Shortlisted for the prestigious Sheffield Children's Book Award 2009
A wonderful quirky mystery adventure that follows the story of Miss Ottoline Brown, the inquisitive Mistress of Disguise, and her partner in crime, her hairy and helpful friend, Mr Munroe, first introduced in Ottoline and the Yellow Cat. No secret is ever too scary (eventhough the school is more than a bit scary for Munroe) for the two of them to discover together as well as puzzles to solve. Riddell’s sumptuous illustrations interspersed throughout the text make this ideal for 7-9 year olds as well as younger children whose parents want to read it with their child. It really is a beautiful production of a book – something to truly treasure and return to in years to come. A classic is born.
Meet Ottoline and her hairy, helpful friend Mr Munroe. No secret is ever too scary for the two of them to discover together. Ottoline is off to the Alice B Smith School for the Differently Gifted. Mr Munroe is worried about the ghost who is said to haunt the school halls at night. Does Ottoline discover how to be different and expose the spook?
Chris Riddell, the 2015-2017 UK Children's Laureate, is an accomplished artist and the political cartoonist for the Observer. His books have won a number of major prizes, including the 2001, 2004 and 2016 CILIP Kate Greenaway Medals. Goth Girl and the Ghost of a Mouse won the Costa Children's Book Award 2013. His includes the bestselling Ottoline books, The Emperor of Absurdia, and, with Paul Stewart, the Muddle Earth books, the Scavenger series and the Blobheads series.
Chris has been honoured with an OBE in recognition of his illustration and charity work. Chris lives in Brighton with his family.
Chris Riddell on John Tenniel : "Before I knew a thing about him, John Tenniel was a hero of mine, or rather, I should say, his white rabbit was. As a child I copied Tenniel’s illustrations from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland obsessively, particularly his drawing of the White Rabbit in waistcoat and frock coat, umbrella tucked under one arm and a pocket watch in paw, a look of suppressed panic in his eye. I loved analysing the shading, intricate lines of cross-hatching, the folds of the sleeve, the tilt of the head, that wide-eyed rabbit stare. Tenniel was one of the reasons I became an illustrator."
