The Wolves of Willoughby Chase (Wolves Chronicles Series)

The Wolves of Willougby Chase . This is a great kid's book . Or for elder readers too . The adventures of two little girls in a Dickens -time England that is close but not completely the England of our world . For instance , there were no wolves in England . Bonnie and Sylvia are the two children who are thrown from a nice home into a horrible school that is really a workhouse ,when Bonnie is cheated out of her inheritage . They are sent to that school as orphans . In the industrial age , this was reality for a lot of poor children . But Bonnie fights back and with the help of a friend , Simon , and some loyal servants , they escape . They spend two months on the road ( this part I felt could have used more explanation and more adventure . ) Once in London they find and capture one of the thieves and from then on they have legal help to win back their home . All is well that ends well . This book is very well written but could be extended without problem to twice as much . But that is only my personal opinion .

As an adult reading TWOWC for the first time, I loved the author's smoothly elegant prose. The characters are spirited and fun, if one-dimensional (either all golden virtue or scheming and villainous). The plot, however, is a little less than inspired. It starts off promisingly enough, but becomes increasingly generic, borrowing heavily from plot lines that will be familiar to anyone who's readDickens; and the ending is purely routine and predictable. That said, I'm sure readers of a certain age will find TWOWC highly delightful, as many already have.

This book is delightful. I highly recommend it either to read out loud to your children or for them to read alone. Deliciously horrifying because of the wolves, plus a grand adventure from a different place and time. I can't believe I have not found this book until now since I am always on the lookout for good decent books for our 7 grands!

"The Wolves of Willoughby Chase" has been one of my favorite books since I was about 10 or 12, I'm 56 now and still had to read it again. I suggest all parents of adolescent girls make "The Wolves of Willoughby Chase" a gift for either BirthDay, Christmas or just because. It will become one of any daughters, niece, granddaughter or daughter of family friend fun read. With all the changes happening, an adventurous tales of two sister/cousins is a great way to slow the day to day pace💜💜💜

This story starts in wintertime, when the wolves of the English country wolds are starving and roaming in packs to bring down anything they can. Into this world comes shy, young Sylvia, sent away from her aunt in London to be the companion and playmate to her cousin Bonnie Green of Willoughby Chase. After a harrowing train journey, Sylvia arrives and is warmly welcomed by the effusive, hoydenish Bonnie. The next day sees the departure of Sir Willoughby Green and Lady Green, bound overseas for poor Lady Green's health. The girls are left in the charge of the new governess, Miss Slighcarp, whose true evil nature is revealed upon the parents' departure. In short order, she dismisses all the servants except a handful of the worst ones (and one who only pretended to be bad so he could stay on and watch over the girls), sells the furniture and pockets the money, takes away all of the toys, and locks Bonnie in a cupboard. With the help of James, the loyal servant who stayed on to watch over them as best he can, they discover that Miss Slighcarp has truly nefarious plans for Willoughby Chase. But when the girls try to solicit outside help, they are discovered and sent away to an orphan school run by Mrs. Brisket. At the school, their life is one of drudgery, harshness and hopelessness until one day, a young boy from the wolds by Willoughby Chase comes to find them and help them escape. But where will they go?I read this book aloud to my six and seven-year-old daughters. And what a grand adventure it was! Set in Victorian England, this story had all the plot elements guaranteed to keep my girls glued to the story as I read it aloud to them. They Ate. It. Up. It's a story that probably works best as a read-aloud the first go-round. The language structure is perfect for the story, old-fashioned, reflecting perfectly the age in which the story takes place, although the story itself was written in 1962. But it might be harder for children who have never been exposed to that antiquated structure to follow, which is why I suggest reading it aloud first.I had so much fun reading this aloud. It was such fun giving life to all the wonderful characters. The names of characters make me laugh, they're so deliciously perfect for a book set in this period: Pattern (the maid), Miss Slighcarp, Mr. Grimshaw (the accomplice), Mr. Gripe (the lawyer), Dr. Morne, Mrs. Brisket, Mr. Wilderness, etc. And the internal pictures by Pat Marriott have a vagueness that adds splendidly to the menacing feel. (The cover illustration is by Edward Gorey. Isn't it wonderfully sinister?)If you are looking for old-fashioned Victorian adventure story, with Gothic elements, plucky heroines, nasty bad 'uns, then this is the story for you.

A great story that we listened to in the car when our children were young, checked out from the library. I was so pleased to find this available, and I am greatly enjoying listening again. A British novel for young teens, read in a marvelous British accent, full of adventure. Both children and adults enjoyed it in our family.

I read this book aloud to my children, ages 10 and 6. We enjoyed it. It had a creepy/ suspenseful tone from the beginning, which hooked my kids, but it was never overtly scary. I’m not tempted to continue reading the series, but it was a nice read for something old-fashioned and a little offbeat. The vocabulary was advanced and we had the opportunity to learn some new words together.

The book itself may not be terribly long, but it packs enough content and suspenseful storytelling to keep the reader involved throughout the entire adventure regardless if you are a child or an adult.I first read this book when I was in the fifth grade, and it stuck out from other books so much that I picked it up every year until high school. The book inspired me to write and expand my creativity in ways few books could at that time in my life.I won't go through the plot or progression of the story because I know the synopsis and other, more detailed, reviews will explain it well enough, but I highly recommend reading this book or picking it up for your children if you have any.

As a male in his 50s, I am probably not the reader Joan Aiken had in mind when she sat down to write. Even so, I thoroughly enjoyed this. I came to the Wolves of Willoughby Chase slightly jaded after reading one too many boring and formulaic crime novels and found this a very refreshing read - like a glass of cold water on a hot day or a decent pint after a day's walking. It's lively and atmospheric with two engaging female lead characters. The writing style is lavishly eccentric, and the whole thing is witty and fast-moving. Very good, in short.

Re-reading as an adult. I had forgotten how good this book is. Has the formula of a fantastic children’s read. Orphans, evil governesses, stolen inheritances, cruel orphanages, cool secret passages, pluck, courage and resilience.About to read it with Y6.

This was a book I read as a child and it gave me the most delightful chills when I read it then.The chills are still there.Its a lovely book fulled with high adventure and pure melodrama. The history period may not have happened in reality but it is so well written it could have been.If you want to do a little time travel and go back to your youth pick this book up. Hells even read it to YOUR children and get them loving reading. I believe this book will set them on the trail

I purchased this book to read with my son as part of his grammar school tuition. It was quite difficult to read in places even though it says for 9 years old plus (not in this day and age!). Although some words were tricky for him, as a ten year old, he thoroughly enjoyed the book and wants to read more by the same author. Enjoy.

I bought this old favourite for my niece. I'm afraid that book envy then overcame me, and I bought a second copy for myself. Set in an alt-history version of Britain 200 years ago, it's a feelgood read, about two plucky young girls defeating their evil governess's fraudulent schemes. Brilliant written like all Joan Aiken's books, the story leaves a lovely warm glow.