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Ottoline #2

Louize en het Schoolspook

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Louize de Vries en haar beste vriend, Meneer Norbert, Gaan naar school...
...Maar ze zijn niet bang, ook al spookt het er!
Ontdek of jij zoals Louize ook een andere gave hebt.

Met leuke stickers binnenin!

174 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2008

24 people are currently reading
785 people want to read

About the author

Chris Riddell

377 books1,027 followers
Chris Riddell was born in Cape Town, South Africa, where his father was an Anglican priest and a member of the ANC. The family moved to England in 1963, when Riddell was one year old, and he spent his childhood in a number of different locations, as his father moved between parishes. Both of Riddell's parents continued to be active in the anti-apartheid movement.

Chris Riddell is an internationally acclaimed writer and illustrator whose many awards include the Nestlé Gold Award and two Kate Greenaway Medals—the most prestigious prize for illustration in the UK. He is the creator of more than one hundred books for all ages, including the immensely popular series the Edge Chronicles and his latest chapter book series, starring the irrepressible Ottoline Brown, which School Library Journal called "exceptional." Chris lives in Brighton, England, with his wife and three children where he invents his amazing characters in a very tidy shed in his yard.

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5 stars
1,018 (42%)
4 stars
862 (36%)
3 stars
428 (17%)
2 stars
65 (2%)
1 star
18 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 220 reviews
Profile Image for Anja Karenjina.
426 reviews253 followers
May 26, 2021
Obožavam Krisove ilustracije, baš se vratih u detinjstvo😍
Profile Image for Stephanie ((Strazzybooks)).
1,421 reviews112 followers
October 6, 2019
A quick, fun read. The illustrations in this book are something else and really make the story. Ottoline is a strong MC, with her trusty sidekick Mr Munroe. In this installation, they go away to a unique boarding school and must solve the mystery of a ghost. Themes of friendship and family. This is a fun and different middle grade series.
Profile Image for Anastasiaadamov.
1,058 reviews38 followers
January 4, 2017
Beautifuly illustrated and amazingly written. Watchfull readers will have fun with finding new interesting details in the illustrations. Characters were especially endearing
Profile Image for Dragana.
449 reviews46 followers
March 2, 2020
Roditelji, poklanjajte pažnju svoji deci...inače im mogu pasti svakakve luckaste ideje na pamet. 😆
Još jedna simpatična knjižica, malo zabavnija od prošle. Ilustracije savršene 😍
Profile Image for Bill.
1,996 reviews108 followers
January 21, 2023
I needed something light with which to start off my morning and Ottoline Goes to School, the 2nd Ottoline YA story, by Chris Riddell was perfect. Ottoline lives in The City, basically on her own, cared for by her companion Mr. Munroe, while her parents are off exploring. She is cared for by a group of people, food preparers, door knob shiners, pillow plumpers, etc. She lives in the Pepperpot building, called thusly because it looks like a pepperpot.

In this story, Ottoline and Munroe meet a young girl Cecily Forbes-Lawrence III an her Patagonian pony, while the duo are visiting the Pettigrew Park and Ornamental Gardens to feed the turtles. Ottoline is instantly enthralled with Cecily (who doesn't seem all that nice to Munroe) and when Cecily tells her that she will be attending the Alice B. Smith school Ottoline sends a letter to her parents asking that she be permitted to attend as well.

Thus begins Ottoline and Munroe's adventure at the Alice B. Smith School for the Differently Gifted and, of course, there is a mystery as well. Who is stealing objects from people and who is making the mysterious clomping noises? And who seems to be getting Munroe into trouble and why does Cecily think he's a dog!

It's all well written, excellently drawn (great pictures and sneaky little inserts) and just a fun story and you know it'll all end up ending pleasantly and satisfactorily. Most enjoyable. Thanks for starting off my day so happily. (3.5 stars) And now to get Ottoline at Sea!
Profile Image for Izzati.
583 reviews6 followers
December 27, 2019
I picked up this book because I love Chris Riddell's interpretation of The Graveyard Book. I didn't expect this story to be colorful, but it was. The illustrations are amazing and the story reminded me of Enid Blyton's Malory Towers. He even included a bit of Frankenstein (the only classics I truly love) in it.

Yet the best part for me? The fact that he mentioned three different states in Malaysia in it. I noticed Penang (where I was born), then Sarawak and Pahang. See, Malaysia hardly gets any mention in books by non-Malaysians, so this is a big deal. Even though he didn't even name the Sulatana of Pahang...

