Island of the Aunts
#4933.96 in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 1 book Status Complete 1999 Reading commitment Low Eva Ibbotson Last reviewed 2026-10-26
Overview
Eva Ibbotson's Island of the Aunts (1999) is a comic children's fantasy about three eccentric, kindly aunts who care for injured magical creatures on a remote island and, growing old, kidnap children to help them. Publishers Weekly praised its mix of magic, humour and adventure and its timeless moral about respecting nature. It was a finalist for the 2002 Mythopoeic Award for Children's Literature.
Comic fantasy, Cozy fantasy · For Middle grade
Core Canon: Reading Order (1 work) counts toward ranking
Island of the Aunts Eva Ibbotson
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Island of the Aunts; First American edition (Dutton, 2000). The UK first edition (Macmillan Children's Books, London, 1999) is confirmed but its ISBN was not found. | 1999 | 1 | core | 3.96 (8,835 ratings) |
Eva Ibbotson's standalone.
Quick answers
- How many books are in Island of the Aunts? Island of the Aunts's Core Canon is 1 book.
- Is Island of the Aunts finished? Complete (1999).
- How much reading does Island of the Aunts take? Low reading commitment (estimated from 1 Core Canon book).
- How is Island of the Aunts ranked? #493 in this site's official ranking, based on 8,835 reader ratings across 1 Core Canon book. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #493?
Ranked #493 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 3.96 across 1 core book.
- A smaller readership (8,835 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- Less than 0.01 behind #492, Cuckoo Song (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
Why explore this universe?
Well rated · 1 book · Complete · 9k ratings · Ranks #493 overall
Good choice if you want a quick, low-commitment comic fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
A single Core Canon work: no sequencing question to resolve.
Awards (verified)
- Mythopoeic Award (Children's Literature), 2002: finalist: Island of the Aunts
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Suggestions computed from what Island of the Aunts and each of these worlds have in common on record (subgenre, audience, shape, reading commitment and score), not a documented narrative connection.
- The King of the Copper Mountains Mythic fantasy / Cozy fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 4.09
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- The Sheep-Pig Comic fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 4.06
- The Borrowers Cozy fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 4.03
Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 3.96 across 8,835 ratings on 1 Core Canon book. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Canon Extension: Island of the Aunts (Ibbotson), Keturah and Lord Death (Leavitt) accepted 2026-10-26
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- Publishers Weekly: Island of the Aunts review (2000) Tier 2
- Mythopoeic Society (final ballots) Tier 2
Last reviewed: 2026-10-26
Rule: Core Canon = Island of the Aunts (1999), a standalone novel.