The Wolves of Willoughby Chase (1962)

High-spirited, slightly spoiled Bonnie Green is full of excitement at the prospect of her cousin Sylvia's arrival. Even though Bonnie's parents are about to leave on a long journey and Bonnie and Sylvia will be left in the care of a new governess who looks strict and cold, Bonnie knows that she and Sylvia will become close friends. The reality is much different than the two girls could possibly have expected, though: as soon as Bonnie's parents are away, the erstwhile governess takes control of the manor, turning away all but the worst of the servants, rooting through the papers in the library, and sending Bonnie and Sylvia off to a cruel orphan school that is no better than a workhouse. With the help of a goose boy who lives in a cave on the grounds of Willoughby Chase and a few loyal servants, Bonnie and Sylvia must find a way to escape. Even if they do, where will they go? What has become of Bonnie's parents -- have they fallen victims to foul play? Can anyone bring order back to Willoughby Chase?

This is a great, old-fashioned read with lots of adventure. I enjoyed it tremendously, and can't believe I waited so long to read it! This is is just the sort of book that I would have loved as a child. ( )

The Wolves of Willoughby Chase was a amusing, funny book. My only complaint is that I thought that there would be more wolves. Otherwise, this book was great. It is about a rich little girl, Bonnie, who's mother and poppa go on a long trip, so they hire a nanny. Bonnie's cousin Sylvia comes to stay while her parents are away. But the nanny is evil, and she locks Bonnie in a closet. The two girls have the help of their friends James, Patton, and Simon to escape from their nanny. This book is a must read. ( )

Sylvia and Bonnie are cousins. Sylvia is poor, Bonnie is rich. When Bonnie's father invites Sylvia to live with them, an adventure begins on the train that takes her to her cousin's estate which is encircled by wolves without, and two vicious humans within. The girls face obstacles without the assistance of parents (Sylvia's parents are dead, and Bonnie's are away on an unreachable sea voyage)
They are not without adult help. Some of the servants, those who are not dismissed or discovered, anyway, are loyal to the children.

Joan Aiken writes with Victorian style about a nightmarish situation that approaches fairy tale dimensions. ( )

I won't bother to summarize this entertaining children's semi-fantastic historical adventure, as many reviewers have done so, but it is engaging, and I would certainly have enjoyed it even more if I had encountered it at the age of 9-12 or so (and it probably would have been better for me in various ways than my mother's collection of Famous Five books). Tyrannical distant relative, dissembling sidekick, monstrous workhouse-school, outcast boy dressed in skins and living with the geese: it's got a lot in it. The melodrama and caricature caught me by surprise: in a children's book from the early 1960s with a historical setting, I think I might have been unconsciously expecting something more like either the serious-toned realism of Lucy Boston's Green Knowe or the otherworld fantasies of Alan Garner. But it is from the same period as Dahl's James and the Giant Peach (1961), and it is no more extreme than Dickens, so I shouldn't really have been surprised. Like others, I was slightly puzzled by the peripheral role played by the wolves, and indeed as to why the whole alternate history thing was necessary. Other than providing an excuse for the presence of packs of wolves in 19th-century rural England (invading via the Channel Tunnel) and an introductory note about King James III, it seems entirely irrelevant to the plot and doesn't even add much to the atmosphere. With some other justification for escaped wolves, the book could just as well have been set in the real 19th century (though not quite as early as the purported 1832, given the Dickensian feel and the established importance of railways). Presumably the sequels (which I look forward to) make more play with it.

MB 8-iv-2013 ( )

I hate Gothic melodrama, as a rule. This, on the other hand, was fun most likely because it was readily apparent that Aiken's tongue was quite firmly in her cheek. The characters are all stock melodrama personae, and the plot is also pretty hoary but Aiken drew me in and made me enjoy this frothy bit of alternative Victoriana. I just wish the wolves could have eaten the bad guys. ( )