The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place - The Mysterious Howling

When Miss Penelope Lumley, a recent graduate of the Swanburne Academy for Poor Bright Females, goes to Ashton Place to be interviewed for the position of governess to three young children, she's certain that she's found the ideal job. A knowledgeable governess who loves animals is being sought after, and Penelope is perfect for the task. But what she doesn't expect are the children's animal-like tendencies, a direct result of being raised by wolves. Rather than flee Ashton Place, Penelope is determined to stay on and teach the children all she can. But it is rather difficult to do so when she must first teach them proper hygiene and etiquette in preparation for the holiday ball to please their benefactors, all the while wondering where on earth the children came from and why certain people are perhaps too interested in them.

The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place is a charming and unconventional tale. It's told in an authentic and highly entertaining voice that lends itself to the setting of the novel, sophisticated and proper, yet very entertaining and accessible to younger readers (for example, when discussing a tableaux vivant, the narrator says, "No doubt this will sound dull to the modern viewer whose tastes have been shaped by more advanced forms of entertainment featuring zombies and so forth..."). These little references to more modern items are a bit surpsing at first, but they are few and far between. The characters are of course eccentric, from the three Incorrigibles Alexander, Beowulf, and Cassiopeia and their quirky, canine, and squirrel-chasing tendencies, all the way to the lord and lady of Ashton Place. In the middle of it all, Penelope is a clever and resourceful heroine with gumption and smarts who isn't easily cowed.

The mysteries interwoven in the novel are also quite fascinating, for they concern not just Ashton Place and the Incorrigibles, but their plucky governess and her past as well. Though not many answers are revealed, the book is never predictable nor boring, and by the time you are through, you will be in love with the Incorrigibles and Penelope. The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place is a genuinely fun and engaging Gothic book that may be tilted at kids, but anyone will enjoy it.

When Miss Penelope Lumley, recent graduate of Swanburne Academy for Poor Bright Females, answers an ad for a governess, she has no idea what’s in store for her. After all, the vague advertisement gave little details about the job, referring to the charges only as “Three Lively Children.” When Penelope arrives, she discovers these are no ordinary children, they are wild, prone to chase squirrels, and have spent their earliest years being raised by wolves. Now Penelope must use all the skills she learned at school, including those lesson taught to her by the Swanburne veterinarian, to train these children to be proper members of society.

Maryrose Wood’s The Mysterious Howling is a charming children’s books about three primitive children and the governess that sees their potential in a world that only looks at them as a bizarre misfortune. Young and inexperienced, Penelope is a girl of fifteen without parents of her own, lucky enough to have been taken in and educated at the strict Swanburne Academy for Poor Bright Females. She has internalized a myriad of mantras written by her school’s founder and is convinced these words of wisdom are all she needs to succeed. However, it is not her education that draws the children to her, but her kind heart, not to mention her experience with animals.

Lord Frederick, who discovers the children on a hunting expedition and is now the guardian of these unusual wards, is more interested in showing them off than caring for them. His wife, Lady Constance, would like nothing more than to be rid of the feral creatures. Their behavior, along with other high society members, is much more savage than anything the children exhibit. The only advocate the children truly have is Penelope and it is her they look to for instruction. Alexander, Beowulf, and Cassiopeia (so unfortunately named) grow from howling pups to poetry composing pupils (though the poetry tends to praise the moon and end with a howl) under Penelope’s tutelage.

The Mysterious Howling is witty series opener with charismatic characters that will have you yelping in delight.

I read this book at the recommendation of a neice who is reading it with her nine-year-old daughter. Although I miss the target audience age by about fifty years, I found it delightful. Ms. Wood's voice is engaging and clever with just the right amount of snarkiness. I love the main character, Penelope Lumley, and not just because her last name bears a close resemblance to mine. Her optimistic, no-nonsense approach to life is balanced with intelligence and compassion. Of course, one would expect nothing less from a graduate of the aptly-named Swanburne Academy for Poor Bright Females. The profound but slightly enigmatic (one of Penelope's favorite words) aphorisms of Agatha Swanburne, founder of the academy, provide Penelope with wisdom and inspiration as she takes on the challenge of educating the Incorrigibles. I started out highlighting these sayings before I discovered the author so considerately compiled a list of them at the end of the book. If I have one small complaint, it is that the book left a few too many loose threads at the end. I appreciate a series must leave a few unanswered questions, but I felt that more mysteries could have been solved in this book and still have plenty left to entice the audience to keep reading.

I read this book with my elementary/middle school children, but it was so good that I read ahead. The writing is good, and it's filled with humor. The kids enjoy it for the plot, but adult readers gain so much more from her puns and classical literature references. I agree with some reviewer that it's no good if you only read one book because the mystery isn't solved until the end of book 6. Now that the entire series is published, at least you know you don't have to wait long for the ending! I highly recommend this book!

This first book in the Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place series is a delightfully clever comedy of manners that spoofs Victorian society and will likely remind readers of Lemony Snicket’s Series of Unfortunate Events.

Penelope Lumley, recent graduate of the Swanburne Academy for Poor Bright Females, is terribly excited to begin her new life as a governess. Having landed her first-ever job tending the children of the rich and well-regarded Lord and Lady Ashton, she has dreams of teaching the youngsters romantic languages, mathematics, and horsemanship, all with a firm but loving hand. Penelope soon discovers that her new position will not be quite what she pictured, however. Instead of conjugating verbs, she is saddled with the responsibility of caring for three children who were quite literally raised by wolves.

