Arabel and Mortimer

Arabel and Mortimer #4-6

by Joan Aiken, Quentin Blake, Sneha Mathan (Narrator)

Arabel Jones and her pet raven, Mortimer, find adventure wherever they go. In this silly sequel to Arabel's Raven, when they take a cruise, Mortimer floats out to sea on a grand piano. When they go to the zoo, Mortimer tries to get even with three giraffes that stole his doughnuts. Even at home, there's an excitement when the rambunctious raven flies away with a priceless treasure that was buried at their local park - King Arthur sword! Arabel tries to keep her peculiar pet under control, but sometimes that's just impossible! One thing is for Life is never dull with Mortimer around!

Genres: Childrens, Fiction, Fantasy, Young Adult, Animals, British Literature, Audiobook

Audible Audio

First published January 1, 1980

About the author

Joan Aiken was a much loved English writer who received the MBE for services to Children's Literature. She was known as a writer of wild fantasy, Gothic novels and short stories.

She was born in Rye, East Sussex, into a family of writers, including her father, Conrad Aiken (who won a Pulitzer Prize for his poetry), and her sister, Jane Aiken Hodge. She worked for the United Nations Information Office during the second world war, and then as an editor and freelance on Argosy magazine before she started writing full time, mainly children's books and thrillers. For her books she received the Guardian Award (1969) and the Edgar Allan Poe Award (1972).

Her most popular series, the "Wolves Chronicles" which began with The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, was set in an elaborate alternate period of history in a Britain in which James II was never deposed in the Glorious Revolution,and so supporters of the House of Hanover continually plot to overthrow the Stuart Kings. These books also feature cockney urchin heroine Dido Twite and her adventures and travels all over the world.

Another series of children's books about Arabel and her raven Mortimer are illustrated by Quentin Blake, and have been shown on the BBC as Jackanory and drama series. Others including the much loved Necklace of Raindrops and award winning Kingdom Under the Sea are illustrated by Jan Pieńkowski.

Her many novels for adults include several that continue or complement novels by Jane Austen. These include Mansfield Revisited and Jane Fairfax.

Aiken was a lifelong fan of ghost stories. She set her adult supernatural novel The Haunting of Lamb House at Lamb House in Rye (now a National Trust property). This ghost story recounts in fictional form an alleged haunting experienced by two former residents of the house, Henry James and E. F. Benson, both of whom also wrote ghost stories. Aiken's father, Conrad Aiken, also authored a small number of notable ghost stories.

Reviews

[Lata · Rating 4 out of 5]

Agent of Curiosity (and Chaos!) Mortimer is back for more adventures: on a cruise, at a zoo, and in a neighbour’s backyard. Arabel is very busy keeping “Nevermore!”-croaking raven Mortimer happy while he steals keys, visits a zoo, investigates a sewing machine and rides a unicycle. This raven is pretty funny. (And we find out that Arabel has an aunt who lives in Toronto!)

[Manuel Alfonseca · Rating 3 out of 5]

ENGLISH: The second set of three stories about Arabel Jones and her tame raven, who always says "Nevermore!" In the longest story (Mortimer's tie) Mortimer ends up as a sleeping castaway inside a floating piano, after having wrecked havoc during a cruise.

The best story deals with the stay of Arabel and Mortimer in a private zoo, where two thieves are trying to steal the zebras, ostriches and giraffes, while the little girl is trying to prevent them, and Mortimer takes revenge on the giraffes, who stole his doughnut, while the ostriches bury their heads in the ground.

ESPAÑOL: Los cuentos 4-6 sobre Arabel Jones y su cuervo domesticado, que siempre dice "¡Nunca más!" En el cuento más largo (la corbata de Mortimer), Mortimer acaba como un náufrago dormido dentro de un piano flotante, después de haber causado estragos durante un crucero.

