The Mysterious Howling
Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place Series
Author: Maryrose Wood
Illustrator: Jon Klassen
Book 1 in the Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place series
Pages: 268
Published: 2010
Age: 8+
Found running wild in the forest of Ashton Place, the Incorrigibles are no ordinary children: Alexander, age ten or thereabouts, keeps his siblings in line with gentle nips; Cassiopeia, perhaps four or five, has a bark that is (usually) worse than her bite; and Beowulf, age somewhere-in-the-middle, is alarmingly adept at chasing squirrels.
Luckily, Miss Penelope Lumley is no ordinary governess. Only fifteen years old and a recent graduate of the Swanburne Academy for Poor Bright Females, Penelope embraces the challenge of her new position. Though she is eager to instruct the children in Latin verbs and the proper use of globes, first she must help them overcome their canine tendencies.
But mysteries abound at Ashton Place: Who are these three wild creatures, and how did they come to live in the vast forests of the estate? Why does Old Timothy, the coachman, lurk around every corner? Will Penelope be able to teach the Incorrigibles table manners and socially useful phrases in time for Lady Constance's holiday ball? And what on earth is a schottische?
Goodreads Choice Nominee (2010); Kirkus Reviews 2010 Best Children’s Books (2010); YALSA Awards Nominee for Best Fiction for Young Adults (2011)
About the Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place Series
Books in series order
- 1.The Mysterious Howling(2010)
- 2.The Hidden Gallery(2011)
- 3.The Unseen Guest(2012)
- 4.The Interrupted Tale(2013)
- 5.The Unmapped Sea(2015)
- 6.The Long-Lost Home(2017)
Reading age: 8+ years
This series should be read in order.
Of especially naughty children, it is sometimes said: They must have been raised by wolves. The Incorrigible Children actually were. Discovered in the forest of Ashton Place, the Incorrigibles are no ordinary children. Luckily, Miss Penelope Lumley is no ordinary governess. A recent graduate of the Swanburne Academy for Poor Bright Females, Penelope embraces the challenge of her new position. Though she is eager to instruct the children in Latin verbs and the proper use of globes, first she must eliminate their canine tendencies.
But mysteries abound at Ashton Place: Who are these three wild creatures? Why does Old Timothy, the coachman, lurk around every corner? Will Penelope be able to civilize the Incorrigibles in time for Lady Constance's holiday ball? And what on earth is a schottische?
Penelope is no stranger to mystery, as her own origins are also cloaked in secrecy. But as Agatha Swanburne herself once said, things may happen for a reason, but that doesn't mean we know what the reason is – at least, not yet.