Discovered in the forest by Lord Ashton, Alexander, Beowulf, and Cassiopeia Incorrigible are completely drooly and unkempt wild things, and Penelope is tasked with civilizing them in preparation for their formal presentation at the Ashton Christmas party. The three children turn out to be very bright and eager pupils, working very diligently to learn English, recite poetry, and rid themselves of their tendency to chase squirrels and howl. With the party approaching, though, Penelope and the Incorrigibles find themselves in the midst of a mystery that they simply must try to solve before they tumble into a dangerous situation.

Full of wit and plenty of tongue-and-cheek humor, this one is a winner for older readers, and the younger set will enjoy listening along as well.

This review originally appeared on abookandahug.com

I was thoroughly excited to read this book, just based off of the name and the cover, and although, I would generally not recommend judging a book by its cover, this book proved to be wonderful. The premise is already charming, that there would be need for a governess to oversee children who happen to be raised by wolves. Beyond that, it's every bit fun that you would expect.

The children adapt and learn quickly, but Wood makes them consistent to their wolfly roots, throwing in squirrel chases and conversations with housedogs. They seem like believable characters, as believable as children raised by wolves can be, I suppose, and all of the other main characters in the story are just as ridiculous but lovable, as any good historical satire of Victorian society would be.

Wood's writing style reminds me of the dry wit of Roald Dahl, and it's about time that we had books in that style again. I can't wait to read the rest of the series as it comes out, and I recommend this to readers 9+, focusing more on 9-12.

-Lindsey Miller, [...]

This brilliant chapter book from Maryrose Wood is a must-read. Penelope Lumley stars as a younger version of everyone's favorite nanny-governess, carpet bag and all. The fifteen-year-old heroine, a graduate of the Swanburne Academy for Poor Bright Females, has her work cut out raising three lupine children on a large and mysterious Victorian estate.

This first in the series succeeds as a sendup of Mary Poppins and The Sound of Music while still retaining heaping portions of sly wit and British grin-and-bear-it humo(u)r, not to mention flat-out top-notch writing:

"In this way Penelope's happy and sad feelings got all mixed up together, until they were not unlike one of those delicious cookies they have nowadays, the ones with a flat circle of sugary cream sandwiched between two chocolate-flavored wafers. In her heart she felt a soft, hidden core of sweet melancholy nestled inside crisp outer layers of joy, and if that is not the very sensation most people feel at some point or other during the holidays, then one would be hard pressed to say what is."

Also notable for being Jon Klassen's first major illustrating gig.

If there's a potential caveat, it is that little much is resolved by the final page. You will need to read Book II (and probably the rest). Also, with regard to literary namedropping, the tongue is so firmly planted in cheek that you may choke at times. The Sherlock Holmes aside sticks out. There are others, however, including Dickens as well as an unnamed Melville.

Recommended for 8+, though even strong older readers will miss plenty of the historical references.

Summing up The Mysterious Howling in two words, I would say: 'surprisingly stupendous.' It's Helen Keller, Mary Poppins, a tad Sound of Music, and a little extra something; wolves.

I wasn't sure I would like this because from the description, it sounded like it was for little children, and I didn't want to read something that I would hate. But, for some reason, I checked it out at my local library. I was bored, so I started reading it the next day, and promptly finished in less than two hours. I didn't put it down; I couldn't put it down. It was amazing. It only got four and a half stars because five stars for me is 'blew all other books out of the water' good, and it wasn't exactly that, but it was definitely close. It was very, VERY original, which is what I think might have been my favorite thing about it. I had never read anything like this before! I'd read a couple books about governesses, but this story had a unique twist. I mean, come on! She's raising wolf children; if that's not 'original' or 'unique', I don't know what is! Not to mention the fact that this story had some moments where I simply had to giggle. And, this book made me learn some things as well. Like the origin of the name Cassiopeia.

When I started reading, I wasn't sure the author would be able to pull this book off, but they did. And at the end, I wanted to go out and get the rest of the series as soon as possible! I would recommend this book to kids, teens, and adults, because even though the story is juvenile fiction, anyone can read and love it!

Originally posted at Nose in a Book

This is the story of Penelope Lumley, a fifteen year old recent graduate of the Swanburne Academy for Poor Bright Females. Penelope is invited to Ashton Place to help the Incorrigibles. Alexander, Cassiopeia, and Beowulf, or the Incorrigibles, were found running wild in the forest of Ashton Place. This fact however does not deter Penelope, she embraces it. She wants to dive right in and teach them how to speak Latin and use a globe; however, the first thing she must teach them to do is to overcome their canine tendencies.

This of course is easier said than done after years of the children living in the woods by themselves, but Penelope doesn't mind. She truly is up to the challenge. Things that would faze other nannies, the way they drink, the way they bark is just another bump in the road for her. She takes her time with them and they appreciate it because they slowly become `normal' in the sense that they are proper and can be seen in public by their adoptive parents when they host their upcoming ball.

The Incorrigibles take to Penelope, and she takes to them. They are quickly their own little family. This comes in handy when the mystery of the novel takes place. What is also important is many of the mysteries that take place in this novel don't actually get answered in this novel, which makes me glad that this is a series.

Also, I am a big believer and fan of audio books. There are two reasons I hit my goodreads goal this year. One: middle grade books and two: audio books. That being said, The Mysterious Howling is a book that needs to be read, not listened to. The illustrations and drawings of this book are almost as important to the book as the story is. Plus, they are adorable.

I adored this book and I hope you do, too.

The Mysterious Howling reminded me a great deal of the Series of Unfortunate Events. For example the narrator would speak directly to the reader and would explain words in a very descriptive and humorous manner. However, The Mysterious Howling is not nearly as dark as the Lemony Snicket books.