El mejor cuento trata sobre la estancia de Arabel y Mortimer en un zoológico privado, donde dos ladrones intentan robar las cebras, avestruces y jirafas mientras la niña intenta impedírselo y Mortimer se venga de las jirafas, que le robaron su dónut, mientras las avestruces entierran sus cabezas en el suelo.

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Arabel Jones and her raven companion, Mortimer, return in this second collection of short stories, following the initial title, Arabel's Raven. In Mortimer's Tie, Mortimer's quest to find a diamond eventually wins the Jones family a free cruise. But will Mortimer's penchant for disaster ruin their vacation? In The Spiral Stair, Mortimer finds himself in a feud with two donut-stealing giraffes when he and Arabel visit a zoo. And in Mortimer and the Sword Excalibur, Mortimer is more interested in trying to drive the lawnmower than in seeing the famed sword, with the expected disastrous results.

The fun continues in this second collection of stories, illustrated by Quentin Blake, and perfect for the beginning chapter-book reader. As mentioned in my review of Arabel's Raven , these stories are also published individually in the UK.

[Kricket · Rating 5 out of 5]

Revisiting a childhood favorite that my niece Pickle has recently discovered. I was trying to explain Mortimer to my husband and came up with "he is like an extremely destructive Curious George who eats everything and never feels bad about it." Plus a raven and not a monkey. And cuter. And funnier. And illustrated by Quentin Blake. I love that there are no morals to these stories.

[Windy2go · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just love Joan Aiken so much, and I had such happy memories of reading the Arabel and Mortimer stories when I was about 12. This book was a little more tiring than the first, but also full of creativity and funny situations that made my five-year-old laugh. Maybe he now wants a raven for a pet, the way I did after reading these books as a child. I have to admit that as an adult reading these stories, I am horrified by Mortimer's behavior in a way that entirely escaped me as a child. Go figure.

[Heidi Burkhart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clever and amusing. An entertaining kids book - perfect for summer reading.

[iLa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun read with the girls! We enjoyed laughing together at Mortimer's adventures.

[Ani · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't say enough good things about the Mortimer books- I only hope all of them come back into print.

Mortimer the raven is a hysterical character, and what is even funnier is that when you learn a little bit about ravens, it becomes clear that Joan Aiken knows about raven behavior, which is what makes this series so funny. Selfish, ravenous (now you know where the word comes from), mischievous, and incredibly clever, Mortimer brings all sorts of adventures to his "owner" (ha), the sweet, loving Arabel, who is somewhat the enabling co-dependent in their relationship. But who doesn't love a raven? I hate birds in general, but who can hate Mortimer?

I howled with laughter when reading the stories. Added bonus: the books are illustrated by Quentin Blake.

As a side note, the PBS series Nature has an episode on ravens that is a perfect companion to these books. The best quote from Nature comes from an ornithologist who studies ravens- he says something like "Once you've studied ravens, you can't study other birds. You just look in a sparrow's eye, and there's nothing there."

[Rob Baines · Rating 4 out of 5]

Have you ever considered keeping a raven as a pet? If yes, it's probably best to stay clear of this book thanks to the antics of Mortimer, the mischievous raven who belongs to Arabel. In fact, the whole concept of 'pet' is turned on its head, as it's clear from the start who's boss! I loved reading these books as a child and writing this review has made me want to search for them again, as I think late KS1/early KS2 classes would enjoy the quirky nature of the stories (complimented by Quentin Blake's brilliant illustrations) and the scenarios that Mortimer drags his long-suffering but faithful companion into, involving giraffes, lawn mowers and doughnuts.

[nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yay!

[William Leight · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second set of Arabel and Mortimer stories is not quite as good as the first. Mortimer's destructive capabilities still make for amusing slapstick, but in the first set of books he usually had an antagonist (or antagonists) to deploy them against (deliberately or not), which made the stories more interesting and also funnier. Here, only the second story offers him a real foil, which is why it's also the best. Nonetheless, all three are fun quick reads.

