The Wolves of Willoughby Chase

Description

Two children stand up to a network of criminals in a snowy England where the wolves still prey... Can you go a little faster? Can you run? Long ago, at a time in history that never happened, England was overrun with wolves. But as Bonnie and her cousin Sylvia discover, real danger often lies closer to home. Their new governess, Miss Slighcarp, doesn't seem at all nice. She shuts Bonnie in a cupboard, fires the faithful servants and sends the cousins far away from Willoughby Chase to a place they will never be found. Can Bonnie and Sylvia outwit the wicked Miss Slighcarp and her network of criminals, forgers and snitches? BACKSTORY- Find out a few things you didn't know about wolves and learn all about the wonderful world of the author.

Joan Aiken was born in Sussex in 1924. She was the daughter of the American poet, Conrad Aiken; her sister, Jane Aiken Hodge, is also a novelist. Before joining the 'family business' herself, Joan had a variety of jobs, including working for the BBC, the United Nations Information Centre and then as features editor for a short story magazine. Her first children's novel, The Kingdom of the Cave, was published in 1960. Joan Aiken wrote over a hundred books for young readers and adults and is recognized as one of the classic authors of the twentieth century. Amanda Craig, writing in The Times, said, 'She was a consummate story-teller, one that each generation discovers anew.' Her best-known books are those in the James III saga, of which The Wolves of Willoughby Chase was the first title, published in 1962 and awarded the Lewis Carroll prize. Both that and Black Hearts in Battersea have been filmed. Her books are internationally acclaimed and she received the Edgar Allan Poe Award in the United States as well as the Guardian Award for Fiction in this country for The Whispering Mountain. Joan Aiken was decorated with an MBE for her services to children's books. She died in 2004.

Joan Aiken is a marvel -- Philip Pullman She was a consummate story-teller, one that each generation discovers anew -- Amanda Craig * The Times * Dickensian in flavour ... rich in atmosphere and intrigue -- Julia Eccleshare * Guardian * A genuine small masterpiece -- Time Thrilling tale...stuffed with atmosphere, adventure, memorable characters and luxuriant Gothic prose. Any child who discovers it will fall in love, not only with Aiken's writing, but with reading... The Wolves sequence has inspired writers from Philip Pullman to Cathryn Constable... Aiken was a genius, and her reissue deserves howls of delight -- Amanda Craig * The Times *