Miss Penelope Lumley is a recent graduate of the Swanburne Academy for Poor Bright Females. She reminds me quite a bit of Mary Poppins (minus the magic) mixed with Anne Shirley and displays some burgeoning Nancy Drew tendencies. She has received an excellent education that has prepared her to be an equally excellent governess - at the age of fifteen. She's very straight laced but her true age occasionally peaks out in her fears, earnestness, and imagination. She wants desperately to do a good job, for her charges to love her, and to find her own place in the world. (Her love for the Silky the Pony books was a funny touch that popped up throughout the book.)

Most of the book is taken up with Penelope finding her feet and teaching Alexander, Beowulf, and Cassiopeia how to act like proper children. Lord Ashton found them running wild on his property and he decided to keep them. His new wife was not pleased and the fact that they acted like wolves didn't help at all. Everyone had ridiculous expectations for the children's improvement and that added quite a bit of humor to the story. I enjoyed that Penelope was fretting over when she could start teaching them Latin and she hadn't even gotten them so stop howling yet. Of course the children improve by leaps and bounds in some areas, but the continue with some of their "wild" behavior like adding wolf howls to their words (and Beowulf drools when he gets excited). There are little mysterious events that run throughout the book, and there is the big mystery of where the children came from. This is never really focused on until the end of the book when events cause Penelope to believe that there is someone who seems to know more about the children and wants them to remain wild.

The Mysterious Howling is a delightful book full of humor, situations, and characters that kids will enjoy. Younger readers will enjoy the the wild children while older readers will appreciate the absurdity of the adult's expectations. This would also be a wonderful read aloud for younger children. Pick it up at the store or library, this is one your family will enjoy.

Featured at an Abundance of Books, read full review here [...]

The writing is superb for yound adult fiction. Don't get me wrong, it's not Hawthorne or Longfellow but the fact that it isn't probably affords the younger readers an occasional breath of relief. I checked it out from the library hoping to read it to my 4 year olds, but not even my wife could follow it (English is her 5th language) so I had to read it to myself. It should be good for a 9-12 year old reader who is about as precocious as Miss Lumley herself. The fiction has some anachronistic problems and silly interjections by the narrator that are perfectly forgiveable if you don't take it too seriously.

The character development of everyone but the children is outstanding while neither depending too heavily on stock characters or dwelling boringly on minutia. The children themselves are a sort of ridiculous construct of the plot that is a bit too far fetched to fully explicate but it doesn't really matter.

Despite being a wonderful introduction to the characters, full of vivid imagry and amusing scenes, the plot unfolds only to the point where the reader can surmise from, "the body was never found" and Miss Lumely's true hair color, what will be revealed in future books, but Wood's lesser devices remain mostly unrevealed trivialities.

I suppose it will be a ironic treatise on class if it turns out that Fredrick is the son of a coachman and the four Incorrigibles are the legal heirs to Ashton Place. Regardless, it's a keen commentary on the idle rich and bookish academia. Too bad it can't end by Penelope reading, "The Call of the Wild," what?

As a mother who screens everything her 11-year-old daughter reads, I am often leery of new authors, only because they are new. This doesn't stop me from reading them, of course! Even if they are touted as being the "next So-and-So-Famous-Author." In the case of Maryrose Wood's "The Mysterious Howling", I was very glad I gave the book a chance. Not only is this a solid first book by a new author, the subject matter is original for children's books (feral children actually raised by wolves, not yet another bunch of kids turning into werewolves!) but the treatment of it is familiar enough ("Jane Erye", "Mary Poppins", "Unfortunate Events") that most readers would be very comfortable with the story very quickly. While it is a fact that true, documented cases of children raised by wild animals (not just "Tarzan") usually leads to fairly sad - at least, unsatisfactory - endings, this book encourages a new subject matter for family (and classroom) discussions (we Googled "Feral Children" almost immediately after reading about the Incorrigibles!) without dwelling too much into what may be hard to talk about with children. Also, I truly appreciated that careful final edits made for cleaning, typo-less reading! Here's what said daughter has to say about the book:

"The first book in the new series 'The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place', 'The Mysterious Howling' by Maryrose Wood is a fantastic (as in the 'terrific' sense of the word), funny tale.

"When 15-year-old Miss Penelope Lemley, graduate of Swanburne's Academy for Poor Bright Females is appointed governess to three children, she is amazed at her salary. However, her amazement subsizes when she finds out that her new pupils have been raised by wolves. As she sets to work teaching the children (whom Lord Frederick has decided to call Alexander, Cassiopeia and Beowulf) how to dress and eat properly, so that they can attend a Christmas party that Lady Constance is throwing, the children, in their turn, surprise her constantly.

"As with all great books, the party ends in mayhem, with a squirrel, a night hunt and plenty of howling. This book is the perfect book to read anywhere, anytime. My favorite part was when Cassiopeia finds a squirrel and keeps it as a pet because it was hilarious how she get it and how she gets it to follow her around! I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a good read!!!!!"

In her first novel for middle-grade readers, author Maryrose Wood seems to channel both Lemony Snicket and Jane Eyre in this wickedly amusing tale of a naive 15-year old governess whose first job entails educating three children who have literally been raised by wolves. OK, it's not exactly historical fiction, but it does take place some time in the second half of the 19th century!