[Carfig · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mortimer is Arabel's pet raven, which is quite a pet! He is constantly getting into trouble, and Arabel is no match for him, being rather young. It's a wonder her mom allows her to keep him. Cute stories, which are probably grounded in some reality, with excellent drawings by Quentin Blake, making this a keeper.

[Patrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Conor age 10 says - I don’t like cliff hangers so I didn’t like this book. If you don’t like cliff hangers, I would not recommend this book.

Sean age 12 says - Stupid book because I don’t like bad birdies and when everything goes wrong in books

Kilian age 9 says - too many stories in one book make me tired.

[Michelle M · Rating 3 out of 5]

I know J. A. isn't a perfect writer. That might be why I like her. Like Roald Dahl, Ms. Aiken gives her imagination free range. She could have reigned it in a bit, but she has the courage to put into print what's in her heart. She's great!

[Felix · Rating 5 out of 5]

It might be questioned of Mr. and Mrs Jones parenting skills, but I'm not going to let that get in the way of me enjoying this book.

[Lynzee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read Mortimer Says Nothing quite a long time ago and was just as delighted at the tales of this silly pet all these years later.

[Patrice Doten · Rating 4 out of 5]

These fun stories are always good for a laugh (or several), and the audiobook narrator is fantastic!

[Courtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want a Mortimer. Except I don't really; he's too intelligent and destructive as a pet, but put his exploits in a story and I will eat it up. Much like Mortimer eats up hats, donuts, and the ruby from Excalibur in this second collection of Arabel & Mortimer stories, "Mortimer's Tie," "The Spiral Staircase," and "Mortimer and the Sword Excalibur." It's hard to even choose a favorite between "Mortimer's Tie" which finds his owners, the Joneses, taking a cruise, and Mortimer feuding with the cruise ship's entertainment in the form of a snooty singer; and "The Spiral Staircase," where Arabel and Mortimer foil a zoo heist whilst Mortimer revenges himself on some giraffes who stole his donuts. Hilarious, sweet, satiric, and utterly British, these stories are a delight to read--they really brighten a bad day!

[Seth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This another great series from my childhood. Joan Aiken combines thoughtful storytelling to a Roald Dahl-type comedic story. There never is really any theme expressed, other than that no one is smarter than this raven (who, consequently, never says more than one word throughout the series). Though simpler writing fits it for more of a younger teen audience, the series can still be appreciated for its witty slapstick humor.

[Jay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some books are much funnier to children than to adults and I think this is one of them. Mortimer makes a lot of trouble and some of the things he does (like dropping soap in boiling water) do turn out to make jokes that I appreciate. Much of the humor, though, will appeal more to the 5 - 10 year old age group. I did really like that the author uses British words, so my kids and I could discuss the differences between American and British language.

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a bizarre, wonderful book. Well of course any little girl would have a pet raven that loves a green neck-tie which is kept in the fridge because he only likes to wrap himself up in it when it's ice cold.

OF COURSE.

Everyone should read this book. The whole world should read this book.

[Anthony Faber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Arabel & Mortimer #2. Three more stories about a little girl and her badly behaved raven. They get into all sorts of fixes, but end up on top, often catching robbers and stuff. A lot like Roald Dahl's children's books.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I recommend this book to anyone that loves graphic images and weird story plots. This book was too confusing to understand and read. I read this book in middle school, and I felt that this book wasn't for my level at the time.

[Maelee · Rating 5 out of 5]

A funny story about a girl and her pet crow who is mischievious and "too big for his britches."

[Brittney · Rating 5 out of 5]

these are very entertaining books about a crow named mortimer's adventures. Mortimer only knows how to say one word....."Nevermore"

[Gabriela · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Sadie · Rating 5 out of 5]

book 2 of 5 in joan aiken's arabel + mortimer series

[Cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Crazy adventures of a girl and her raven. :-) Three stories in one book.

[Martine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still cute.

[Issie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Süße kleine Kindergeschichte um einen liebenswerten chaotischen Raben und eine nervenstarke Familie. Liebevoll geschrieben mit viel albern-subversiven Humor.