The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place - The Unseen Guest

Lady Constance, the 19-year-old mistress of Ashton Place, decides to temporarily relocate the entire family to London while the house is being repaired after being damaged during the Christmas ball (covered in Book 1: The Mysterious Howling). Although this is not what the children's 15-year-old governess, Miss Penelope Lumley, had in mind when she suggested she and her charges spend some time in the city in order to visit the headmistress of the Swanburne Academy for Poor Bright Females, she's happy to have the chance to expose the youngsters to what London has to offer. What ensues during the trip is to be expected: Lady Constance does not disappoint in her pretentious antics; the children find plenty of mischief to get into; and Miss Lumley, with help from her prospective love interest, Mr. Simon-Harley Dickinson, and Mrs. Charlotte Mortimer, learns more about the mystery behind the Incorrigibles. Best of the book is that once again the author does a great job of introducing young readers to robust vocabulary (with words like, "dudgeon," and "velocipede"), French phrases, and informative literary and historical references, and provides excellent explanations, like (p 5) "If you have ever ridden on a tire swing after turning the rope `round and `round until it was twisted from top to bottom, you will have some idea of the while, spinning, escalating whirl of Lady Constance's distress." Worst are: Miss Lumley's out of character behavior, although she has proved to be a very careful seeming sort of governess, she chooses to leave the children briefly in the care of a gypsy woman and then later loses track of time for several hours while dining with a friend; the overly revealing book jacket, which provides too much information in its teaser about one of the funniest parts of the story, '"the palace guards' bearskin hats-which drive the children wild" as well as the title; and, especially, the repeated (from the first book) recipe of the plot, both end with the children unable to resist the temptation of a small creature during a large public event.

In summary, although the author does a good job of entertaining, keeping readers' interest and revealing the right amount to compel them to continue with the series, her decision to use the same plot recipe was a disappointment. Note: Katherine Kellgren's performance is, as usual, brilliant, and having both read and listened to the story, I much prefer the audioversion. Also good: Coraline read by author Neil Gaiman (though scary), Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat by Lynne Jonell, and A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket.

The story gets more and more intriguing from book 1 to book 2. The mystery is not solved by the end of this book. The writing is just as delightful--so witty, humorous, and full of classical literature/physics/math/history references! My 6th grader loves it for its plot. I love it beyond just the plot--it's so fun when the author ties in puns and other references!

As much as I enjoyed the The Mysterious Howling (the first book of The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place series), the The Hidden Gallery is even better. Wood made this second book in the series of three more enticing, mysterious, and fun.

The Hidden Gallery picks up where The Mysterious Howling left off. For readers who might not have read the first book (I recommend that you do), Wood quickly brings them up to date with what has transpired and fills in details throughout the story without slowing down the pace. Her writing is delightful. She stops periodically to explain terminology, colloquialisms, and share wisdom with the reader--a wonderful idea, since it adds to the richness of the story itself and the experience of being mesmerized and drawn in deeper to the story. It is as though Wood is telling the story directly to the reader and then stopping to make sure they are still following her. Not breaking her stride, she jumps back into her magnificent storytelling.

Wood adds more dimension to her story lines with a change of scenery (London) and the introduction of new, interesting, and flawed characters. She builds more mystery through clues and starts to flesh out her primary characters--Alexander, Beowulf, Cassiopeia (the Incorrigibles) and Miss Penelope Lumley (the Incorrigibles' governess). Things are not what they seem and the reader will have to wait until Wood's third book to get all of the answers. There's more to come from the gypsy fortune-teller, Judge Quinzy, Lord Frederick, Miss Charlotte Mortimer (the former headmistress of The Swanburne Academy for Poor Bright Females, from which Miss Penelope Lumley came), and the apparently unhelpful Hixby's Lavishly Illustrated Guide to London: Compleat with Historical Reference, Architectural Significance, and Literary Illusions.

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

More mysteries are piled onto the ones we were introduced to in book one and not much was resolved,
but I didn't mind. We did learn more about the kids and Penelope, and they got to have an adventure in London! (I love that they wrote postcards to Nutsawoo!).

Also, my favorite character comes in: Simon, or Simawoo!

