Eva Ibbotson is one of my sister's favourite authors, so I thought that I should perhaps try Eva's book THE OGRE OF OGLEFORT. This is a story about magical creatures: The Hag, Ulf the troll, Gertie the enchantress and Mr Prendergast (although, he's not magical as he's just a human).
They all meet an orphan called Ivo and together they go to the Summer Meeting of Unusual Creatures, where they are asked to rescue Princess Mirella from the terrifying Ogre of Oglefort. However, when they finally get there, the Ogre is not what he seems! This funny novel goes from one problem to the next. Readers will be desperate to know, can Princess Mirella ever get back to the island of Ostland?
The characters Eva invents are so imaginative. For instance Hag is a witch who thinks she is in charge of everything. Ulf the troll is friendly but powerful and strong. Ivo is an orphan who is not scared of anything. Best of all, Mirella is not the kind of princess who loves pink and spends her day combing her hair; she likes climbing trees and has jet black eyes and straight hair with her ears sticking out. She loves animals, and I don't mean cats and dogs, but animals others hardly know about. She has a hotel for woodlice, ground beetles and earwigs. However, she is especially passionate about birds. She wants to be one herself. Could that be why she's at the Ogre of Oglefort's?
Eva's story is wonderful for girls and boys aged 8-11 years old, as there is something in there for everyone. If I were to give it a rating, it would be 9/10. Eva died in 2010, leaving a long list of other children's books behind. I will definitely be reading some more and I recommend that you do, too.
May Chamberlain, Age 9 |
