Wicked wolves and a grim governess threaten Bonnie and her cousin Sylvia when Bonnie's parents leave Willoughby Chase for a sea voyage. Left in the care of the cruel Miss Slighcarp, the girls can hardly believe what is happening to their once happy home. The servants are dismissed, the furniture is sold, and Bonnie and Sylvia are sent to a prison-like orphan school. It seems as if the endless hours of drudgery will never cease. With the help of Simon the gooseboy and his flock, they escape. But how will they ever get Willoughby Chase free from the clutches of the evil Miss Slighcarp?
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"I really liked this book and so did my 4th grade daughter. We liked the English setting and language. It's a great story about two cousins who overcome some difficult challenges in their lives. Attitude, self-confidence and unselfishness are a big part of their characters and it helps them triumph in the end." — Janie (4 out of 5 stars)
"I really liked this book and so did my 4th grade daughter. We liked the English setting and language. It's a great story about two cousins who overcome some difficult challenges in their lives. Attitude, self-confidence and unselfishness are a big part of their characters and it helps them triumph in the end."
" I don't remember it, but it was pretty decent. :) "
" An outstanding book. "
" I loved this as a child and I loved it equally as an adult reading it to my own child. Bonnie and Sylvia are two terrifically spunky girl protagonists. "
" A delightfully old-fashioned story that is brought to new life in this reading by Aiken's daugher. Would be a great family listen. "
" It's been such a long time since I've read this! :-D "
" For a 5th grade, this book rocked. "
" This was a nice throwback to the orphans-in-distress stories a la Dickens. People familiar with that kind of story will anticipate the plot points and still enjoy it. Children who are new to it will enjoy finding out whether the two little girls at the center of the story ever escape their oppressors and set things right. "
" Blatant evidence that children were better educated fifty years ago. An excellently structured English Gothic masterpiece, full of vivid description and three-dimensional characters. "
" I read this aloud to my nine-year-old daughter, and she loved it. "
" this book is awesome and I still remember it even though I read it over 13 years ago- although it is a kids book. I really want to see if it is as good a read as an adult. "
" One of my favorites when I was a little girl. "
" AAAH!!! so amazing. i luv this book. classic. one of my favorites from like fifth grade. "
" My third-grade (and favorite elementary school teacher) read-aloud this book to us. I was captivated by it as a young child. I re-read it a few years ago and it doesn't have quite the same draw as an adult, but I will read it to Addie when she is 7 or 8. "
" Soooo good! I wish I would have found it when I was young-- but still great. Great adventurous story. "
" READ READ READ!! "
" I liked this book. This is good but I really don't like the constrictors that much. That would be why I should not judge a book by the cover. "
" An almost perfect book! "
" It was very very intriguing.I could hardly put it down.I just love it! "
" A great, classic, gothic children's novel, one of many in a series. "
" Excellent atmosphere throughout the book! "
" Still one of my favorite books - I have so many sense memories connected to it. "
" I just love this book...I loved it when I was 10 and I love it now. I can't wait to read it with my kids! "
" Excitement, action and adventure as two children fight an evil guardian who wants them to live as slaves while she takes control of their finances. "
" To be fair, this is a re-read...but from ages ago. "
" Suspenseful book I remember reading aloud to my kids during a camping trip. "
Joan Aiken (1924–2004) was the daughter of Pulitzer Prize–winning poet Conrad Aiken and started writing herself from the age of five. During her lifetime she published over a hundred books for children and adults, including the acclaimed Wolves of Willoughby Chase, which began the Wolves Chronicles. In the UK she received an MBE from the Queen for her services to children’s literature.
Lizza Aiken, daughter of Joan Aiken, studied in Paris with master teachers Etienne Decroux and Jacques LeCoq to become a mime. She toured with fringe theater groups, appearing in international festivals all over Europe in the 1970s and ’80s, before settling in Highgate, London. Lizza is now curating the Joan Aiken literary estate.
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