As a bonus, Riddell "hid" some ghosts that he listed on the last page. Made me go back through the pages to look for them.
Profile Image for Deb.
1,572 reviews21 followers
October 31, 2018
I like the illustrations and the style of this author. I plan to read all the Ottoline books.
Profile Image for theresa.
529 reviews30 followers
March 12, 2019
loved the illustrations and the story!definitely want to read more about Ottoline 🖤
Profile Image for Reetta Saine.
2,640 reviews64 followers
October 30, 2017
Mauri joutuu mustasukkaisuuden kouriin, kun Ottilia saa toisenkin ystävän. Yhdessä lähdetään hyvin erityislaatuiseen kouluun, jossa on *lemmikeille* oma siipi.

Brittilastenkirjallisuudestakin alkaa löytää sellaisia toistuvia trendejä ja hauskuusteemoja, kun näitä työkseen lukee. Kotimaisten kanssa välillä toivoisi, että niitä "peruskivoja" salapoliisi-perhe-hassu-juttuja olisi vähän vähemmän, angloilla taas Outous (?) on selvästi jotain niin pelottavaa, että sen kanssa pitää leikkiä kirjassa jos toisessakin. Onneksi Riddell on sieltä paremmasta päästä.
Profile Image for Raven.
952 reviews1 follower
October 10, 2024
Another cute little read.

I liked the minor mystery, even though I could pretty much guess who was behind it. Though, let's be fair I'm an adult, a younger child might not get it right away, so it's pretty well thought out for a middle-grade book. I felt a little bad for Mr. Monroe in this book, but other then that I enjoyed it.

It was a nice and easy book to read in between longer more challenging books. (in the sense that I'll be frustrated while reading it.)
Profile Image for Juwita.
193 reviews
January 30, 2020
Ottoline Brown is such an adorable character. Together with her best friend Mr Munroe, Ottoline goes to school, makes new friends, and find her special gift. Riddell’s illustrations are my favourite. There’s always something new to see and discover.
Profile Image for Uni-Uni.
25 reviews
November 5, 2022
Otolina nakon razgovora sa prijateljicom piše pismo roditeljima da bi išla u školu za djecu sa posebnim darom nakon toga se svati da je škola ukleta (to je njezina prijateljica izmislila zato što je htjela ići kući). Zanimljiva priča (pogotovo za djevojčice). Ali je jedan dio malo strašn.
Profile Image for Serhiy.
190 reviews23 followers
January 5, 2023
Захотілося, щоб рік почався з прочитання книжки. Ідеальна для читання першого січня. Мало тексту, на всю книжку - 20 хвилин і море задоволення. Той випадок, коли малюнки значно оригінальніші і цікавіші за літературну частину.
Profile Image for Caroline.
1,546 reviews77 followers
March 7, 2023
Not as good as the first book, but I liked the setting and the characters. Incredibly detailed illustrations. Loved the hidden ghosts, I didn't even notice them!
Profile Image for Maya Campbell.
159 reviews1 follower
November 15, 2024
Cutie pies! I love friendship! NYPL does not have books 3&4 so unreal mega KF if u have access to them and can hook me up 🙏
Profile Image for Samia.
156 reviews29 followers
July 18, 2023
The illustrations in this are just so so gorgeous I could stare at them for hours
Profile Image for Corgina .
31 reviews1 follower
March 26, 2022
Ottoline Is one of my favorites from this book, Cecilia and her horse are really funny characters to me. But what I love most is how the animals planned out (and Ottoline) that smart plan to catch the "ghost". Also that Alice. B. Smith (the principal/head master) thinks that Wednesday's are a myth! 😆
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Daisy May Johnson.
Author 3 books198 followers
October 23, 2017
It's very easy for somebody who reads a lot of books to miss an author. And yet, equally, it's also very easy to have a consciousness of who and what that author is and how they do what they do. This is where I stood with Chris Riddell; conscious that I hadn't really read much of his work, but conscious that his work was good. And I'd come to that decision for a variety of reasons, not just for the quality of his art work which burns from his books like fire, but also because of the children I knew who pretty much swallowed each and everything he'd published. Sometimes the biggest thing for me, as an adult who's involved in children's literature, is to step back and recognise my position as a guest in this space. And if an author's work is devoured, furiously, hungrily, then that's an important thing to take note of.

I picked up Ottoline Goes To School after Chris had delivered a charming and annoyingly inspiring lecture at Homerton College. I didn't possess the persistence or elbows to get to the bookshop first and grab the sumptuous Travels with my Sketchbook which I've had my eyes on for a while, but Ottoline Goes To School was an appropriate, and by no means secondary, choice. I was intrigued to see what Riddell did with the school story because they are sort of my thing. And when I got it signed by him, I did my traditional slightly incoherent stare and babble because that too, is also my sort of thing.

This, the second of the Ottoline series, is a delight. Ottoline is off to the Alice. B. Smith School For The Differently Gifted; a boarding school for children with a special an often quite peculiar gift. As she's trying to figure out what her gift might be, a ghost starts to haunt the school...

