The Mysterious Howling

The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place, Book 1

By: Maryrose Wood

Narrated by: Katherine Kellgren

Length: 5 hrs and 27 mins

Publisher's summary

Of especially naughty children, it is sometimes said: “They must have been raised by wolves.” The Incorrigible children actually were. Discovered in the forests of Ashton Place, the Incorrigibles are no ordinary children: Alexander keeps his siblings in line with gentle nips; Cassiopeia has a bark that is (usually) worse than her bite; and Beowulf is alarmingly adept at chasing squirrels.

Luckily, Miss Penelope Lumley is no ordinary governess. Only fifteen years old and a graduate of the Swanburne Academy for Poor Bright Females, Penelope embraces the challenge of her new position. Though she is eager to instruct the children in Latin verbs and the proper use of globes, first she must eliminate their canine tendencies.But mysteries abound at Ashton Place: Who are these three wild creatures? Why does Old Timothy, the coachman, lurk around every corner? Will Penelope be able to civilize the Incorrigibles in time for Lady Constance’s holiday ball? And what on earth is a schottische?

Penelope is no stranger to mystery, as her own origins are also cloaked in secrecy. But as Agatha Swanburne herself once said, “Things may happen for a reason, but that doesn’t mean we know what the reason is—at least, not yet.

©2010 Maryrose Wood (P)2010 HarperCollins Publishers

Wonderful Narration

I was going to read this aloud to my children, but I quickly realized it is beyond my talents as a narrator. I am so glad I got this audiobook! Kellgren was extremely talented and made the story all the more enjoyable with her fantastic range of British accents.

Surprised

I am am adult who loves children's books. This one was a surprise. At first the performance was a bit over the top. Until I listened to the entire first chapter. Whereupon I learned that the narrative performance was perfect for the story. I would recommend this to children and adults who have remembered the joys of a child's heart and mind

Wonderful fun

Katherine Kellgren brings this story to life. It was enjoyable from start to finish and I am off together the rest in the series

A thoroughly wonderful book!

I cannot decide if I loved the narrator or story better! I cannot wait to listen to the sequels.

Five stars

Such a great book. You can listen to it anywhere and be very interested. This is such a great book!

A beautiful story

When I first listened to this book,I was amazed by the clever writing and the wonderful adventures of Miss Penelope and her happy pupils.This series keeps getting better and better and I never get bored of listening to them more than once.

Great listening

My children are 7 and 9 (boy and girl) - we all enjoyed listening to this audio book, which we found hilarous at times. The narration was brilliant. We have bought the second book with great expectation. Highly recommended.

wow!

Amazing book! Truly entertaining for the whole family. Kids ages 9, 7 and 5 all loved it.

A delight to the ear and heart!

Fun and imaginative I heard myself laughing out loud. I'm looking forward to more of these incouragable children.

Wow! This is a neat fairytale ... pure escapism

I really enjoyed this crazy story, which is odd. Normally I don't read stories set in the more distant past ... I want present-day. This one is set in England, during the time of Charles Dickens, horse-drawn carriages, and gas lamps (somewhere between 1840 and 1870).

Of all the accents in the world, I find the British accent the most difficult to cope with, despite having numerous relatives & ancestors from the British Isles. This book takes place in England, and the audio is with a British accent, which I had no trouble understanding.
At this point it is necessary to comment upon the magnificent job done by the narrator, Katherine Kellgren. All voices were distinguishable according to character, and the voices of the children were absolutely fabulous. When checking for Book Two, I first checked to see that the narrator was the same person as in this Book One.

Of course, it is absolutely essential that the listener not be looking for total realism in a story: the "... suspension of disbelief ..." is a definite requirement here.
This, especially, is true when the Governess is instructing the children by speaking in full sentences, and introducing poetry, such as the somber "The Wreck of the Hesperus", to these half wild creature-children.

But I found it a very entertaining listen, despite being so unlike my usual fare. And I even surprised myself when I went looking for the sequel.