The book I read for this book report was The Secret
of Platform Thirteen by Eva Ibbotson. I chose this book because the
summary on the inside flap sounded really interesting and exciting. I also
chose this book because the title sounded mysterious.
My third reason that I chose this book was that the cover illustration
had people who looked like wizards, and I really like books with wizards,
sorcerers, and other strange creatures. This is why I chose this book for
my report.
The main character and another character in this book are very different people. The main character in this book is Ben. He is a plain, easy-going boy with blonde hair. He is a little melancholy because his "Nanny" (grandmother) is very ill in the hospital. Even though she is not his real Nanny, she has taken care of him since he was very young and he really cares about her. Ben is curious, caring, and kind throughout this awesome book. For example, he visits his very sick Nanny who is in the hospital so that she feel more cheerful. Raymond Trottle, the other character in this book, is a very overweight and spoiled boy, completely the opposite of Ben. Raymond is always selfish and greedy throughout this book too. For example, at a restaurant, he is very picky, mean at the waiter and waitresses, and only wants to eat dessert. He is the real son of Mrs. Trottle. These two characters in this book are completely opposite people.
This story takes place in London, England. In an old forgotten train station called King’s Cross, there is a mound. This completely forgotten mound is called a gump to the inhabitants of the strange, mythical, and wonderful island it leads to. This one gump, in the whole earth, only opens every nine years for nine days.
This island has a lovely King and Queen who have a baby son. After the Queen gives birth to this wonderful baby, she hires three young ladies, triplets, to be the Prince’s nurses. Three months later, the gump opens and the three nurses begin to feel homesick for the things they used to do before they decided to come to the Island. On the last day of the opening, the three nurses go through the gump just to have some fish and chips, and then to return to the Island with the now three month old baby Prince. Except, it didn’t go exactly as they planned. Instead, a mean, rich, lady named Mrs. Trottle steals the tiny Prince to have a son of her own and she goes on a trip to Scotland so that people will think that she had the baby while in Scotland. It just so happened, however that she did have a baby, Raymound Trottle, in Scotland and ignored the stolen child. From that piont on, a kind lady named "Nanny Brown" takes care of him and protects him from being sent away to horrible schools and places.
On the next opening of the gump, three rescuers are
sent out to retrieve, the nine-year-old Prince. At first they think the
Prince is Raymond Trottle so they try to persuade the spoiled boy to meet
them on a street so that they can then travel through
the gump to the Island. Raymond tells his mother this and she is off
like a rocket into hiding with her "precious" son. Next they try to kidnapp
Raymound. This attempt also fails and they have little hope because it
is now the last day of the opening.
During this whole time the three rescuers meet Ben who works at the Trottle "castle" for no pay. At once they like him, wish that he were the real Prince, and therfore ask him to come along anyway. Ben said he would, but his grandmother, "Nanny Brown" is very ill and near death. He does not want to leave her yet.
On the final night though, Ben goes to visit Nanny
Brown for the last time. Shortly before she passes away, she writes Ben
a letter telling him that she is not his real Nanny and that he was stolen
by Mrs. Trottle. Ben has not known this yet. At this
moment, Odge, the youngest and smallest of the three rescuers asks
him one last time if he would like to come to the Island because she knows
he is the real Prince of the Island. Ben replies "Yes!" and as they exit
the gump and arrive onto the Island, he runs ahead and meets his mother
and father, the King and Queen.
I would really recommend this book. This is because
I loved it and I thought it was full of fantasy, which I love too. I think
that this book is fantastic and flawless. I think most people would like
it if they enjoy reading fantasy. The Secret of Platform
Thirteen in my opinion was a terrific book.