From my eight-year-old daughter:

I loved this book. Not only because I'm enjoying the series, but also because I love the mysteries. My favorite characters are probably "Cassagrrrr," "Lumawoo" and "Nutsawoo," also known as Cassiopeia, Miss Lumley and ... there's no other name for Nutsawoo. Cassiopeia's my favorite because she is the youngest and she likes math. I like Miss Lumley (or Penelope) because she goes on lots of adventures. And I like Nutsawoo just because he's cute.

Miss Penelope Lumley has shown quite a bit of success at civilizing the wolf-like children Lord Ashton has curiously claimed custody of. However, after the disaster of Lady Constance's Christmas Ball which was caused by the dear Incorrigibles, the family has packed up and escaped to London while Aston Place undergoes renovations.

In London, Lady Constance looks forward to all the social engagements she will inevitably encounter, while Miss Lumley is excited to continue the children's education in such a civilized city.

But something foul is afoot in London and Miss Lumley is determined to figure out what it is with the help of a new friend, despite a stern warning from her former headmistress to stay out of trouble. With that foreshadowing, the reader is sure to realize that the remainder of the book will be anything but Miss Lumley and the Incorrigibles staying out of trouble.

In addition to the pure joy of just listening to the fabulous narrator, this installment of the Incorrigibles' mystery brings to light Lord Ashton's very strange behavior, leading the reader to make some conclusions about why he was so insistent about keeping the Incorrigibles in the first place (but we won't find out the true answer until book 3). We also have a new storyline to contend with and guess as to how it will manifest itself in the third book: Miss Lumley's mysterious past and why her parents aren't in the picture.

The open-ended storylines will keep readers anticipating, guessing, and eagerly awaiting the final installment. Not only am I looking forward to seeing how the story ends, but I'm also happy that I will be able to revisit all of the wonderfully eccentric characters once more.

I absolutely LOVED the first Incorrigible Children book. I love it's touch in cheek, quirky, fun style. I gobbled it up and was sad to find I'd have to wait about a year for the next one to come out. Well, the year came and went and here I am reviewing the sequel!
Penelope is planning an educational trip to London for the Incorrigibles. She expects fun day trips to the local museums, lunch at a quaint downtown restaurant, and strolls down West End, but it turns out nothing goes quiet as planned. Getting lost in the city, an interesting guidebook, a mysterious fortune teller, and a warm and handsome young man are all some of the things that shake up the trip. Penelope soon finds out the Incorrigbles might be in danger..can they enjoy their trip in London and stay safe at the same time?
Picking up this book, I was very excited. I would definitely say I enjoyed it, and it wasn't disappointing, but I did feel however it did not not measure up to the first book...quite. I'd loved the London atmosphere and the hilarious moments and as always the illustrations are just amazing and so cute! :) but for some reason I kept getting a little anxious to finish this book. Sometimes it was a little hard to get through. It was still fun and good...just not as good as the first. I would be anxious to know how many books are expected in the series...there was definitely alot more questions raised, still with no answers. I hope there arent going to be too many books, because i think this needs to be a shorter series, i dont think it could go on for a long time.
So to wrap things up, I did like this book, it's worth reading, dont skip it if you loved the first one. In my opinion I just didnt like it as much. But worth a try and worth reading.

Ever since the Lady Constance Ashton's big party was wrecked by three young children raised by wolves, Ashton Place has been in shambles. While workers finish the repairs, the household moves to London where Lady Constance plans on being the toast of the town. But as the three children, dubbed Alexander, Beowulf and Cassiopeia Incorrigible, will be traveling to London as well, her best laid plans just may go, as Burns famously put it, astray.

For those who have not read Maryrose Wood's enchanting THE MYSTERIOUS HOWLING, the first book in the Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place series, the Incorrigibles are three children who had been abandoned in the English countryside, raised perhaps by wild animals and then taken in by Lord Fredrick Aston (much to the chagrin of the above-mentioned Lady Constance). One Miss Penelope Lumley, an orphan herself raised at the Swanburne Academy for Poor Bright Females, was summoned to be their governess. A clever, optimistic and plucky teenager, Penelope dove straight in to civilizing and educating the Incorrigibles. THE MYSTERIOUS HOWLING found them howling at the moon, chasing squirrels and learning Latin. Now, in THE HIDDEN GALLERY, the children are learning about navigation, poetry, theater and geometry, though they are still howling at the moon and chasing squirrels.

