The Secret of Platform 13

"The Secret of Platform 13" is a children's novel by Eva Ibbotson, and illustrated by Sue Porter, first published in 1994.

The book has gained extra significance as many readers find it similar to the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling, although the first book of that series, "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" was published in 1997, three years after this book was published. (They both mention a platform that leads to a different world.) As journalist Amanda Craig has written, "Ibbotson would seem to have at least as good a case for claiming plagiarism as the American author currently suing J. K. Rowling, but unlike her, Ibbotson says she would 'like to shake her by the hand. I think we all borrow from each other as writers.'" [ cite web|title=Eva Ibbotson|author=Amanda Craig|url=http://www.amandacraig.com/pages/childrens/articles/harrys_heirs.htm
accessdate=2006-10-11 ]

ummary

Platform 13 of the London Station has been closed for years. Changes always fail unexplainable way. The reason: is that the platform hides a gump, an opening that opens once every nine years for nine days. the gump leads to the Island, a tropical paradise devoid of greed or harm and filled with both normal and magical creatures. The gump is guarded by several ghosts. The three nurses of the baby prince of the Island wish to visit London when the gump opens, but on the ninth day, the prince is tragically kidnapped by the evil Mrs. Trottle, who is so desperate for a baby she is willing to resort to kidnapping. Nanny Brown, Mrs. Trottle's nurse from when she was little, is horrified by the kidnapping but Mrs. Trottle threatens to tell the police Nanny Brown took the baby if Nanny tells. The nurses only find out the prince is gone when it is too late to return.

Fast forward nine years, and the gump is opening once again. The King and Queen of the Island are organizing a search party to rescue their lost son. The party contains an elderly wizard (Cornelius or Cor), a fey (Gurkintrude or Gurkie), a giant (Hans), and a hag (Odge) about the prince's age. Odge has brought along a baby mistmaker as a gift for the prince. Mistmakers are white creatures like seals that make mist when they are happy, love music, and are only found on the Island. The four locate Trottle Towers, the home of the Trottles, and befriend Ben, a servant about the age of the prince. At first they think he is the prince, and are sad to learn the prince is actually Raymond Trottle, a spoiled greedy boy. Odge states she isn't giving the mistmaker to Raymond and insists that it go to Ben.

Back in Trottle Towers, Raymond is throwing a fit because he doesn't want to go to school, and persuades his mother to let him go to the mall. The four rescuers spy on Raymond and his mother, and befriend a water nymph residing in the fountain at the mall. The nymph agrees to help them, if they will take her to the Island before the gump closes. Odge has a deep dislike for Raymond. The four and Ben decide to tell Raymond of his true parentage that night, and they create a little show for him. Cornelius does all sorts of wonderful tricks and many magical creatures show up. Ben is dazzled by the display, but Raymond is merely greedy for more. At the nudging of the other three, Odge gives the mistmaker to Raymond, who tells Ben to take care of it but remember that it is MINE. The show ends when Cornelius summons up from the lake a mythical creature whose skin is transparent- all his organs are visible. The creature will probably not resurface for centuries to come. Instead of being enthralled, Raymond declares the creature 'gross' and scares it away.

In the morning, Raymond tells his mother everything and she takes him away to a fancy hotel in London. She also hires lots of body guards to protect them. The four rescuers can't find them and are worried that time is running out and the gump will close soon. Meanwhile, back on the Island, a group of harpies offer to search for the prince too. The Queen agrees that they can if the original four fail. Odge is trying to persuade Ben to come to the Island, but Ben doesn't want to leave Nanny Brown, the only person who has ever shown him kindness. She is very sick and in the hospital.

Raymond is finally located through the help of the water nymph. The four come up with a risky plan to kidnap him. Every night at dinner, a dancer in seven veils pops out of a big cake and dances. As she dances, she tosses off the veils one by one. When she only has one more veil, the lights shut off and when they go back on, she is back in the cake and the cake is gone. The plan is to pay the girl to have a night off while Gurkie takes the dancer's place. While she dances, Hans will wait invisible by the Trottle's table and when the lights shut off, knock Raymond unconscious and put him in the cake along with Gurkie. Vans will be waiting outside to transport them all back to the gump. By the time Raymond wakes up, he will be safe on the Island.

The plan works perfectly, except for one minor detail- the mistmaker escapes. Ben has it and is waiting with the van. When he discovers it is gone, he chases after it and finds it in the ballroom, listening to the music. It is very happy, and begins to make mist. This causes a panic, and the mistmaker is in danger of being trampled. Ben rescues it, but is then injured by one of Raymond's bodyguards and knocked unconscious. the rescuers must make a terrible choice. They can go on with the plan and get Raymond to the gump, leaving Ben to die, or rescue Ben and let the prince escape. They choose Ben. Hans rescues the boy along with the mistmaker, and Raymond wakes up in the cake and escapes back to his mother. Ben wakes up hours later, and decides to go to the hospital to be at Nanny Brown's bedside. She is getting worse, and it is clear she will die soon.

The four rescuers declare themselves a failure and three return to the gump, but Odge stays behind. The harpies then continue the rescue mission and snatch Raymond up and take him back to the gump. It is the 9th day, and the gump will be closing in a few hours. Meanwhile, Odge goes to the hospital and discovers Nanny Brown has just died. Ben now agrees to go with her to the Island. One of the nurses gives Ben an envelope which Nanny Brown had said was to be given to him when she died. As they leave the hospital, they are stopped by two thugs Mrs. Trottle hired to take Ben away to an asylum. Odge gets rid of them, and they continue on.

In the taxi, Ben opens the letter and finds out the whole truth, Odge then finds out that it was actually Ben who was the real prince...Mrs. Trottle kidnapped him as a baby, but then discovered she was pregnant. She gave birth to Raymond, and no longer wanted Ben and made him a servant. Only Nanny Brown knew the truth besides Mrs. Trottle. The two hurry through the gump and arrive on the Island to an amazing scene: the harpies have landed, and presented a shrieking Raymond to the King and Queen, who are horrified by him. They then see Odge and Ben running towards them, and realize the truth. The harpies return Raymond to the real world (not an easy feat, as hundreds of magical creatures in London, who did not want to go through the gump because of Raymond now all wanted to go because Raymond will not be on the Island anymore).

A week passes, and Ben is living a dream life. He is finally loved and accepted, and everyone on the Island loves him because he is kind and generous. Cornelius, Gurkie and Hans are proclaimed heroes. Only Odge is overlooked. No one has congratulated her though it was really she who found out the truth, and Ben has kept the mistmaker, even though it is technically hers. Ben has not visited her once since he was embraced by his parents on the beach. She is angry and upset, and decides she will live her life in a cave, doing unpleasant things and eating unpleasant things and being all around unpleasant. Just as she is moving into her cave, Ben appears, and reveals why he hasn't visited her. He and his parents have been making a room for her in the palace so she can live with them. He also got permission from her parents so long as she visits at least once a week. He hadn't told her before because he wanted it to be a surprise. Odge is delighted and the two run off hand in hand.

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