The Abominables Paperback – October 14, 2014

I’m quite a bit older than a child, but this was a wonderful book for all ages ! Highly recommend

How I love Eva Ibbotson's books! All the characters come to life as you turn the pages. I couldn't put this book down.

I gave it a 4 star rating mostly because I chose this book with a completely different expectation. I thought it was going to be a lighthearted children's novel. My son is 6 years old and I know he can understand the complicated concepts presented in this book. In fact, sometimes he would read on his own because he couldn't wait to see what happens to the yetis. However, it deals with a lot of complicated issues and you have to set time aside to explain it to your child. For eg, the yetis encounter caged animals, bullfighting and the worst is when they're being hunted and they're shot, and finally, reincarnation. While these are adult themes which I am convinced will make our children more empathetic, I strongly encourage you as the parent to set time aside to discuss these topics with your child. As a result, while I thought this would take us tops 2 weeks to read together, it ended up taking much, much longer because my son had SOOOO many questions and / or I wanted to make sure he understood the content in the chapter. Sometimes I could only read 1 chapter because we needed to discuss the content of the chapter. If anything, that is the most important take away: for the child to understand the content of the chapter(s).

The Abominables by Eva Ibbotson is about a loving, quirky family of yetis who live, unknown, in their secret valley of Nanvi Dar. When the sleep-walking daughter leaves evidence of the yetis' existence (footprints in the snow), tourists swarm to Hotel Himalaya. The hotel page boy realizes not all tourists have good intentions towards the abominable snowmen. Thus, he and Lady Agatha hatch a plan to save the yetis that involves getting them to England. Because of the gentle yetis, who consider all animals their brothers, and one persistent baby yak, their trek is an eventful one, especially for the animals in the city of Aslerfan, the St. Bernards of Feldenberg, and the bull of Santa Maria. The yetis, all the while, prove to be as unique as Eva Ibbotson's writing. Ibbotson obviously loved animals and had great concern for their welfare. She does justice both to her love and her concern here. The Abominables is a great book.

I really don't think there is any way to read this book and not fall completely in love with it. From the very first page my children and I were already laughing and loving the girl who becomes a surrogate yeti mum.This story is so creative. The reasoning the author gives behind why we can't ever track down a yeti is hilarious. For the children, the favourite character here was Hubert the Yak. I can't say as I blame them any, but personally, I loved Ambrose. These are the type of characters that warm your heart and excite the minds of little ones. The world that Eva Ibbotson has described is our own planet, but somehow she makes it all seem very magical.I loved the way this story included glimpses of history, various places across Europe and taught children values at the same time. Honestly, I finished the book before the kids and I read it together, just so I could see what happened next.If you have been looking for a perfect chapter book for a relatively new reader, this would be a wonderful choice. The illustrations are great, but the story stole my heart.

My kids (girl-7 and boy-9) are loving this book as a read-aloud!! They constantly beg for another chapter. Only fault... The chapters are quite long.

My grand daughter likes the subject and has begun reading the book.

Eva Ibbotson was one of my favorite authors as I child. I first discovered her through a reprint of WHICH WITCH? and quickly devoured all of her other books currently in print. She was like a gentler Roald Dahl, imaginative and funny. She played with the elements of traditional fantasy in a way that made them her own.Now, a posthumous novel THE ABOMINABLES is being released with artwork by Fiona Robinson. Robinson's illustrations are a great match for Ibbotson's words and really express the good-natured silliness of the yetis that star in this cross-country adventure. THE ABOMINABLES was completed by Ibbotson's son and editor, but there is no noticeable difference from Ibbotson's usual voice.A family of yetis lived happily in the Himalayas for centuries, taught slightly skewed manners by Englishwoman Lady Agatha who was kidnapped in order to raise them. But now, tourists are on the verge of discovering the yetis, which would be disastrous. A plan is hatched to transport the yetis to Agatha's home in England under the care of two young siblings, Con and Ellen.The long journey allows the yetis to come across a variety of strange customs and characters, and unfortunately see the worst that humanity has to offer. (Well, some of the worst. THE ABOMINABLES always remains appropriate for children.) At the same time, Con, Ellen, and the truck driver they enlist are all wonderful people, as are the others who eventually help the yetis. There's good to balance the bad.THE ABOMINABLES is a delightful, imaginative tale with a strong moral center. There are some laughs about the yetis, who sometimes take it to far (such as apologizing to a cake they're about to eat), but the earnestness of this novel is charming. The darker moments keep THE ABOMINABLES from becoming saccharine.I didn't quite enjoy THE ABOMINABLES as much as I did the Ibbotson novels I read in childhood. Of course, I am not a child any longer and sometimes it's hard to tap into the old magic. For instance, I never quite stopped feeling sorry for Lady Agatha's father, who never learned that his daughter lived a long, happy life.

