The Beasts of Clawstone Castle Synopsis
When Madlyn and Rollo are sent to staying at ancient Clawstone Castle, they soon fall in love with the house and its eccentric, penniless inhabitants. There's grumpy, limping Uncle George, mousey Miss Emily, and reclusive Cousin Howard who hardly ever leaves his library. But, the children are especially enchanted by the Cattle of Clawstone Park - rare and beautiful beasts, as white as snow and as wild as wolves. No one knows where they came from, but the owners of Clawstone have always protected them. So, as the castle crumbles away, Madlyn and Rollo devise a money-raising scheme. With the help of a gang of ghosts - including The Bloodstained Bride, an aristocrat whose heart is constantly being gnawed by a rat, Mr Smith the one-eyed skeleton, and a pair of dancing phantom feet - they turn Clawstone into a genuine haunted house! But, as the money rolls in, a ruthless plotter is close to carrying out his sinister ambition, a plan that could threaten the very existence of the fabled Beasts of Clawstone Castle...
About This Edition
ISBN: |
9780330434652 |
Publication date: |
2nd June 2006 |
Author: |
Eva Ibbotson |
Publisher: |
Pan Macmillan |
Format: |
Paperback |
Pagination: |
231 pages |
Suitable For: |
|
Recommendations: |
|
About Eva Ibbotson
Born in Vienna, Eva Ibbotson came to England as a small girl. She spent much of her adult life in Newcastle upon Tyne. When her husband was alive he bred snails in the garage; they also kept fish and had a small and very hairy dog. Eva had four grown-up children and seven grandchildren. She wrote for both adults and children. Which Witch was runner-up for the Carnegie Medal and The Secret of Platform 13 was shortlisted for the Smarties Prize. Journey to the River Sea won the Smarties Book Prize Gold Award, was runner-up for the Whitbread Children's Book of the Year and the Guardian Fiction Award, and was also shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal.
Eva's books for older readers (12+) include: The Morning Gift, A Song for Summer, The Secret Countess, A Company of Swans and Magic Flutes. Her books for younger readers (9+) include: The Dragonfly Pool, Journey to the River Sea and The Star of Kazan.
And for even younger readers (7+): Which Witch, Dial a Ghost, Not just a Witch, Monster Mission, The Beasts of Clawstone Castle, The secret of Platform 13, The Great Ghost rescue and The Haunting of Hiram.
Eva's final novel that she completed prior to her death at the age of 85 in 2010 is called One Dog and his Boy.
Eva Ibbotson on writing:
"I started to scribble stories when I was about seven years old and I just carried on so I became a writer gradually. I didn't try to get anything published until I was quite grown-up. I write at my mother's old desk, looking out on to a leafy street, and I rewrite what I have written again and again until I get the words the way I want them (most of my pages have been through eight drafts or so). 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. Ideas can come from places one has seen or conversations one has overheard - or just from nowhere! Being an author can be lonely, difficult and frustrating, but there is nothing else I'd rather be."
More About Eva Ibbotson