The Secret of Platform 13
#5023.95 in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 1 book Status Complete 1994 Reading commitment Low Eva Ibbotson Last reviewed 2026-10-25
Overview
Eva Ibbotson's The Secret of Platform 13 (Macmillan, 1994) is a children's portal fantasy in which characters from an idyllic realm called the Island travel to modern London through a gump, a passage under King's Cross that opens for nine days every nine years, to rescue their prince, stolen as a baby. A later sequel by another author, Sibeal Pounder's Beyond Platform 13, is based on Ibbotson's characters and is not part of the Core.
Portal fantasy, Comic fantasy · For Middle grade
Core Canon: Reading Order (1 work) counts toward ranking
The Secret of Platform 13 Eva Ibbotson
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | The Secret of Platform 13 | 1994 | 1 | core | 3.95 (15,142 ratings) |
Eva Ibbotson's standalone.
Quick answers
- How many books are in The Secret of Platform 13? The Secret of Platform 13's Core Canon is 1 book.
- Is The Secret of Platform 13 finished? Complete (1994).
- How much reading does The Secret of Platform 13 take? Low reading commitment (estimated from 1 Core Canon book).
- How is The Secret of Platform 13 ranked? #502 in this site's official ranking, based on 15,142 reader ratings across 1 Core Canon book. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #502?
Ranked #502 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 3.95 across 1 core book.
- A smaller readership (15,142 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- Less than 0.01 behind #501, Children of the Black Sun (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 · 15k ratings · Ranks #502 overall
Good choice if you want a quick, low-commitment portal 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)
- No awards found for this universe.
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Suggestions computed from what The Secret of Platform 13 and each of these worlds have in common on record (subgenre, audience, shape, reading commitment and score), not a documented narrative connection.
- The Sheep-Pig Comic fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 4.06
- The Princess and the Goblin Fairy-tale retelling / Portal fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 4.04
- Mary Poppins Comic fantasy / Urban fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 4.00
- Bed-Knob and Broomstick Portal fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 3.99
Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 3.95 across 15,142 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: Navola (Bacigalupi), The Land of Laughs (Carroll), The Secret of Platform 13 (Ibbotson) accepted 2026-10-25
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- Our Mythical Childhood survey: The Secret of Platform 13 (first edition details) Tier 2
- Mr B's Emporium: The Secret of Platform 13 (Pan Macmillan; sequel note) Tier 2
Last reviewed: 2026-10-25
Rule: Core Canon = The Secret of Platform 13 (1994), a standalone novel. Beyond Platform 13, a sequel written by Sibeal Pounder, is by another hand and stays outside the Core.