THE HIDDEN GALLERY is full of Incorrigible mischief and Penelope's keen plans to tame and teach them. But in London, thanks to her former headmistress at the Academy and with the help of a charming young playwright, Penelope is learning more about the mysterious and strange origins of her three charges as well as something about her own clouded past. There are strange signs and clues at every turn in London. Why has Penelope been given an odd and useless guide to the city? Why did the fortune teller insist "the hunt is on?" Who is the creepy judge who keeps showing up? Why do Penelope and the Incorrigibles share the exact color hair? And why does Lord Fredrick need to keep such detailed track of the phases of the moon?

By the end of this exciting adventure, Penelope feels she is close to a breakthrough; maybe she will soon discover the history of the Incorrigibles and the identity of her own absent family, as well as the connection she suspects they have to Lord Fredrick. But Penelope will have to keep searching for answers, all the while continuing to protect and guide the Incorrigibles (and all the while hoping for another visit with that charming young playwright) --- at least until the next installment of the series.

Wood's latest chapter book is quite unique and wholly entertaining. With a tongue-in-cheek nod to classic English novels of manners and chock full of literary tidbits, young readers will be swiftly drawn in to the mystery, challenged by Wood's erudite language and thrilled overall with the escapades of the Incorrigibles and their beloved governess. Jon Klassen hits just the right note with lovely full-page illustrations throughout. A funky Jane Austen meets Mary Poppins tale, THE HIDDEN GALLERY is quirky and unforgettable.

--- Reviewed by Sarah Rachel Egelman

This series is so well written and the characters are delightful, at least the ones meant to be so. We have used these as read aloud books. It takes longer but the rich language and style are a perfect fit for outloud reading. This one contains a seance if that is a concern for some, but the matter in which it is treated is far from taken seriously. Highly recommend this series. Mysterious, witty, charming, and even educational. Must read them all however to reveal the true secrets hidden within.

The Incorrigible children and their governess are at it again, this time in London. When Penelope Lumley gets a letter from her old headmaster asking to meet her for lunch in London, Penelope thinks it will be splendid fun. She decides she and the Incorrigible can make an educational trip of it. When she tells Mrs. Ashton her plan however, Mrs. Ashton decides she too shall go to London. Penelope and the children arrive first, and soon realize that they have lost there way. The guidebook the Penelope has, is not very much help at all. There is something rather strange about the guidebook, it's illustrations and poetic directions are not very helpful to one actually trying to find something in the city. Luckily a young fellow comes to their rescue and guides them to home. If the Incorrigibles were trouble at the Ashton Place, London only affords them more opportunity and new sites to see.

Again, I truly loved this book. Possibly this one even more so than the first. The kids are just fabulous and I love that touch of wolf in them. There is a shocking discovery made in this book, and I can't believe the next one is out and at hand. This was certainly a fun read that takes you through the old streets of London. The palace, museums, plays, everything you could wish for in an educational big city trip. I appreciated the love interest that pops up in this second novel, Penelope definitely needs a companion, even as a friend. There are even pirates in the novel, so really you know that it must be fantastic. Make sure you pick this one up, especially if you have already read the first one.

First Line:
"'But the workmen swore the repairs to the house would be finished by now!'"

Favorite Line:
"'A word to the wise: Only the actors wear costumes, dear!'"

This book continues a few months from when the first one left off, taking Penelope and the children to London, along with the Ashtons. Penelope is asked by her mentor, to visit her, where she is given some mysterious information about the children. She also meets a nice young man, Simon, who helps her with the children and the mystery of their origin. Penelope, begins to see links between the children, Lord Ashton, and herself. Will the mystery every be solved? This book was very enjoyable and I wanted to finish, I am ready for the next one to expand and end the mystery. The characters are relatable in a fictional way and the narrator, herself, as become more witty and involved in this second book.

In this second book we find some answers to mysteries set before us in the first book. By the end of the book we are left with more questions, more mysteries. I loved that we see the children go back to their most basic animalistic selves when they encounter the palace guards and the pigeons in London. Throw in a gypsy who warns about someone who wants to put the children in harms way and you are all set to grind your teeth waiting for the next book. I enjoyed this one as much as the first one and look forward to the next one when it come out.

