and deliciously despicable villains add to the merriment. Ages 8-12. (Aug.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
The fast-moving plot, sympathetic characters, and moments of humor keep the story humming along to its satisfying conclusion. (Booklist)
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