I was trying to figure out the best way to describe this lovely book and the idea I kept coming back to was cleanliness. That's perhaps a little bit of an odd phrase to use and one, I suspect, which doesn't crop up in children's literature criticism that often so let me explain a bit more about what I mean.

Ottoline Goes To School is one of those books that balances word with image and does so without compromising the integrity of each. In fact, it's so beautifully and carefully balanced, this mediation between the visual and the textual, that every page is a delight. And it's challenging too! Whilst Ottoline is engaged in the complexities of a new school and a Slightly Tremulous New Friendship, Mr Munroe is carefully scouting out the school and trying to figure out what's going on. And that's the cleanliness, right there, that ability to balance and deliver whole, heartfelt, narrative in word and image without compromising or pressing on the space of the other elements within the spread. This book is so clean, so crisp and sharp, that it's a joy.
Profile Image for Anna.
280 reviews
August 6, 2009
I wasn't crazy about this book. It's not great and it's not bad either. Ottoline's parents are travelers who are often away but she doesn't seem to mind as she has her best friend Mr. Munroe and lots of grown-ups to look after her. One day she meets Cecily Forbes-Lawerence III in the park by her apartment and they quickly become friends. Cecily goes to Alice B. Smith School for the Differently Gifted and Ottoline soon decides that she would like to attend too. Once Ottoline reaches the boarding school the real adventures begins. There are ghosts lurking about the school doing all sorts of nasty things, with the help of Mr. Munroe Ottoline soon gets to the bottom of the mystery.

The story line is clearly written and obvious enough for early readers to follow. I think the concept of boarding school and a life where parents are rarely around might be enough to interest some children but the overall story isn't terribly exciting. The illustrations however, are very well done and truly what make the book interesting.

Ages: 7-10
Profile Image for Touloulou.
379 reviews23 followers
November 27, 2017
J'adore les romans d'Apolline / Ottoline de Chris Riddell.
Ca se lit très vite (30 minutes au parc m'ont suffi !), l'histoire est pleine de malice et d'humour, à l'image d'Apolline, et les illustrations dont je suis admirative (depuis que j'ai commencé à lire cet auteur pendant mon adolescence) regorgent de détails qu'on peut passer de longs moments à trouver.
Dans ce roman, Apolline découvre la vie à l'école, en internat, et dans une école pas comme les autres, où chacun recherche son don spécial. Une lecture qui montre aux enfants qu'il est bon de rêver parfois, que chacun a son don unique et nul pareil à ceux des autres et qui en prime distille l'air de rien un joli message sur l'importance de l'amitié...
Seul regret, c'est trop court (pour les grands enfants comme moi !)
Profile Image for Preili Pipar.
649 reviews18 followers
April 21, 2023
Nii äge, fantastiline ja põnev!!!!! Ja need joonistused. Need on pool lugu vähemalt. Võrratu!

21.04.23
Jätkuvalt tore ja armas raamat. Pean tunnistama, et raamatu sisu ei olnud mul üldse meeles (va joonistused) ja seega oli tegemist väga toreda üle lugemisega. Nii armas oli ka see, kuidas leiti Cecily probleemile lahendus, et vanemad ikkagi leiaksid tema jaoks aega ning pööraksid talle tähelepanu. Ning Ottoline ise on ka nii uskumatult sümpaatne kuju. Kuigi ka tema vanemad reisivad mööda maailma ringi, siis on näha, et ta ei ole vanemate armastusest ilma jäänud, vaid on kõigest hoolimata rõõmus ja eluterve ja kompleksivaba. Üks uudishimulik ja sõbralik tütarlaps.
Profile Image for Grace.
104 reviews
January 14, 2013
I actually like this sequel better than 'Ottoline and the Yellow Cat'.
Both are very charming, with a distinct style.
It reminds me a little of the 'Eloise' books by Kay Thompson, and other classic books too.
I see that most reviewers on here prefer the first book, but I actually liked this one better.
I liked that I felt it focused more on Ottoline's character.
The first book focused a lot on the mystery of the Yellow Cat.
This book focused more on Ottoline as a character.
It was an entertaining and cute book!

Profile Image for Mehsi.
15.1k reviews454 followers
October 4, 2017
My third read for this book, and no matter how many times I read it, I love the story! I didn't always like Ottoline in the beginning, she treated Munroe as if he wasn't there (and didn't notice that made him sad), but the parts where she goes to school were a delight to read. The lessons sound absolutely brilliant, wish I could go to that school. Minus the haunting though, but even that one wasn't hard to figure out.
Of course the illustrations are fabulous!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 220 reviews

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