Our indomitable governess, educated at the Swanburne Academy for Poor Bright Females, is undaunted by the challenges of raising children more used to communicating through barks, whines, and nips than the proper King's English. Indeed, she immediately begins teaching them poetry, as well as training them not to drool and how to properly put on pants and dresses. The first in a series, the novel offers plenty of humor but also a slew of mysteries....our governess heroine, Penelope Lumley, for one. Her own beginnings are murky enough, since she is sure she has parents somewhere, but "she simply did not know who they were or when she could expect some sign of their return." And when the mistress of the house throws an elaborate Christmas party, who is the villain who has tried to sabotage her success by releasing a squirrel into the house (as you might expect, the squirrel unleashes our feral children's inner canine instincts, resulting in wide-spread mayhem)? AND who exactly is hiding behind the wall in the attic of the house? Perhaps we'll find out some of the answers to these important questions in the next volume of this series.

The only negative I found in the book--and I don't think it would be a negative for the author's young readers--was Wood's almost uncanny mimicry of Lemony Snicket's style (it made me think about that contest where people submit bad Hemingway!) Like Snicket, she communicates directly with her readers, and has adapted his style of explaining words or concepts with a wry wit that may go over the head of some of the children in her audience. For example, consider the beginning of The Eleventh Chapter:

"As you may have already had cause to discover, a statement can be both completely true and completely misleading at the same time. This is called 'selective truth telling,' and it is frequently used in political campaigns, toy advertisements, and other forms of propaganda (p. 166)."

Nonetheless, I highly recommend this novel for ages 8-12; it would make a fun read-aloud for parents or teachers as well.

A Mysterious Howling, the first in a planned series by Maryrose Wood, is written for middle-grade readers. Fifteen-year-old nanny Penelope Limley has recently graduated from the Swanburne Academy for Poor Bright Females. On her own for the first time in her life, Penelope arrives at the mysterious Ashton Place with her meager belongings and the memorized "pithy kernels of knowledge" from the school's headmistress and her mentor, Agatha Swanburne.

Although Penelope appears calm on the outside, her mind is always in full drama mode. Wood does a great job of treating the reader to Penelope's amusing inner thoughts as she takes on the care of three children who are wild as the woods.

Underneath Penelope's quiet veneer is a young girl who steps up to and embraces the challenge of these three unusual and unfortunate orphaned children, with remarkable results. Their pasts are a mystery. The kids howl, bark, chase squirrels, and develop their own language within the English Penelope teaches them. Lord Ashton and his flighty new wife, Lady Constance, have little use for the children. The fact that they call the children "The Incorrigibles" and use it as their last name demonstrates how they feel about them.

Penelope develops a wonderful relationship with Casseopia, Beowolf, and Alexander. The dialogue, pacing and descriptions are wonderful. What goes on is fun and exciting and the climax of the book had me laughing out loud. I'm looking forward to the next installment so that the unanswered mysteries might be solved. My ten-year-old daughter thought the book was "fun" and wanted to read the next in the series right away.

by Judy Miller
for Story Circle Book Reviews
reviewing books by, for, and about women

This is an entertaining children's tale, set in Victorian England (I think?), with the smart, hard-working, and very young governess taking on the job of educating three children who have been reared by wolves, supposedly, and who are now in the dubious care of a lord and lady extremely ill-fit to them. Miss Lumley is dedicated to her task and the children, and they are all surrounded by comical and caricatured people of both the upper classes and also the service classes. It's not fine literature, but it is entertaining, if exceedingly strange.

I listened to the audio version on Audible and the narrator's various ways of speaking the parts make it a rather hilarious listen. Those with children in the target range can better decide if its content is age appropriate.

Penelope Lumley acquires a job at Ashton Place. The accommodations and pay are quite good, but they seem nervous to introduce her to the children. When she hears the sounds of dogs in the barn she goes to investigate and finds the children. The children act like animals they don't know how to speak or put on clothing. Penelope sees this as a great challenge and is excited to take it on. However, with a Christmas party approaching she doesn't know if the children will be ready in time. With some odd things happening and someone in the house trying to thwart Penelope's efforts to civilize the children, Penelope's is in for a bigger challenge than she originally thought.

This was an amusing book with and interesting concept. Children raised by wolves is an outrageous idea. Though I feel as though these children were very quick to warm up to humans. I was surprise that Penelope seemed to take everything in stride and it didn't seem too strange for her to meet the children. This was an enjoyable book and fans of The Willoughbys will enjoy this. The illustrations by Jon Klassen are thoroughly excellent too. One thing that did bug me were all the sentences that were along the lines of "how you say nowadays" and would then relate something that was happening to something more modern. It happened entirely too much. Especially in chapter 11. All in all this was a great read and I look forward to the next installments of the Incorrigibles.

First Line:
"It was not Miss Penelope Lumley's first journey on a train, but it was the first one she had taken alone."

Favorite Line:
"Next time you see me, I will have wasted away to skin and bones---oh, look who is lurking here among the foliage."

The Incorrigible's is a delightful, fun, brilliant read. With it's early 19th century historical setting, a narration that is both modern and fitting for the time period, and wonderful illustrations, made for a book I thoroughly enjoyed.

The story follows that of Miss Penelope Lumley, who's a 15 yr old graduate from the Swanburne Academy. She finds herself the governess at the Ashton Place and in charge of three children, whom Lord Ashton claimed he found and were raised by wolves in the property's vast forest. I really liked Miss Lumley's character. She didn't put up with much, and completely stood up for the children. She was more their guardian than the some what spoiled and clueless (when it comes to kids), Lady Constance.

I fell in the love with the Incorrigible Children almost as fast as Miss Lumley does. Penelope tries her best to teach the children manners, to speak both English and Latin, and gives them a basic education. Her biggest challenge is teaching them to be children, and not wolves. There's a mystery to the story, as Lord Ashton hasn't been honest with his colleagues about the children, and something is hidden within the walls of Ashton Place.

