The Mysterious Howling

I don't care if it's meant for children. What could be more delightful than the inimitable Katherine Kellgren reading the audio version of a story that's part Series of Unfortunate Events (orphans, complex words, adult humor) and part Julie Andrews' Mary Poppins (plucky governess, manners, eternal optimism, scatter-brained lord and lady) but with a dash of its own uniqueness? For these orphans are no ordinary orphans - they were raised by wolves! And, since there are three children of differing ages, a person (and by that I mean, 15-year-old governess Penelope Lumley) must wonder exactly *how* they came to be raised by wolves and if they can ever be taught to behave as children. Absolutely entertaining on audio.

Our local bookshop has a poster for this book (but not the book itself), and I was intrigued. A fun, imaginative book for children about eight to eleven, it is set in the 19th century and tells the story of fifteen-year-old Penelope Lumley, who has been hired as governess to the Incorrigibles, three young children who were raised by wolves and then found in the forest by Lord Ashton. The charm stems from the Incorrigibles' wolfy behaviour; from the narrator's fun, informative asides to modern-day readers; and from the amusing black-and-white illustrations. Certainly suitable for children to read on their own, but I think the most fun would be to read this one aloud. The end resolves the most pressing issues of the book but leaves plenty show more of questions unanswered for book two. show less

At age 15, Miss Penelope Lumley, recently graduated from the Swanburne Academy for Poor Bright Females, is on her way to her first position as a governess. When she arrives at Ashton Place, she is shocked to learn that her young charges have been raised by wolves!

It's hard to describe this story without making it sound silly. It is silly, but it's also cleverly poking fun at tropes in children's literature and it's an entertaining story whether you catch the references or not. Because of this, it works well as a story for both children and adults to read - if it's your first story about wild children and governesses, great, and if it's not, you'll chuckle along with the narrator even more knowledgeably. It's smart without feeling show more didactic; I was amused by the explanations of irony, for example, and the use of poetry was fun without feeling forced. I'd be hard-pressed to tell you if I preferred the audio or the book, since the former is superbly read by Katherine Kellgren, while the latter includes illustrations from Caldecott Award-winning illustrator Jon Klassen. show less

I read this first book in the Incorrigible Children series after reading the second in the series, The Hidden Gallery, so I was spoiled somewhat for some of the details. I think this lessened my enjoyment of the book, since although there was a lot more that happened in The Mysterious Howling than got revisited in The Hidden Gallery, I still knew how the plot would go.

On the other hand, several people reviewed the second book and noted that much of the novelty of the style and plot wore a bit thin — perhaps I am experiencing the same thing, but in reverse, because I read that one first.

Nonetheless, The Mysterious Howling is a delightful, affectionate pastiche of classic children's books. The main character is a 15-year-old governess show more named Penelope Lumley from the Swanburne Academy for Poor Young Females, and who doesn't know very much of the world except what she has learned from her books. Her charges are three wild children found in the forest and who were apparently quite literally raised by wolves. Penelope is tasked with turning them into proper children for Lord and Lady Ashton to show off. The Lord Ashton seems to think of them as a prize hunting trophy, whereas Lady Ashton would rather not have anything to do with them at all - unless they can bolster her social standing (she is a bit of a frivolous young woman).

There are some mysterious goings on about Ashton Place beyond the children, but I'm not sure that young readers will pick up on the clues as easily as adults or more genre savvy young people would. However, I think this book would be a lot of fun for an adult to read with a child, especially because of the various asides and comments to the reader that are similar to those in A Series of Unfortunate Events, but in a much more pleasant and optimistic way.

On the whole, though, I suspect that this planned trilogy may have been best served to be a single long volume, rather than split into three separate books. show less

I was unsure about this book at first, but I found I really enjoyed it. Penelope is a very young governess in charge of taking care of three wild children found in the woods. She manages to reach and connect with them, taming them. However, their are mysteries answered and unanswered throughout the book. How is it this three children came to be abandoned? Were they raised by wolves, or some other mysterious creature? Why is the man of the house so insistent on keeping them?
I love the author's style and the asides she provides and the hints at the time period of the book without every stating it is very intriguing. I can't wait for the next one... will some of the mysteries be solved?

Miss Penelope Lumley, recent graduate and shining star of the Swanburne Academy for Poor Bright Females, travels to Ashton Place for a governess position, but her interview with young Lady Constance is very strange; Constance won't speak of the children at all. Penelope finds they have been living in a barn after being discovered in the woods; Lord Fredrick Ashton insists "finders keepers" and wants to call them Alexander, Beowulf, and Cassiopeia.

Penelope does not run screaming, but calmly uses Agatha Swinburne's wise words, her own experience helping a kind veterinarian, and her favorite books (about Rainbow the pony, and poetry in translation) to tame her new charges. This she does largely successfully, but there are more puzzling show more mysteries still: where did the children come from (for that matter, where did Penelope herself come from? Miss Charlotte Mortimer would never say), why does Lord Ashton want them, and who on earth set a squirrel loose at the Ashton Place Christmas party?

More questions are raised than answered in this series opener, which is a little disappointing but certainly leaves the reader wanting more. Klassen's illustrations are perfect for the tone of the story; Penelope and, indeed, the narrator are both quite witty.

See also: A Series of Unfortunate Events, The Children of Green Knowe, The Extraordinary Education of Nicholas Benedict, The Ruby in the Smoke, Jane Eyre

Quotes

Then, since Penelope knew the best way to teach anybody anything was by setting a good example, she lay down in the hay and closed her eyes. (56)

She thought of her pupils as unusual, not unteachable. (78)

The truth is that one cannot go through life without being annoyed by other people, and this was just as true in Miss Penelope Lumley's day as it is in our own. Annoyance is a fact of life; one ought not to lose one's grip because of it... (107)

Penelope...was lost in her own thoughts...about how the mystery of not knowing what one's future held paled next to the mystery of not knowing all that one's past already contained. (125)

"Anyway, I suppose this is what is meant by 'growing up.'"
"Pardon me, my lady - what is?"
"Finding out the difference between what one expected one's life would be like and how things really are." (Lady Constance and Penelope, 165) show less

A playful and self-conscious narrator--a mock-Victorian narrator who speaks explicitly from our 'modern' day--makes this novel lots of fun. The children, while odd, are rendered lovingly and feel real as children to me; I'm particularly fond of Cassiopeia (though we had to look up how to pronounce her name!), her little fists thrust in the air shouting "Mayhem!," her Nutsawoo.

There are some scary overtones here, but its light tone and ultimate good outcomes (and Penelope's confidence and competence) meant it still worked well as a read-aloud for a much younger child than its core audience. 6yo loved it and is eager to read the next one. I'm curious and slightly suspicious about where that's going to head: does the ending suggest that show more the series will take a potentially-less-fun supernatural turn? We'll see ...

Awesome illustrations! They suit the text perfectly. show less