The Wolves of Willoughby Chase

I was first introduced to The Wolves Of Willoughby Chase through the 1989 British-made film of the same name starring Stephanie Beacham (Miss Slighcarp), Mel Smith (Mr. Grimshaw), Emily Hudson (Bonnie), and Aleks Darowska (Sylvia). The film is superb and it is a shame that it is currently out of print almost everywhere (I had to order a poorly recorded VHS version from Canada in order to get a copy of it). I had never heard of the book or its author, Joan Aiken, before I saw the film. The book is even better than the film and should delight anyone who finds stories involving children, wolves, mansions, and evil governesses entertaining. Both the book and the film were childhood favorites of mine and I love them as much today as I did then. Upon purchasing the other five books in Joan Aiken's Wolves Chronicles (Blackhearts in Battersea, Nightbirds on Nantucket, The Cuckoo Tree, The Stolen Lake, and Dido and Pa), I was disappointed to learn that the other five books focus on the increasingly unwieldy adventures of Dido Twite, a character introduced in the second book. Bonnie and Sylvia Greene are never mentioned again. It is as if the last five books are a series and the first book stands alone as a separate story (the only element that links TWOWC to the other books is Simon, a character who appears again in the second book). I found this incongruency rather odd and irritating, but I'm sure that Dido Twite has her fans. Just don't read the other books expecting to hear more about Bonnie, Sylvia, and Willoughby Chase. TWOWC is truly a lone ranger.

"The Wolves of Willoughby Chase" is the adventure of two young cousins (Sylvia and Bonnie Green) who must outwit the evil new governess, Miss Slighcarp, and her accomplices from stealing the Willoughby?s estate. When news comes of Bonnie?s parent?s death, Sylvia and Bonnie are forced into an orphanage at Miss Slighcarp?s order, but later escape with the help of Simon, a friend of Bonnie?s, and are then able to uncover Miss Slighcarp?s elaborate plot."The Wolves of Willoughby Chase" is the first book in the Wolves Chronicles, followed by "Black Hearts in Battersea", "Nightbirds on Nantucket", "The Cuckoo Tree", and "The Stolen Lake". I recommend you read the others as well if you enjoyed "The Wolves of Willoughby Chase".I first read this book in fifth grade and have reread it often ever since. It?s one of my favorite books, and I highly recommend it for all ages.It was later made into a movie in 1988, but I haven't seen it yet.

Researchers constantly find that reading to children is valuable in a variety of ways, not least of which are instilling a love of reading and improved reading skills. With better parent-child bonding from reading, your child will also be more emotionally secure and able to relate better to others. Intellectual performance will expand as well. Spending time together watching television fails as a substitute. To help other parents apply this advice, as a parent of four I consulted an expert, our youngest child, and asked her to share with me her favorite books that were read to her as a younger child. The Wolves of Willoughby Chase was one of her picks.We discovered this wonderful book through a school assignment. It is not a book that I would have expected that our daughter would have liked because the young heroines face terrible trials. She found the book very exciting and rewarding though, and I think you will, too.Bonnie Green has lived in the lap of luxury in the manor house of Willoughby Chase in the English countryside. Her father, Sir Willoughby, is the richest man for five counties. She has all the toys, clothes, and ponies that anyone could want, and indulgent parents who encourage her to try things out. There is much love in the house, both from her parents and the dedicated household workers. Because Bonnie's mother, Lady Sophia, has become ill, her parents are about to leave on a sea voyage to restore her health. Sir Willoughby has asked his attorney, Mr. Gripe, to locate a suitable governess and he recommends one who is a fourth cousin once removed of Bonnie's, Miss Slighcarp, who arrives the night before the parents leave.To keep Bonnie company, Sir Willoughby has also invited Bonnie's cousin Sylvia to stay. Both will be tutored by Miss Slighcarp, who will also run the estate. Cousin Sylvia is an orphan has been living with Sir Willoughby's elderly sister, Aunt Jane. They have been barely surviving in genteel poverty, and Aunt Jane makes new clothes for the trip from her curtains. Sylvia has to make a terrible journey by herself on the train. It is freezing cold, and wolves attack the train. One breaks the window and comes into the compartment. Fortunately, a fellow passenger, Mr. Grimshaw, subdues and kills the wolf before it can do any damage. He loans her a traveling rug to help keep her warm. Then he is injured when a suitcase hits him in the head. Bonnie insists that they bring him to Willoughby Chase for the doctor to look at. The servants have to shoot at the wolves to keep them away from the horses on the ride back to Willoughby Chase. As soon as Bonnie's parents leave strange things start to happen. Most of the servants are dismissed. Mr. Grimshaw and Miss Slighcarp are looking through all of Sir Willoughby's papers and burning some. And, Miss Slighcarp starts wearing all of Lady Sophia's best gowns! When Bonnie complains, she is locked in a closet with only bread and water for food. Worse treatme

This book is great! Sylvia goes to live with her cousin Bonnie and they both are treated badly when Bonnie's parents go away on a sea trip by their governess. They are taken to an orphanage when the governess (Miss Slighcarp) starts her plans to take over Willoughby Chase and doesn't have time for them. They escape from the orphange with a little help from their friend, Simon and make their way to London, where they find Sylvia's Aunt Jane. Buy this book or pick it up from the library to find out what happens next. I recommend it to people who like adventures where girls are the heroes, and well-written stories. Joan Aiken's books have girls as the heroes in all of her books that I have read so far. They are really adventurous. DO NOT judge the book before it is finished, because sometimes the most unexpected endings occur. Read this book!

I read this wonderful book to my daughter beginning at age five and continuing through age 10 or so. It was our favorite book to read together and we must have read it five or six times. Joan Aiken has weaved a suspenseful plot driven by strong characters, both good and evil. At the time I began reading "Wolves" to my daughter (1983) it was one of the very few book-length stories I could find that featured girls as heroes--girls who learned to overcome adversity and take care of themselves, with a little help from good friends. Aiken never writes down to her audience, and the vocabulary is quite challenging. But my daughter and I never worried about that too much. I'd read, she'd listen, and over time she figured out the words for herself and added them to her own vocabulary. Today, she's a professional writer herselrf (at age 19 1/2) and I've often thought that the time we spent with Joan Aiken's beautifully structured books had something to do with that!