I'm really looking forward to the next book in the series. There's so much left to be uncovered and I can't wait to learn what Maryrose Wood has in store for the children and Miss Penelope Lumley. I highly recommend The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place. I think it will make for both a wonderful read out loud, as well as a wonderful book for older grade school and even middle school children to read.

In her first novel for middle-grade readers, author Maryrose Wood seems to channel both Lemony Snicket and Jane Eyre in this wickedly amusing tale of a naive 15-year old governess whose first job entails educating three children who have literally been raised by wolves. OK, it's not exactly historical fiction, but it does take place some time in the second half of the 19th century!

Our indomitable governess, educated at the Swanburne Academy for Poor Bright Females, is undaunted by the challenges of raising children more used to communicating through barks, whines, and nips than the proper King's English. Indeed, she immediately begins teaching them poetry, as well as training them not to drool and how to properly put on pants and dresses. The first in a series, the novel offers plenty of humor but also a slew of mysteries....our governess heroine, Penelope Lumley, for one. Her own beginnings are murky enough, since she is sure she has parents somewhere, but "she simply did not know who they were or when she could expect some sign of their return." And when the mistress of the house throws an elaborate Christmas party, who is the villain who has tried to sabotage her success by releasing a squirrel into the house (as you might expect, the squirrel unleashes our feral children's inner canine instincts, resulting in wide-spread mayhem)? AND who exactly is hiding behind the wall in the attic of the house? Perhaps we'll find out some of the answers to these important questions in the next volume of this series.

The only negative I found in the book--and I don't think it would be a negative for the author's young readers--was Wood's almost uncanny mimicry of Lemony Snicket's style (it made me think about that contest where people submit bad Hemingway!) Like Snicket, she communicates directly with her readers, and has adapted his style of explaining words or concepts with a wry wit that may go over the head of some of the children in her audience. For example, consider the beginning of The Eleventh Chapter:

"As you may have already had cause to discover, a statement can be both completely true and completely misleading at the same time. This is called 'selective truth telling,' and it is frequently used in political campaigns, toy advertisements, and other forms of propaganda (p. 166)."

Nonetheless, I highly recommend this novel for ages 8-12; it would make a fun read-aloud for parents or teachers as well.

A Mysterious Howling, the first in a planned series by Maryrose Wood, is written for middle-grade readers. Fifteen-year-old nanny Penelope Limley has recently graduated from the Swanburne Academy for Poor Bright Females. On her own for the first time in her life, Penelope arrives at the mysterious Ashton Place with her meager belongings and the memorized "pithy kernels of knowledge" from the school's headmistress and her mentor, Agatha Swanburne.

Although Penelope appears calm on the outside, her mind is always in full drama mode. Wood does a great job of treating the reader to Penelope's amusing inner thoughts as she takes on the care of three children who are wild as the woods.

Underneath Penelope's quiet veneer is a young girl who steps up to and embraces the challenge of these three unusual and unfortunate orphaned children, with remarkable results. Their pasts are a mystery. The kids howl, bark, chase squirrels, and develop their own language within the English Penelope teaches them. Lord Ashton and his flighty new wife, Lady Constance, have little use for the children. The fact that they call the children "The Incorrigibles" and use it as their last name demonstrates how they feel about them.

Penelope develops a wonderful relationship with Casseopia, Beowolf, and Alexander. The dialogue, pacing and descriptions are wonderful. What goes on is fun and exciting and the climax of the book had me laughing out loud. I'm looking forward to the next installment so that the unanswered mysteries might be solved. My ten-year-old daughter thought the book was "fun" and wanted to read the next in the series right away.

by Judy Miller
for Story Circle Book Reviews
reviewing books by, for, and about women

This is an entertaining children's tale, set in Victorian England (I think?), with the smart, hard-working, and very young governess taking on the job of educating three children who have been reared by wolves, supposedly, and who are now in the dubious care of a lord and lady extremely ill-fit to them. Miss Lumley is dedicated to her task and the children, and they are all surrounded by comical and caricatured people of both the upper classes and also the service classes. It's not fine literature, but it is entertaining, if exceedingly strange.

I listened to the audio version on Audible and the narrator's various ways of speaking the parts make it a rather hilarious listen. Those with children in the target range can better decide if its content is age appropriate.

Penelope Lumley acquires a job at Ashton Place. The accommodations and pay are quite good, but they seem nervous to introduce her to the children. When she hears the sounds of dogs in the barn she goes to investigate and finds the children. The children act like animals they don't know how to speak or put on clothing. Penelope sees this as a great challenge and is excited to take it on. However, with a Christmas party approaching she doesn't know if the children will be ready in time. With some odd things happening and someone in the house trying to thwart Penelope's efforts to civilize the children, Penelope's is in for a bigger challenge than she originally thought.

This was an amusing book with and interesting concept. Children raised by wolves is an outrageous idea. Though I feel as though these children were very quick to warm up to humans. I was surprise that Penelope seemed to take everything in stride and it didn't seem too strange for her to meet the children. This was an enjoyable book and fans of The Willoughbys will enjoy this. The illustrations by Jon Klassen are thoroughly excellent too. One thing that did bug me were all the sentences that were along the lines of "how you say nowadays" and would then relate something that was happening to something more modern. It happened entirely too much. Especially in chapter 11. All in all this was a great read and I look forward to the next installments of the Incorrigibles.

First Line:
"It was not Miss Penelope Lumley's first journey on a train, but it was the first one she had taken alone."

Favorite Line:
"Next time you see me, I will have wasted away to skin and bones---oh, look who is lurking here among the foliage."

