Recent Reads: The Abominables by Eva Ibbotson

The Abominables by Eva Ibbotson
Publisher: Amulet Books, An Imprint of Abrams
Publication Date:  October 2013

 

Format: Paperback ARC
Source: BEA 2013

Rating:



Goodreads Synopsis: 

Renowned literary great Eva Ibbotson delivers a final novel in her classic, much-loved style. A previously unpublished work from this favorite author, The Abominables follows a family of yetis who are forced, by tourism, to leave their home in the Himalayas and make their way across Europe to a possible new home. Siblings Con and Ellen shepherd the yetis along their eventful journey, with the help of Perry, a good-natured truck driver. Through a mountain rescue in the Alps and a bullfight in Spain, the yetis at last find their way to an ancestral estate in England—only to come upon a club of voracious hunters who have set their sights on the most exotic prey of all: the Abominable Snowmen.
Briskly funny and full of incident, The Abominables is vintage Ibbotson. With unforgettable characters and thoughtful messages about the environment and advocacy, it’s a generous last gift to her many devoted fans.

 Review: 

I received The Abonimables at BEA 2013 and I am sad to say that many of the books I received are still in my TBR pile – I went a bit overboard…  Anywho, this book was very cute. I had not heard of Eva Ibbotson before this book, but she was a beautiful writer of whimsy. She took a surreal topic and although far-fetched made it seem possible. In the book we meet Lady Agatha, a young girl kidnapped by a yeti. She lives with them and raises the children, teaches them all sorts of things, and when marketing and development start to take over their homestead she decides that they should move to her old home in England, the Farley Towers.

The book is filled with illustrations and because I only had an ARC some were even just the rough sketches, I am told that the released book has these in full color and I bet that they are adorable. I pictures were a wonderful addition to the story – they really captured what I was seeing in my head as I was reading the tale and those types of images are always the best.

Ibbotson’s tale is a fun-filled adventure for young readers with learning embedded throughout on their journey from the Himalayas to England. This was a very easy read and I think both boys and girls will enjoy it. Amulet markets it for ages 8-12 but if read a loud I think younger audiences can enjoy as well.