Monster Mission

Eva Ibbotsen (author)

Macmillan Children's Books, UK: 1999; 230pp

ISBN: 0330372629

Genres: adventure, fantasy

Issues: environment, values

Three aunts on an isolated island realise that they are getting older and need to ensure there is someone to carry on their legacy of caring for the sick and injured creatures that seek refuge with them. To this end, they kidnap three children and test them to see if they are up to the job.

The island, as it turns out, is not just a refuge for normal birds and animals but also for mermaids, selkies and other fantastic creatures. Is it possible to kidnap three children without being jailed for life? And can the aunts keep their island secret and secluded forever or will the wider world discover them and turn their special place into a theme park?

Another entertaining combination of magic and adventure, Monster Mission, like so many of Ibbotsen's novels, carries the hint that these things might be happening just around the corner from the reader's world. The whimsical characters are the more believable because they are really quite normal, they just have a slightly madder edge than most. As with previous novels, Monster Mission carries a fairly unsubtle commentary about the false values of materialism, the crime of over-indulgence of children, the way humans regularly ignore or abuse their natural environment, and the value of independent thinkers. Ibbotsen's novels always endorse those who stand out from the crowd for their unusual sensitivity, strong ethical or moral sense, and compassion for others.

Great fun to read, Monster Mission and other Ibbotsen novels are an excellent resource for fans of the Harry Potter series by J.K.Rowling.

Other Titles: The Great Ghost Rescue; The Haunting of Hiram; Not Just A Witch; The Secret of Platform 13; Dial a Ghost; Which Witch?