Eva Ibbotson Trivia

1. As the story begins, Maia is an orphan girl who lives at her boarding school. Which school is this?

From Quiz Journey to the River Sea

Answer: Mayfair Academy for Young Ladies

The school is run by Miss Banks and her sister Emily, and Maia is happy enough there, although she misses her parents terribly. They were archaeologists, and were killed in an accident out in Egypt three years before the story begins.

From Quiz The Secret Countess

Answer: Russia

Anna was born in St Petersburg, or Petrogad. She, her mother and her brother had to escape to England during the Russian Revolution, in which her father, Count Peter Grazinsky, was killed by his own officers.

From Quiz "Which Witch?" Eva Ibbotson

Answer: Belladonna

When Belladonna first sees Arriman she knows that he is her true love, but she is disappointed because she knows that she'll never be the witch who can perform the blackest magic and win the contest.

From Quiz Journey to the River Sea

Answer: He collects glass eyes

The Carters left England to escape Mr. Carter's debts, and in fact, if they had stayed, he would have been arrested for stealing money from the bank where he worked! He has tried to set himself up as a rubber grower, but is not very good at it, and is still in debt. He spends quite a lot of money on new glass eyes for his collection, and when fire breaks out in the house, he actually runs to save his glass eyes, leaving Maia to her fate!

From Quiz Journey to the River Sea

Answer: Tapherini

The name means 'Resting Place' in the language of the Indians, and we find out later on in the story that Mr. Carter cheated them out of the land, and knocked down the Long House which stood on that spot, even though he had promised he wouldn't. The Long House was where the Indians believe the spirits of their ancestors lived, and they say that the Carters are now cursed because Mr. Carter knocked it down.

From Quiz The Secret Countess

Answer: Myrtle

Proom paid the Herrings to give this 'performance' to Dr. Lightbody, who told Muriel during the wedding. Melvyn pretended to be deranged, Myrtle pretended to be a chicken laying an egg, and the twins Donald and Dennis pretended to be children who had never developed past infancy.

From Quiz "Which Witch?" Eva Ibbotson

Answer: Sir Simon

Belladonna knows that she will make Arriman very happy if she raises Sir Simon. He killed all of his wives because of their annoying habits.

From Quiz Journey to the River Sea

Answer: She beat Henry Hartington with it

Miss Minton is hired to be the Governess for Maia and the Carter twins, Beatrice and Gwendolyn. It turns out that her umbrella handle was broken when she used it to beat Henry Hartington with. This was because he had been very cruel to a tiny puppy, and his parents, Miss Minton's then employers, refused to punish him.

From Quiz The Secret Countess

Answer: Charles

When the guests at the fancy dress ball, a prelude to the wedding, learn of Anna's title, she hands her tray to Charles so she can dance. Her brother was at school with Minna's youngest son, and he thought she was a guest at Mersham, instead of a maid.

From Quiz Journey to the River Sea

Answer: Cardinal

They take the RMS Cardinal to Brazil which takes four weeks, then it takes them a further two weeks to go upriver to Manaus. The Carter home is then an hour further upriver again.

From Quiz "Which Witch?" Eva Ibbotson

Answer: necromancy

In the middle of the book Belladonna mentions that turning a typewriter into a swarm of hornets is the most amature form of black magic. While necromancy (raising the dead) is the most complicated, evil form of black magic.

From Quiz The Secret Countess

Answer: Larissa Rakov

When the Nettlefords hear of Sergei's title, Lavinia confronts him, and he tells her that he engaged. His lie was prophetic, and when he sees Anna by the fountain crying, he tells her that he is marrying Larissa so he can give the Grazinskys a home and to thank them for their kindess.

From Quiz "Which Witch?" Eva Ibbotson

Answer: Terrence

Terrence is a lot younger than Arriman and it was he who actually brought Sir Simon back from the dead. He performed the most evil black magic and helped Belladonna win the contest and the heart of Arriman the Awful.

From Quiz Journey to the River Sea

Answer: The lead character's voice breaks

Clovis has been dreading his voice breaking, as the Goodleys, who run the company, are in debt and desperately need the money from Manaus. When his voice cracks during the first performance, the audience burst out laughing and everything is ruined. The Goodleys blame Clovis, and this is what makes him run away.

From Quiz The Secret Countess

Answer: Hedgehog

He tells Minna a Russian proverb; 'A fox knows many things, but a hedgehog knows only one thing... how to make people love her'.

From Quiz "Which Witch?" Eva Ibbotson

Answer: Mabel Wrack

When Mabel Wrack tries to summon the Kraken her annoying mermaid family comes up from the sea to greet the contestants and the judges.

From Quiz Journey to the River Sea

Answer: Blow the Wind Southerly

Maia hears "Blow the Wind Southerly" the first night, but it is some time before she is able to find out that it was Finn who whistled it. Finn is the son of the Englishman Bernard Tavener and his Indian wife Yani. She died when Finn was born, and his father drowned when his canoe overturned on the river. Finn is actually the heir to Westwood, a stately home and estate in England, but he is determined not to go there as his father was so unhappy there as a child.

From Quiz The Secret Countess

Answer: Seventeen

During the fancy dress ball, Tom pulls Susie into the cloakroom, and proposes to her again. At first she refuses, accusing him of having a false image of her in his head, but she says yes when he tells her that he never said or thought she was beautiful, he said she was her.

From Quiz Journey to the River Sea

Answer: Arabella

Finn's father named his river boat the Arabella, after the young housemaid who was so kind to him when he was a child. She, of course, turns out to be Miss Minton.

From Quiz The Secret Countess

Answer: Countess

When asked what he is called the rose, he says he is naming it in honour of Miss Hardwicke, so he calls it 'Countess'. He knew that when she married Rupert, she would get the title of Countess, but he also knew that Anna and Rupert would eventually be together.

From Quiz "Which Witch?" Eva Ibbotson

Answer: Mother Bloodwort

Mother Bloodwort is constantly turning herself into a coffee table and she can't remember the un-doing spell. Belladonna has to help her.

From Quiz Journey to the River Sea

Answer: Giant red sloth

There is a skeleton of the giant sloth in the museum, but it is missing one rib. Professor Glastonberry knows that the Indians report rumours that the creatures are still living deep in the jungle, and would dearly love to go off and search for one.

From Quiz The Secret Countess

Answer: Tuberculosis

At the age of five, Ollie contracted tuberculosis of the hip, and was admitted to a Scottish sanatorium. There she also suffered from secondary osteomyletis, and seeing how well she coped with the illness, the nurses turned her into the 'Honourable Olive'.

From Quiz "Which Witch?" Eva Ibbotson

Answer: Darkington Hall

Arriman moved to Darkington Hall when he was just fifteen years old. Wizards grow up quickly.

From Quiz "Which Witch?" Eva Ibbotson

Answer: she roots her to the ground

Belladonna is very happy that she rooted the Matron to the ground because that's the blackest magic that she has ever performed. She thinks that Terrence and his worm (Rover) bring her luck. Little does she know that Terrence was the one who really rooted the Matron to the ground.

From Quiz "Which Witch?" Eva Ibbotson

Answer: Rover

At the end of the book Madame Olympia steals Rover while Belladonna thinks he's in the box that she keeps him in.

From Quiz "Which Witch?" Eva Ibbotson

Answer: she gets pushed into a bottomless hole

For Nancy's trick she makes a bottomless hole. While Nancy and Nora are fighting over whether Nancy's hole is bottomless or not, Nancy pushes Nora in.

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