The Incorrigible's is a delightful, fun, brilliant read. With it's early 19th century historical setting, a narration that is both modern and fitting for the time period, and wonderful illustrations, made for a book I thoroughly enjoyed.

The story follows that of Miss Penelope Lumley, who's a 15 yr old graduate from the Swanburne Academy. She finds herself the governess at the Ashton Place and in charge of three children, whom Lord Ashton claimed he found and were raised by wolves in the property's vast forest. I really liked Miss Lumley's character. She didn't put up with much, and completely stood up for the children. She was more their guardian than the some what spoiled and clueless (when it comes to kids), Lady Constance.

I fell in the love with the Incorrigible Children almost as fast as Miss Lumley does. Penelope tries her best to teach the children manners, to speak both English and Latin, and gives them a basic education. Her biggest challenge is teaching them to be children, and not wolves. There's a mystery to the story, as Lord Ashton hasn't been honest with his colleagues about the children, and something is hidden within the walls of Ashton Place.

I'm really looking forward to the next book in the series. There's so much left to be uncovered and I can't wait to learn what Maryrose Wood has in store for the children and Miss Penelope Lumley. I highly recommend The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place. I think it will make for both a wonderful read out loud, as well as a wonderful book for older grade school and even middle school children to read.

When I first thought about how I wanted to describe this story the word delicious came to mind; and that is what this highly entertaining story is, completely delicious. It is one of those stories so well written you don't want to put the book down. I read half of the story one night, finished it off the next morning, then wanted to kick myself for not savoring it a little longer.The story begins with fifteen year old Penelope Lumley, a recent graduate of the Swanburne Academy for Poor Bright Females. She is on a train chugging through the English countryside on her way to a job interview for the position of governess.

After a rather unusual interview with Lady Constance Ashton, Penelope discovers, on following the freakish sounds of howling to the barn, three children dressed in nothing but coarse saddle blankets. And although their hair is matted and filthy, and their animal-like faces were snarling and growling at her, Penelope says, in her most professional manner, "It's a pleasure to meet you. I am Miss Lumley, your new governess." So begins the deliciously dark and comical tale of The Mysterious Howling.

Who are these wild creatures? Where did they come from? Will Penelope Lumley be able to teach them or are they truly incorrigible? What of Old Timothy, the coachman, what is he up to? And what is going on in the attic?

The Mysterious Howling is the first in a series of what can only be described as a, "Jane Eyre meets Lemony Snicket" (school library journal review) page-turning drama that is not to be missed.

I have the tendency of getting long-winded when I write reviews of children's books. I'm not going to let that happen this time. Instead, I'm going to say quite simply, that THE INCORRIGIBLE CHILDREN OF ASHTON PLACE is one of the most fun, engaging books I have read in a long time (and that's no hyperbole!).

Maybe it comes down to personal taste . . . I for one, loved Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, a series that this book will undoubtedly be compared to (and rightfully so). The way author Maryrose Wood uses figurative language to play with words and phrases is eerily similar to Snicket. Are these two related? The book made for a fabulous read aloud in my fifth grade classroom and a surprisingly useful teaching tool, given the abundance of figurative language and Agatha Swanburne sayings.

Don't get me wrong, I would read as many Incorrigible books as Wood is so willing to write, but it's a little comforting to see that only four books are planned. It tells you Wood has a plan. A Series of Unfortunate Events began to go astray as it neared it's conclusion. It appeared that Snicket began having a little too much fun with distracting his readers. For me, that series peaked around the time of THE ERSATZ ELEVATOR (book 6) and went on for another 6 books without answering ANY of the questions it raised. It was original and fun to read but at times, very maddening. Perhaps that was Snicket's goal! Wood though, does a great job wetting her readers' appetites while leaving plenty of loose threads untidied up. Where was Lord Fredrick during the party? Why is his Almanac so important to him? What's inside the wall? Who is Old Timothy? What is the purpose of Lord Fredrick's "Club"? And the biggest question of all . . . Who are the Incorrigibles? Hints have been dropped, but who knows where Wood will take us!

Maybe to some, Penelope Lumley's incessant rambling thoughts and the topsy-turvy narrative, can be rather annoying. Personally, I found it to be a blast and will be out in full force ready to devour book two of the series (THE HIDDEN GALLERY). March 2011 can't come fast enough!

Fifteen-year-old Penelope Lumley hasn't a clue of what she's getting into when she accepts employment as a nanny to the children residing at Ashton Place. Due to her kind regard for animals, the strange sounds she hears during the interview, emanating from, they tell her, the owner's dogs, cause her only concern. When she comes face to face with the sources of the strange howling, she does not, as might be expected, return at top speed from where she came. Instead, this resourceful graduate of the Swanburne Academy for Poor Bright Females accepts the challenge (and her charges) with open arms. But before she can impart upon them knowledge of the usual subjects, she must take on the task of ridding them of some rather...lupine tendencies. In the process of doing so, Ms. Lumley suspects that others with less than good intentions are trying to sabotage the situation. Although as written The Mysterious Howling is extremely entertaining, Katherine Kellgren's varied voices and spot on howling sounds elevate the book's entertainment value to an even higher level. My bookworms and I can't wait for the next installment! Also good: The Bunnicula Collection 25th Anniversary Edition (Books 1-3) by James Howe - read by Victor Garber, School of Fear by Gitty Daneshvari - read by Emma Walton Hamilton, and The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo - read by Graeme Malcom.

