SPOIL-FREE SUMMARY
When two kids named Fabio and Minette wake up, they fine they have been taken to an island and chosen to be tested. If they pass, they can be caretakers. Eventually the kids learn that the island is special, and home to magical creatures that must be protected. And when an inhabitant is kidnapped they have to set out and rescue him, even if it means putting their lives on the line.
CAST OF CHARACTERS
Minette is the English daughter of a divorced couple. She claims the divorce wouldn't be so bad if only her parents didn't hate each other so much. She does whatever she can to please them, even altering the way she dresses and does her hair.
Fabio is the son of an Englishmen and a Brazilian woman. After his father died, it was supposedly his dying wish that Fabio be raised and England, so his mom sent him there. But Fabio misses his home and his mother. He is mistreated at the boarding school he goes to.
Lambert is a spoiled child who is accidentally taken to the Island. Unlike the other children, he hates it there and wants to go back home. He never develops, but is used to push the story along to its climax.
Myrtle, Coral and Etta are three elderly sisters who have never married. They take care of their father as well as the island they inherited from him. They are odd but honest, often to the point of bluntness. They love their island more than anything but are rather naive.
PACING
The pacing isn't fast, nor is it slow. Minette and Fabio are taken to the island pretty fast, and learn the truth about it by chapter four. And by chapter nine we have a ticking time bomb, Lambert's dad, who is looking for him.
HUMOR
Ibbotson uses her charming style of humor throughout the story, usually through the aunts. They always tell the truth, especially about children. I found myself smiling throughout most of the book.
Also, she puts Lambert's seafaring father in one predicament that had me laughing, proving she doesn't' need funny characters to be funny. She can write funny scenes with serious ones as well.
CREATURES OF THE ISLAND
There are all sorts of creatures on the island, from the mermaids, the selkie, and the giant bird, the boobrie. Alittle less than halfway through the story we learn about the mysterious creature that has arrived. But he's not really a mystery if you look at the cover.
SON OF THE BEAST-SPOILERS
After the mystery creature leaves, his son is left in the care of Fabio and Minette. I thought he was adorable, and it was nice to have another creature that could communicate with humans. The mermaids were kind of silly creatures, and no relationship really forms between any of them and the kids.
FORESHADOWING
There are hints of the future when how a selkie can change into a human is pointed out.
The kids learn that the son of the beast cannot learn to sing by being taught, it simply learns when the time is ready. This hints that later on he will do it at the right time.
When another sister shows up with two kids in tow, this sets up for the ending.
STEREOTYPES
I suppose you could criticize the book for the use of stereotypes, but I never found it annoying or over the top. Minette's parents are selfish and care only for themselves. Lambert is a spoiled brat. If every character was like this, it would be overwhelming. But Minette's parents are only in a small portion of the story, and Lambert is mostly ignored.
I have to admit, Ibbotson does this in all of her books. The greedy relatives. The spoiled child. And it can bother me. For example, in “Journey to the River Sea” I thought it was annoying how the tribes were considered some sort of utopia, and everyone else was just too ignorant to know it.
But usually, Ibbotson never says everyone is like a certain stereotype, she simply points out these people because we all know someone like that. For example, it's obvious that Fabio's relatives are racist towards him because he is half Brazilian, but never does Ibbotson make the claim that all of English society is like that.
HERBERT THE SELKIE
Near the end of the book, there was a big discussion about if Herbert should be a human or a seal. I don't know why, but I didn't feel particularly interested. Perhaps I didn't feel like I got to know him enough.
CLIMAX-SPOILERS
When Lambert's father shows up, this sets the stage for the climax. Trouble ensues and they have to mount a rescue mission. Both Herbert the selkie and the beast are utilized. There is a long aftermath, and although it's not action packed, it's just as entertaining.
CONCLUSION
Ibbotson has created another story full of charming characters and sprinkled with her usual sense of humor. I found the aunts the most funny although there are other scenes that have nothing to do with them that are hilarious as well. The side characters are often stereotypes, but they don't keep the story from being enjoyable. As the two main characters, Fabio and Minette, learn to grow and stand up for themselves. I give “The Island of the Aunts” four stars.
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