Winner of the Guardian Children's Book Prize 2011.
The judging panel was chaired by Lovereading4kids Editor in Chief Julia Eccleshare who is also the Guardian Children's Books editor. She said of the winner:
“The judges considered energetically and argued passionately in their search for this year's winner of the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize, but Return to Ribblestrop - a school story with a cornucopia of differences - had just the right combination of warmth, originality and, above all, hilarity to give it the edge.
“With its huge cast of unusual and big-hearted characters, combined with the strong streak of total anarchy that runs through it, Return to Ribblestrop epitomises the unlimited scope that the best books possess to entertain a new generation of readers.”
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The school where hilarious things happen, is back with a new set of adventures for a new term. The appearance of a truck load of circus animals in the grounds is unusual enough but things get even more unruly when the students appear. As unpredictable and anarchic as ever, Ribblestrop is a great place to revisit.
It's a new term at Ribblestrop and the headmaster is hoping for a bit more organisation. But secrets remain under the ground, the new Chaplain is not all that he seems, and a truck load of circus animals has taken refuge in the school grounds. Amongst the new intake are a footballing protegee and a trainee psychopath...not to mention a pregnant panther and an escaped crocodile. Things are about to go from bad to worse at Ribblestrop...can Millie, Sanchez and the gang help save the day once more?
Andy Mulligan was brought up in the south of London. He worked as a theatre director for ten years before travels in Asia prompted him to retrain as a teacher. He has taught English and drama in India, Brazil, the Philippines and the UK. He now divides his time between London and Manila.
