Eva Ibbotson
	Monster Mission
	aka   Island of the Aunts

Monster Mission first published in the UK by Macmillan Children's Books 1999 November 12 - this publisher subsequently issued various UK paperback editions. Island of the Aunts first published in the USA in hardback by Dutton Children's Books 2000, first published in the USA in paperback by Puffin Books, 2001. Both Dutton and Puffin are declared to be "a division of Penguin Puttnam Books for Young Readers"

In my opinion, many children's books are often as enjoyable as those intended for adults. Some titles have crossed over, with Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy attracting at least as many adult readers as junior ones. J K Rowling is another example of a very popular children's author who has a huge adult following. Most recently, Mark Haddon's The Strange Case of the Dog in the Nighttime was published simultaneously as both a children's book and an adult novel - and continues to sell well in both markets. It's perhaps unlikely that Eva Ibbotson will break through to a mass market to the same extent as those notables, but she does very nicely out of the children's sector, being the author of such hugely popular titles as Which Witch?, Dial a Ghost and Journey to the River Sea. If you have never heard of her, just pop along to your local library. You are likely to find many entries in the catalogue, but few books on the shelves, as they tend to go out again as soon as they are returned.

Eva Ibbotson was born in Vienna in 1925, but came to England before WWII. She was a pupil at the progressive Dartington School, a little before another Yarns Without Threads author, Patrick Raymond. Raymond wrote Daniel and Esther about his experiences of the school, where the school and its staff are given their real names. In contrast, Ibbotson translated her Dartington schooldays to Austria, where it appears pseudonymously in A Song For Summer.

Her first book, The Great Ghost Rescue, was published in 1975, and she has now produced a substantial collection of stories, usually light-hearted, often involving the supernatural and what might be termed alternate realities. The world of Monster Mission is modern Great Britain, but with some differences. In these British Isles you might find selkies amongst the seals, or a mermaid rather than a dolphin taking an interest in a small boat. On a remote Scottish island, three aunts run a haven for injured and distressed creatures - and the more unusual the creature, the more likely it is to be distressed!

Etta, Coral and Myrtle are as kind-hearted as any aunts found in children's literature, but they are also ruthlessly pragmatic when it comes to ensuring that their lame ducks get all the care they need. Realising they are getting older, they decide that the only solution is to bring in some youngsters to learn how to look after their charges. They could simply advertise, or ask the local Job Centre, but that's not their style. Instead, they embark on a daring and radical scheme - kidnapping likely children! Unfortunately, although skilled in caring for animals, the aunts are somewhat incompetent when it comes to abducting schoolchildren, and it is as much by accident as design that they bring Lambert, Minette and Fabio to their island.

The aunts' good fortune continues, with circumstances ensuring that the children's absence is not realised for some time. Eventually the disappearances are discovered, although the authorities are baffled by the lack of any ransom demand. As a massive hunt develops - fuelled by intense media coverage and speculation - attention focuses on three islands. As you can see in the extract, one of the islands is a "nudist colony". The search party is very unsettled by the nudity, demanding that the naturists should cover up. Although the nuddies are peaceful and helpful, they refuse to be bullied, and stay resolutely naked. Ibbotson's writing depicts the textiles as the ones with a problem, and there is not the slightest indication that social nudity is in any way wrong or disreputable. Elsewhere in the book, she takes some hefty swipes at the way some journalists and editors demonise whole sectors of the community - there's certainly much stimulus provided for thoughtful readers.

While the encounter with the naturists is only an episode in a full-length book, I think it is worthy of attention, given the author's large readership and good reputation. If the book is read by a significant percentage of young readers, it ought to help in the promotion of naturism as perfectly normal and reasonable, particularly as it holds up anti-nuddy attitudes to gentle ridicule: "Mr Sprott ...swore that he would get the pink people arrested and deported and imprisoned, which was silly of him since the nudists had every right to be where they were".

I thoroughly enjoyed the tale, and am sure most children would too. The publishers recommend it as best suited to ages 8 to 12, although younger children might well like it being read to them, which ought to be enjoyable for a parent - or even an aunt.

For reasons that I have been unable to discover, the book exists with two titles: Monster Mission and Island of the Aunts. The former seems to be the more widely available in UK. Both hardback and paperback editions of Island of the Aunts have lovely illustrations by Kevin Hawkes, which aren't in Monster Mission, so if you have a choice, I recommend going for Island of the Aunts.

An edited version of this review, together with a review of Laurence Anholt and Arthur Robins's The Emperor's New Clothes, appeared in the 2004 December issue of H&E Naturist magazine.

Ratings:

Nudity	Naturist nudity	A good read?

---

A Song for Summer

First published (simultaneously) in hardback by Century Ltd ISBN 0-71267-809-3 and in paperback by Arrow ISBN 0-09925-686-X, 1997 September 4.

A few years after Patrick Raymond wrote his book, Daniel and Esther, based on his experiences as a pupil at Dartington Hall School in the 1930s, his fellow-pupil Eva Ibbotson also based a book on her Dartington schooldays. While there are some strong similarities - music and self-discovery are major themes in both books, for example - there are also significant differences. Raymond's book was published as a children's book, while Ibbotson's was one of her adult novels. While Raymond fictionalises very little, the school in A Song for Summer is in Austria. Another key distinction is that Raymond's book is complimenatry of the nude swimming regime, while Ibbotson's portrays it as less than wonderful. Indeed, as you can read in the extract, her heroine encourages some pupils to wear swimming costumes, leading by example.

Ratings:

Nudity	Naturist nudity	A good read?

Last updated 2005 May 21.
 
Images Copyright © various authors, photographers, graphic artists, illustrators and publishers
Other content Copyright © author Tim Forcer

Authors A:Z		Titles A:Z		Publication date
	Up to Yarns Without Threads front page