The Abominables

Starred review from August 19, 2013
What could be more adventurous than a cross-continental trip? How about traveling with a group of excitable yetis? For years, Lady Agatha has nurtured her yeti friends in a secret Himalayan valley, but now that the area has become jammed with tourists, she enlists siblings Con and Ellen Bellamy to transport the creatures to safer ground on her lavish London estate. With help from a friendly lorry driver, the children journey from Tibet to England and see some disturbing sights, including an ill-kept zoo, a bullfight, and a display of animal-head trophies desecrating Lady Agatha’s ancestral home. Ibbotson’s (One Dog and His Boy) final novel—completed posthumously by her son Toby and editor Marion Lloyd—delivers the same wisdom and satiric wit her fans love and expect; Robinson’s witty, personality-laden cartoons (not all seen by PW) add to the fun. There’s comfort to be found in familiar archetypes, including misunderstood supernatural creatures and the big-hearted children who strive to help them, and the message regarding the cyclical nature of life. A memorable finale to a treasured body of work. Ages 8–12. Agent: Tina Wexler, ICM.

Starred review from August 1, 2013
Two children shepherd a family of yetis from the Himalayas to England in this Candide-like odyssey, left unfinished at Ibbotson's death in 2010 but buffed up by her son and editor. Impelled by the threat of imminent exposure and the hope of refuge in a certain British stately home, five yetis reluctantly leave their idyllic hidden valley. Guided by Con and Ellen, two young staff members from a recently opened tourist hotel, they board a sympathetic driver's refrigerated lorry for the long drive across the Middle East and Europe. Being thoroughly vegetarian and so gentle that they apologize to grass and fruit before they eat it, they're in for a series of nasty shocks. Not least among these is the discovery that their safe haven has been taken over by a hunters' club and thickly decorated with animal trophies. When the yetis are drugged by the hunters and shipped off to Antarctica for a private slaughter, it's left up to Con and Ellen to effect a rescue. Sprinkling her descriptions with words like "vile" and "filthy," Ibbotson really lets animal abusers and killers have it here--in sharp contrast to the yetis, who are outfitted with a winning mix of naivete, noble-heartedness and amusing foibles such as backward-facing feet (which make them very hard to track). Robinson gives them the look of hairy, oversized Palmer Cox brownies in the frequent illustrations. A satiric farewell from a favorite author. (most illustrations not seen) (Fantasy. 10-13)

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October 1, 2013

Gr 4-6-Lady Agatha Farlingham, an aristocratic girl, is kidnapped by a Himalayan yeti and taken to Nanvi Dar. As it turns out, the yeti and his ilk aren't the least bit abominable; they are kind and gentle. Agatha spends a long and happy life in Nanvi Dar, teaching her yetis English, proper manners, and values. When the now-elderly woman decides that her family of yetis must be transported to a safer place to escape tourists and hunters, siblings Con and Ellen, along with Perry the truck driver, aid them in the long journey to Agatha's ancestral Hampshire home. On the trip, the group saves the reputations of hapless St. Bernards, frees an entire zoo from a sultan's tyranny, and stops a Spanish bullfight. Once the yetis arrive at Farley Towers, they find it occupied by the Hunters' Club, who drop the yetis off in the middle of the Antarctic and plan to gun them down for sport. The novel is full of whimsy, charm, and sly humor. The yetis will tug at readers' heartstrings and make them laugh. The writing is lean, witty, and subtle. Ibbotson manages to touch on ethical messages of human rights, advocacy, and environmentalism without being obvious. The many happenings and asides within the narrative do not feel at all episodic but, instead, drive the plot forward in a smooth and logical manner. Struggling readers may have trouble deciphering a few British colloquialisms but will appreciate the quick pace of the prose. Published posthumously, this novel is a true gem among Ibbotson's many fine fantasies.-Elly Schook, Jamieson Elementary School, Chicago

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from September 15, 2013
Grades 3-6 *Starred Review* It all began a century ago in the Himalayan Mountains. Lady Agatha, an English girl, is abducted by a yeti father who needs someone to raise his motherless children. Portrayed as lovable innocents, the yetis are compassionate by nature and willing to learn the essentials of civilized behavior that Agatha is equipped to teach, from table manners to hymns. One hundred years later, Agatha's happy family of yetis faces discovery by sensation-seeking reporters. Two English children come to the rescue and, with the help of a friendly truck driver, make a difficult, dangerous trip to deliver their yeti friends to Agatha's stately home in England. The children's initial relief turns to horror when they comprehend the imminent new danger threatening the yetis. Who can save them now? Striking a fine balance between comedy and adventure, this imaginative story features a rich cast of idiosyncratic good guys, both yeti and human, and a number of truly hateful villains (all human, all inhumane). Expressive ink drawings appear throughout the book. An appended note comments that following Ibbotson's death, in 2010, the novel was completed by her son and her longtime editor. Easy to booktalk, this captivating story is also terrific for reading aloud.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)

November 1, 2013
From Kenneth Grahame's reluctant dragon to Roald Dahl's BFG, endearing monsters are a staple of children's literature, now including Eva Ibbotson's yetis. The book opens a century ago when the young Lady Agatha Farlingham disappears and is presumed dead during an expedition in the Himalayas with her plant-hunting father. In fact, Agatha has been kidnapped by a grieving widower yeti. After meeting the yeti's three infants, she decides to stay and provide them with a civilized English upbringing in their secret valley home. Decades later, when their idyllic life is imperiled, the now-elderly Agatha sends her hirsute charges off to her family estate in England. Aided by siblings Con and Ellen and the kindly truck driver Perry, they journey through Asia and Europe, liberating a zoo, improving the lives of some Alpine rescue dogs, and interfering with a bullfight along the way. Upon arrival they discover that the Farlingham family home is occupied by a group of nefarious big-game hunters; but wit, intelligence, a few royals, and a large assortment of schoolchildren manage to save the day. Completed after Ibbotson's death by her son and her editor, this is a romp that balances Ibbotson's trademark whimsical humor with understated opinions about outsider- and animal rights. Line illustrations, cozy but surreal, suit the tone admirably. monica edinger

(Copyright 2013 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

January 1, 2014
The book opens with young Lady Agatha Farlingham being kidnapped by a grieving widower yeti; she decides to stay and provide the yeti's children with a "civilized English upbringing." Decades later, now-elderly Agatha sends her hirsute charges off to her family estate in England. Completed after Ibbotson's death, this romp employs her trademark whimsical humor. Line illustrations, cozy but surreal, suit the tone.

(Copyright 2014 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)