Ibbotson still remains one of my favorite authors and this book, though published posthumously, had all the charm and wit of her other novels. Illustrated by Sharon Rentta, who also provided the illustrations for Ibbotson's One Dog and His Boy, this touching and engaging story is irresistible.

The Abominables | BookTrust The Abominables | BookTrust

There is a weird preachiness about showing the yetis the bible and teaching them hymns, while making pretty inelegant statements about how bad rich people are and how they will exploit nature and animals, while not being off-base there’s just an odd saviorism of the distinguished British lady civilizing the too kindly and innocent yetis. My favourite character was Hubert the yak, whom I feel was the only character that showed development (ironic, as he doesn't talk).The incomplete manuscript of this charming story was found amongst Eva Ibbotson's papers at her death in 2010. Developing ensemble casts satisfactorily was never Ibbotson's strong point, in my opinion, but this weakness is particularly notable in The Abominables. Together with an ingenious lorry driver they form a plan to help the Yetis escape to the safety of Agatha's ancestral home in England, Farley Towers. Lady Agatha is going to die and she's absolutely sure the yetis will be safe back at her home estate. We worked in pairs where one of the members of the group was Con, blindfolded and climbing up the mountain, and our partner was a sherpa, guiding Con up the mountain.

The Abominables by Eva Ibbotson is a fabulous fun adventure - Twinkl The Abominables by Eva Ibbotson is a fabulous fun adventure -

We began by reading a little bit more of The Abominables before we stopped and the page had been ripped!

The illustrations scattered throughout the book from Fiona Robinson add a level of humor and aid the imagination perfectly, without overwhelming the reader. Although it has been finished by her son, this has all the familiar ingredients of a trademark Ibbotson tale: it is warm-hearted, funny and full of magical imagination. Luckily two courageous children, brother and sister Con and Ellen, turn up in the nick of time to help her.

The Abominables by Eva Ibbotson | Goodreads The Abominables by Eva Ibbotson | Goodreads

Read and enjoy Chapter 1 of the text (below), by reading the text with an adult, by reading a paragraph or page to each other, or independent reading. However, there is quite a bit about animal rights and cruelty so some of the youngest set might be upset by.People keep going on about how just utterly charming this was and tra-la-la-la-la, but I found the writing to be flat and rather draggy.

The Abominables by Eva Ibbotson - LoveReading4Kids The Abominables by Eva Ibbotson - LoveReading4Kids

Ibbotson has a beautiful way of writing and of telling stories and that comes through in spades with this book, which is marvelously supported and brought to life by Rentta's illustrations. It's my belief that one should be in the same place each day, so that if an idea is hovering it knows where to find you. A plan is hatched to transport the yetis to Agatha's home in England under the care of two young siblings, Con and Ellen. I don't know how many kids reading this will pick up on this theme, but that's the most insidious kind of teaching: the one that people absorb without even realizing it.The reading is followed by a series of activities aiming to develop children’s retrieval, explanation, inference, prediction and summarising skills. I loved the way this story included glimpses of history, various places across Europe and taught children values at the same time.