Tolles Kinderbuch. Sehr liebevoll geschrieben. Wundervolle Zeichnungen. Aber auch ich als Erwachsene habe das Buch sehr genossen. Etwas wehmütig zwar, weil es eines der letzten Bücher von Eva Ibbotson ist, aber um so schöner das Ergebnis.Das Buch lohnt sich zum Vorlesen oder selber lesen. Für alle die gerne Kinderbücher lesen nur zu empfehlen.

This story aimed at little people tells of a very proper English lady who goes to live with a family of Yetis high in the Himalayas. These apparently fierce animals turn out to have all the real human virtues, kindness, a love of nature and the environment added to which are the very proper English virtues involving handkerchiefs, teacups, grooming and manners. When the explotation of Everest threatens the Yetis home the now elderly lady decides to send them to her estate in England for their protection. After an interesting trek the abominables arrive at their new home only to find it has been rented to a club trophy hunters. They are shipped off to the Antarctic where the hunters intend to stalk and kill them. Thanks to the good work of the children of England. They are saved.It is a wonderful tale with just the right amount of instruction about environmental issues and lessons about making assumptions about the animals you might meet.

Like many other readers, my 9 year old son and I were DELIGHTED to learn that one last manuscript had been found in the late Eva Ibbotson's papers. As always, this book is a sheer delight. She manages (managed) to be exciting, funny, and moving, and all with an abundance of good heart. Her books have a strong moral message but are never 'preachy'. My son (who bought it instantly with his own money) devoured it straightaway, and passed it on to me for an equally enthusiastic read. Anyone out there who hasn't tried her, do! She is an amazing writer and we are more than sad that this really will be the last book by her. (Incidentally, her older children's books, e.g. "Star of Kazan", are also brilliant, and so are our adult novels.)

This is a beautiful story, following a cleverly designed arc taking us on, what turns out to be, quite a traditional fairy tale journey there and back again. Immediately two of the great Thou Shall Nots of fiction for children are totally ignored and we don't mind at all. Firstly, this is very much tell not show, second, we've got talking mystical creatures, both definite no-no's if you read advice about writing for children. But Ibbotsen is a master and this rule-breaking works very well when you're as good as she is.The Abominables of the title are Yetis, undiscovered in the Himalayas for centuries. A British adventurer, Lord Farlingham, rather worryingly takes his young daughter Agatha, on an expedition to Tibet towards the end of the 19th century. In the opening chapter she's kidnapped from her tent and whilst the abominable snowmen that have taken her do not force her to stay, she elects to stay and care for them. She is wonderfully English and eccentric, teaching them manners and to say grace. The Yetis are gentle creatures, green to the core, apologising to any food they end up eating. Perfect read out loud material for parents, after decades of living happily ever after Agatha dies and the Yetis have to be moved from their idyllic home-land because humans are encroaching on their land. Two brave children hatch a plot to move the Abominables across Europe to the Farlingham family Mansion back in good old blighty.On the way the Yetis see the horror of the human world, particularly how we treat other animals and they do a fair bit of rescuing, saving animals from an evil Sultan, rescuing a majestic bull from a bull-ring as well as restoring the reputation of a pack of down-at-heel St Bernard dogs. The story resonates with warmth, humour and fun, but like all good fairy stories there's a deeper, darker message. In a beautiful, but never over-stated volte face it's clear by the end of the tale that it is the humans who are the Abominables, the Yetis, along with theWonderful illustrations by Sharon Renttahero children, avatars of our better selves.I really wish I'd discovered this before my children were too old to read it to, gorgeous fun story with a great moral sting in its tale.**** Four stars

Recommended for upper key stage 2 as a good reading text for guided reading lessons. Lots of work for vocabulary and inference