I read this after I read the Mysterious Howling and I decided to read them again because they are so good!!!!! In the end of the two books I have read, the Incorrigibles always mess up some big event, i.e. Pirates on Holiday, or in the first book Lady Constance's holiday ball. It is very funny and lots of fun to read about the Incorrigibles messing everything up and making a mess. I can't wait until the third one comes out and when it does I am going to swarm all over it like an ant who just found a yummy snackawoo.

Sometimes surreal, often hilarious, this book made me laugh out loud in a crowded café, and I gobbled it all up with total delight. I love, love, love this series! The Incorrigibles are wonderful, and the mad zaniness of this whole book is just delicious.

It is such a pleasure to read such a funny series, with so much heart underneath the humor.

My favorite Swanburne-ism from this book: "As Agatha Swanburne once said, 'To be kept waiting in unfortunate, but to be kept waiting with nothing interesting to read is a tragedy of Greek proportions.'"

I am definitely a Swanburne girl wannabe!

This slightly mediocre mystery book opens with Miss Penelope Lumley and her wolf-raised pupils, the three Incorrigibles, Alexander, Beowulf, and Cassiopeia going to London on the short-notice invitation of Miss Mortimer, Penelope's headmistress from schooldays in the Swanburne Academy for Poor, Bright Females.
This somehow follows with Lady Constance and Lord Ashton coming too, whilst Penelope and her three wolfish pupils are lost in the alley.
Penelope, while looking for help, nervously departs in the pursuit of the latter, leaving the three in the hands of a gypsy woman who foretells "The hunt is on," a disturbing prediction for the Incorrigibles, who proceed to howl their distaste.
Thus this ends with a fine gentleman, Mr. Harley-Dickinson, to leading them with his sextant and various nautical devices to their destination of the elusive Muffinshire Lane.
This adventure has a scent of an exotic sense [After all, who writes mystery stories about wolf children?] along with a feeling of the dark, crowded alleys of London, along with that troublesome mail service!
It is the first one I've read of the series, and I found the lack of mystery and information a bit disheartening.
But, I found it indeed a nice read, but not a provocative one that would take me three hours to finish.
Along with some sweet remembrances of Lemony Snicket and the overall unneeded advice of Dr. Cuthbert Soup, and chockful of some very catchy expressions by Miss Agatha Swanburne, this is a lukewarm novel, one to read on rainy days and [Might I say? It happened while I was reading it] power outages.
If you're a fan of tense, prolonged mystery, this might be the book for you.

I love these books but the audio versions are fantastic. This third book is the funniest and I love all the literary allusions. These books are so good that we re-read them over and over. We are looking forward to a long roadtrip this summer so that we can listen to all three again.

I have adored the Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place since book one. The Mysterious Howling left me with many unanswered questions. So I read the second book, The Hidden Gallery- more unanswered questions. Finally, the third book, The Unseen Guest, was released. At last! All of my questions would be answered... but alas! I am left with a continuously growing list. I'm so frustrated! Who are Penelope's parents? Why is her hair the same color as the children? and Agatha Swanburne? Now there's a shipwreck?!? And a man who has semi-returned from the dead? How long can Ms. Wood possibly draw this out? I'm dying to know the answers! But it is a pleasant death. I suppose Agatha Swanbourne would have some pithy advice for me. I will continue to patiently wait and enjoy the ride.

From my eight-year-old daughter:

I am reading this series because it's interesting. I thought the "ahbear, ahbear, ahwooooo!" scene was hilarious, where the children thought a guard was a bear because he had a fuzzy hat covering his eyes.

I got hooked on "The Mysterious Howling," and I have given it to young ladies as gifts -- that 11- or 12-year-old with literary taste is the perfect recipient.

This book, The Hidden Gallery," is interesting and clever, the narrative asides are good but not overdone, the children are smarter, and the book is obsessive about ferns. How I miss ferns, living here in Arizona.

I particularly like the way the book blends the gothic English governess elements with the purely ridiculous.

The concept of "optoomuchstic" was well explained and well-used, without going overboard. My favorite advice from Agatha Swanburne: "No Panicking. No Complaining. No Quitting."

Please, I hope there will be a third book, to discover more about the Ominous Landscape, the attic room, the red hair, and Agatha Swanburne.