Book Review: The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: The Mysterious Howling

The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: The Mysterious Howling (The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place #1) by Maryrose Wood.

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?

Review:

A fabulously fun middle-grade series.  The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: The Mysterious Howling is the enchanting first book in The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place series.  This book is a delightful middle-grade read.  Miss Penelope Lumley, fifteen year old graduate of Swanburne Academy for Poor Bright Females, is thrust into her first position as governess at the manor house of the wealthy Ashton family.  The children who are put in young Penelope's care, however are not the progeny of Lord and Lady Ashton, but orphans that have been recently forced, at gunpoint, to leave their home in the woods on the Ashton estate grounds.  Fortunately for the children, Penelope has a large heart and an even larger desire to take her role as governess quite seriously.  Armed only with her wits and the anecdotes of her former school mistress Agatha Swanburne, Penelope faces the challenges and mysteries of the incorrigible children.  Maryrose Wood weaves a lighthearted tale that will appeal to young readers and readers who remain young at heart.

I highly recommend The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: The Mysterious Howling to readers of Victorian mysteries and middle-grade fiction.  The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: The Mysterious Howling may appeal to fans of The Agency series by Y.S. Lee.

Note: I read much of this book out loud to my corgi and she *loved* it!  Wood's lyrical prose and the howling dialogue of the incorrigible children make this a fun book to read to others.

Source: This book was purchased by E.J. for review.


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