Read with British sensibilities (and voice) in mind! If you or your kids are into "fluffy" Americanized juv. fiction, you may not get all of the enjoyment out of this series. We have a broad range of children: four under the age of seven. We provide a lot of read-aloud time. I read the first book and half of the second book aloud, but came down with a chest cold. The hacking cough rendered it impossible to speak. So hubby picked up the audio books. The narration by Katherine Kellgren is superbly executed. She truly captures the essence of Lady Constance. Wood's metaphor of a "toreadorical" marital dispute delivered by Kellgren's narration in the second book is one of the best scenes I've read/heard in juvenile fiction yet.

It's geared towards children 8-12, but this series is enjoyable to all ages, even to read as a parent. A welcome break from all the zombie/vampire/culture of death reading that seems to be taking over young adult literature.

Gold Star Award Winner!

Having graduated a year early from the Swanburne Academy for Poor Bright Females, fifteen-year-old Penelope Lumley is off to interview for a governess position at Ashton Place. After a rushed meeting with Lady Constance, Penelope is shocked to discover three dirty, wild-haired children howling in the stables.

Much to his bride of six month's consternation, Lord Ashton discovered the feral group while hunting the woods of his vast estate and decided to keep them. Now, Penelope must draw upon every ounce of ingenuity and skill at her disposal in order to civilize the incorrigible trio.

Successful teen author Maryrose Wood makes her middle-grade debut with a charming, lighthearted Victorian mystery featuring a heroine brimming with intelligent gumption and a supporting cast that is (respectively) endearing, humorous, fluttery, pompous, and downright vexing. By juxtaposing the historical circumstances and details with examples from contemporary life, Ms. Wood gives young readers easily identifiable touchstones for reference.

All in all, a winning combo that has me eagerly anticipating the next installment.

Reviewed by: Cat

I enjoyed this fun story about little Penelope, a 15-year-old orphan who gets her first job as a governess. This book is written for 8-12 year olds, and I think I would recommend it for that age, but I think the deadpan humor is also well suited to adults.

Penelope has recently graduated from the "Swanburne Academy for Poor Bright Females." The title of the school alone made me determined to love the book. When Penelope arrives, is hired and then meets the children, she is told that they were raised by wolves and only found a week ago in the woods. She just takes it all in stride, and goes about what she was hired to do. The circumstances are almost absurd, and her progress with the children is definetly absurd, but I think it made for a really fun story. Some moments are completely hilarious in their ridiculousness.

For example, upon realizing that she should teach the children the evils of eavesdropping Penelope thinks to herself,

"I will have the children read Hamlet as soon as it is practical. There are some useful cautions against eavesdropping to be gleaned from that. In the meantime, we shall deal with the squirrels."

Another thing I like was how she is constantly remembering little mantras that she learned at school. Sayings of Agatha Swanburne, such as,

"All books are judged by their cover until they are read."

"No hopeless case is truly without hope."

"A well-organized stocking drawer is the first step toward a well-organized mind."

And I loved how she always thought about what she had been taught.

"Swanburne girls were encouraged to be confident and bold."

"Agatha Swanburn would not waste a moment worrying about things that couldn't be helped,"

or "She was a Swanburne girl, through and through."

There are some moments that remind me of Anne of Green Gables. Penelope is picked up from the train station by a quiet older gentleman, and rides in a carriage taking in all of her new surroundings. The absurdity and kind of deadpan writing reminded me a little of Lemony Snicket.

The story is told from a third person narrator, who occasionally addresses the reader directly. It was odd at first, because it speaks to you in present time, referring to the fact that the book is set in the past. I think it actually works, and is probably helpful for young readers. Here's one example,

"The truth is that one cannot go through life without being annoyed by other people, and this was just as true in Miss Penelope Lumley's day as it is in our own."

The ending wraps up one big event, but then drops a couple of clues to lead you into the next book. Book two picks up right where this leaves off, so you may want to have it on hand as you finish!

Funny and adorable, the Incorrigible children will endear themselves to you! Lord Frederick Ashton and his new young wife, Lady Constance, are frightfully rich. Lord Frederick is hardly ever at home, spending most of his time with undisclosed business, or at the gentlemen's club. He hunts a lot, and has trophies (dead stuffed animal heads) on display in his mansion. One day while hunting, he came across three children in the forest on his estate, naked and wild, assumedly raised by wolves. He took possession of the children and hired a governess, one Penelope Lumley recently graduated (at age 15) from the Swanburne Academy for Poor Bright Females. It is Miss Lumley's job to teach the children as well as civilize them. Lord Ashton named them Alexander, Beowulf and Cassiopeia, and after a bit of a ruckus dubbed their last name as "Incorrigible". The Incorrigibles are brilliant, delightful, and not always restrained. This is a spoof of Victorian Gothic literature at its best.

This book was about a governess named Penelope Lumley who took care of children raised by wolves.

I think other children would enjoy this book because the author writes in the second person and this made me feel part of the story.

My favorite part was when a squirrel got into the house during a Christmas party and the kids chased the squirrel into the attic. Miss Penelope found them in the attic and the girl was talking to the squirrel in her lap!

I think ages 9-12 would enjoy this book and both girls and boys would like it. It has some challenging words so would not be right for under eight years old. I look forward to reading other books written by Maryrose Wood.

Review by Young Mensan Megan, age 9

Miss Penelope Lumley is sent from her school to the home of three children who desperately need a governess. When she arrives, she discovers that the three children are the very definition of wild: they have been raised by wolves. Now she has to attempt to civilize and educate them, and to do so before the Christmas party, which is rapidly approaching. But how can she attempt to teach table manners to children who can't sit still if they can see a squirrel out the window?

