The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: Book II: The Hidden Gallery [Hardcover]

Maryrose Wood (Author), Jon Klassen (Illustrator)

Book Description

Release date: February 22, 2011 | Age Range: 8 and up | Series: Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place (Book 2) | Lexile Measure: 960L (What's this?)

Of especially naughty children it is sometimes said, "They must have been raised by wolves."

The Incorrigible children actually were.

Thanks to the efforts of Miss Penelope Lumley, their plucky governess, Alexander, Beowulf, and Cassiopeia are much more like children than wolf pups now. They are accustomed to wearing clothes. They hardly ever howl at the moon. And for the most part, they resist the urge to chase squirrels up trees.

Despite Penelope's civilizing influence, the Incorrigibles still managed to ruin Lady Constance's Christmas ball, nearly destroying the grand house. So while Ashton Place is being restored, Penelope, the Ashtons, and the children take up residence in London. Penelope is thrilled, as London offers so many opportunities to further the education of her unique students. But the city presents challenges, too, in the form of the palace guards' bearskin hats, which drive the children wild—not to mention the abundance of pigeons the Incorrigibles love to hunt. As they explore London, however, they discover more about themselves as clues about the children's—and Penelope's—mysterious past crop up in the most unexpected ways. . . .

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

*Starred Review* When we last saw Miss Penelope Lumley, governess to three wolflike children (but making tremendous strides!), she was trying to recoup after the Incorrigibles had brought Lord and Lady Ashton�s Christmas ball to a disastrous halt. Now home renovations are needed, so the Ashton household is on the move to London, where Lady Ashton hopes she will be the belle of British society, and Penelope looks forward to civilizing the Incorrigibles further with trips to the theater and museums. But the undercurrent of �something wicked this way comes� and the signs of impending trouble for both governess and charges make the air here thick with (dreadful!) possibilities. Of course, there are some happier times in the city, too, as Penelope meets up with her beloved headmistress from the Swanburne Academy for Poor Bright Females and finds a new friend in a helpful, unemployed playwright. Questions about the children�s backgrounds, Penelope�s connections to them, and Lord Ashton�s own wolfish behavior set the stage for the next act of this most excellent adventure, the follow-up to The Mysterious Howling (2010). Interior illustrations not seen, but no doubt they�ll be most satisfactory. Grades 4-6. --Ilene Cooper

Review

“Another series of uproarious escapades. fans of the first book will be happy to go along for the madcap ride.” (School Library Journal )

“[A] madcap sequel. Great fun, and it wouldn’t be optoomuchstic to expect more to come.” (Kirkus Reviews )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Age Range: 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Balzer + Bray (February 22, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061791121
• ISBN-13: 978-0061791123
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 1.1 x 7.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #245,035 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I write novels for kids and teens. Is that a cool job or what?

For readers 8 and up, check out THE INCORRIGIBLE CHILDREN OF ASHTON PLACE series. A plucky young governess named Miss Penelope Lumley must tame and educate three children who were actually raised by wolves, all while trying to solve the mystery of who they really are.

Book 3, The Unseen Guest, is now out in hardcover.

To learn more, visit me at www.maryrosewood.com.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars I really hope there will be a Book III June 2, 2011

By M. Heiss

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I got hooked on "The Mysterious Howling," and I have given it to young ladies as gifts -- that 11- or 12-year-old with literary taste is the perfect recipient.

This book, The Hidden Gallery," is interesting and clever, the narrative asides are good but not overdone, the children are smarter, and the book is obsessive about ferns. How I miss ferns, living here in Arizona.

I particularly like the way the book blends the gothic English governess elements with the purely ridiculous.

The concept of "optoomuchstic" was well explained and well-used, without going overboard. My favorite advice from Agatha Swanburne: "No Panicking. No Complaining. No Quitting."

Please, I hope there will be a third book, to discover more about the Ominous Landscape, the attic room, the red hair, and Agatha Swanburne.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Fun read, but don't look for answers here March 2, 2011

By Dunyazad VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

This is the sequel to The Mysterious Howling, which I loved when I read it last year. I didn't think The Hidden Gallery reached quite the same level as the first, but it's still an entertaining book and the series as a whole is one that I'd wholeheartedly recommend. I just found this installment a bit frustrating because for about the first two-thirds of the book, no progress at all was made towards resolving the various mysteries that had been introduced in the first one, and even when certain pieces of information were revealed toward the end, we were often left with more questions than answers. One the one hand, this is a good thing because it means that the series can go on longer, and I do enjoy reading about these characters. On the other hand, I'd like the main plot lines to progress at least a bit more in 300+ pages. Maryrose Wood can certainly write a tantalizing story, but in the end it felt like we hadn't gotten very far. Still, Wood remains one of my favourite new authors, and I'm eager to see how the story unfolds in the coming books.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A quirky, tongue-in-cheek adventure March 2, 2011

By KidsReads

Format:Hardcover

Ever since the Lady Constance Ashton's big party was wrecked by three young children raised by wolves, Ashton Place has been in shambles. While workers finish the repairs, the household moves to London where Lady Constance plans on being the toast of the town. But as the three children, dubbed Alexander, Beowulf and Cassiopeia Incorrigible, will be traveling to London as well, her best laid plans just may go, as Burns famously put it, astray.

For those who have not read Maryrose Wood's enchanting THE MYSTERIOUS HOWLING, the first book in the Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place series, the Incorrigibles are three children who had been abandoned in the English countryside, raised perhaps by wild animals and then taken in by Lord Fredrick Aston (much to the chagrin of the above-mentioned Lady Constance). One Miss Penelope Lumley, an orphan herself raised at the Swanburne Academy for Poor Bright Females, was summoned to be their governess. A clever, optimistic and plucky teenager, Penelope dove straight in to civilizing and educating the Incorrigibles. THE MYSTERIOUS HOWLING found them howling at the moon, chasing squirrels and learning Latin. Now, in THE HIDDEN GALLERY, the children are learning about navigation, poetry, theater and geometry, though they are still howling at the moon and chasing squirrels.

THE HIDDEN GALLERY is full of Incorrigible mischief and Penelope's keen plans to tame and teach them. But in London, thanks to her former headmistress at the Academy and with the help of a charming young playwright, Penelope is learning more about the mysterious and strange origins of her three charges as well as something about her own clouded past. There are strange signs and clues at every turn in London. Why has Penelope been given an odd and useless guide to the city? Why did the fortune teller insist "the hunt is on?" Who is the creepy judge who keeps showing up? Why do Penelope and the Incorrigibles share the exact color hair? And why does Lord Fredrick need to keep such detailed track of the phases of the moon?

By the end of this exciting adventure, Penelope feels she is close to a breakthrough; maybe she will soon discover the history of the Incorrigibles and the identity of her own absent family, as well as the connection she suspects they have to Lord Fredrick. But Penelope will have to keep searching for answers, all the while continuing to protect and guide the Incorrigibles (and all the while hoping for another visit with that charming young playwright) --- at least until the next installment of the series.

Wood's latest chapter book is quite unique and wholly entertaining. With a tongue-in-cheek nod to classic English novels of manners and chock full of literary tidbits, young readers will be swiftly drawn in to the mystery, challenged by Wood's erudite language and thrilled overall with the escapades of the Incorrigibles and their beloved governess. Jon Klassen hits just the right note with lovely full-page illustrations throughout. A funky Jane Austen meets Mary Poppins tale, THE HIDDEN GALLERY is quirky and unforgettable.

--- Reviewed by Sarah Rachel Egelman