I really enjoyed this story. The narrator's side comments are hilarious, the many "wise sayings" repeated by Penelope, and the antics of the children were entertaining and kept me turning pages long after I should have stopped reading to do something else. My only complaint is that I don't have the next book, so I cannot finish the adventures of these incorrigible children. If I still had a classroom, this book would definitely be on my shelf, and might be one that I would read aloud to my class.

Penelope Lumley has just graduated from Swanburne Academy for Poor Bright Females. She lands a job as the governess of the children at Ashton Place. She is shocked when she meets her young charges. They are more like wild anaimals than children. She learns that they had been found in the woods on a hunting trip. Penny sure has her work cut out for her. She rises to the ocassion and this book is all about the many challenges that she faces along the way.

This is the first book of the series. The author leaves the reader wanting to know what happens to all the charaters in the next installment. The humor reminded me alot of the Series of Unfortunate Events books.

As far as children's books about no-nonsense British nannies and their raised-by-wolves charges go, this one was pretty enjoyable. Cleverly written and quite funny in places, though as many other reviewers said, not many answers by the end of the story. If you don't like to be left hanging, and you're not prepared to read the next in the series, you might be a bit frustrated, but it's a quick enough read and in my opinion, worth it.

Many things are very good in this book. Any child or adult who reads this will certainly know the meaning of hyperbole before they're through reading this. The writing is clever and Miss Lumley certainly has good values. I know it's a fad today to end a book without getting to the main point, probably to sell the next book in the series. But this one left all the questions unresolved. I think even books in a series should be able to stand alone. The story doesn't end until you buy or borrow the next book. At least one of the major questions should have been answered.

Thoroughly enjoyable beginning to a series that has promise. Like Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, this tale includes higher vocabulary, sophisticated humor, and underlying clues that may not be revealed until the end of the series (if ever?) but audiobook narrator Katherine Kellgren brings to thrilling life the adventurous tales of plucky 15-year-old governess, Penelope Lumley, and her three charges who were raised by wolves and act accordingly! Plumley has a touch of Mary Poppins and the children's attempted mastery of the English language and human behavior proves to be a suitable (but not insurmountable) challenge. Great fun!

I discovered these books at the library just three days ago and have read the first two. What a treat! Now I plan on reading them to my son and anyone else who'll listen. Am looking forward to book III

Just finished reading the second book to my husband and son. They are excited about starting book three tonight. The suspense builds! A fun series.

This was a surprisingly good book. I had heard some negative things but it was a very good read. In the middle of the book it kind of starts to plateau, but the pace quickens in the end. I recommend this book for not only children, but also for adults looking for a nice story. For children, I advise that you introduce this book to them at the age of 9, due to some words young kids might not understand. I loved the mystery and intrigue in the story, as well as the suspense. It also provides sound life lessons from the character of Agatha Swinburne. The hero in this story is a delightful character, and her pupils will leave you in stitches. Overall, this is a nice book to read over time, or on a rainy day. I hope you enjoy!

The endearing tale of the Incorrigibles possesses a fun narrative writing style, sprinkled with vocabulary lessons and witticisms. Some reviewers dislike the author's writing style, but few books can satisfy every audience. The intended audience for this book is children, and the same children who enjoy tales by Lemony Snicket may also enjoy tales by Maryrose Wood. If any reader is partial to specific styles of writing, they may prefer to stick with works of authors known to utilize those preferred styles. This particular book ends safely and with mystery to pique interest in continuing the series. The unsolved mysteries are presented with a slightly dark tone which leaves the reader concerned for the well-being of the incorrigible children and their nanny.

Wonderful! Funny, lighthearted yet mysterious, and a real page-turner (even though I listened to the audio book). Plus, the Incorrigible books really expand my vocabulary, and I think they make me wiser in general. Definitely recommend this book!

This was a surprisingly good book. I had heard some negative things but it was a very good read. In the middle of the book it kind of starts to plateau, but the pace quickens in the end. I recommend this book for not only children, but also for adults looking for a nice story. For children, I advise that you introduce this book to them at the age of 9, due to some words young kids might not understand. I loved the mystery and intrigue in the story, as well as the suspense. It also provides sound life lessons from the character of Agatha Swinburne. The hero in this story is a delightful character, and her pupils will leave you in stitches. Overall, this is a nice book to read over time, or on a rainy day. I hope you enjoy!

The endearing tale of the Incorrigibles possesses a fun narrative writing style, sprinkled with vocabulary lessons and witticisms. Some reviewers dislike the author's writing style, but few books can satisfy every audience. The intended audience for this book is children, and the same children who enjoy tales by Lemony Snicket may also enjoy tales by Maryrose Wood. If any reader is partial to specific styles of writing, they may prefer to stick with works of authors known to utilize those preferred styles. This particular book ends safely and with mystery to pique interest in continuing the series. The unsolved mysteries are presented with a slightly dark tone which leaves the reader concerned for the well-being of the incorrigible children and their nanny.

Wonderful! Funny, lighthearted yet mysterious, and a real page-turner (even though I listened to the audio book). Plus, the Incorrigible books really expand my vocabulary, and I think they make me wiser in general. Definitely recommend this book!

There are quite a few long, informative reviews already on here for this book so I will just say that this book is delightful. The author is a talented, witty woman who has created a lovely read for any age. The dry humor is perfect, and all the characters (especially the main character) are wonderful in their own ways. It's a fantastic read.

Miss Penelope Lumley is not Mary Poppins and she's not Amelia Bedelia, but she is perfectly charming in her own right. I enjoyed reading about her adventures.

Katherine Kellgren does a wonderful job of narrating the audio version of this story.