The Wolves Chronicles — (1962-2005) Ages 9-12. Publisher: In this chilling beginning to The Wolves Chronicles, two little cousins are left in the care of an evil governess. They escape and travel 400 miles to London with their friend Simon and his geese.
           
         
 The Wolves of Willoughby Chase:
The First of the Wolves Saga
The Wolves of Willoughby Chase is the first book in the Wolves Saga by Joan Aiken, a series of books set in an alternative 18th century England in the reign of King James III. In this altered history a large number of wolves migrate from the bitter cold of Europe and Russia into Britain via the Channel Tunnel, and terrorize the inhabitants in their continuing hunting.
The story is set at Willoughby Chase, the grand home of Lord Willoughby and Lady Green and their daughter Bonnie. Due to Lady Green's wasting illness, Bonnie's parents are taking a holiday in warmer climates and leaving her in the care of the Lord's newly-arrived distant cousin Letitia Slighcarp. Also due to arrive is Bonnie's orphan cousin Sylvia who lived in London with Lord Willoughby's poorer sister Aunt Jane, coming to keep her cousin company in her parent's absence. Sylvia is nervous about the train ride into the vast and wolf-ridden countryside, but the cousins become instant friends on her arrival, with an entire life of playing, skating and adventures together.
Yet the blissful life is not to last. In her parent's absence, Mrs Slighcarp takes over the household, dismissing the household servants, wearing Lady Green's gowns, and tampering with Lord Willoughby's legal papers with the help of Mr Grimshaw, the man who was supposedly knocked unconscious on Sylvia's train and taken into the care of Willoughby Chase. Despite the best efforts of James the clever footman, Pattern the girl's beloved maid and Simon, the goose-boy living half wild in the woods, the girl's plans to fetch back their parents goes astray, and Mrs Slighcarp sends them to a dismal orphanage after the news that Bonnie's parents have died.
Bonnie and Sylvia quickly weaken under the strain of the difficult living conditions, and Bonnie realised they must find a way to escape due to Sylvia's worsening health. Hope arrives however in the form of Simon the goose-boy, and together they plot a way to escape and reclaim Bonnie's inheritance...
I can't imagine a single child that wouldn't find this story appealing. With enough wolves, riches, villains, plotting and child independence to keep them satisfied for a long time, this book is sure to become a favourite, as are the others in the series. Bonnie and Sylvia are wonderful young protagonists, with Bonnie as the confident, ever-optimistic young tomboy, and Sylvia as the more timid, but never annoying, young lady. If you're concerned that boys may not be interested in female protagonists, Simon the young goose-boy should please them, as there's always a fascination for independent children living wild in the forests. Mrs Slighcarp, Mr Grimsby and Mrs Brisket (the *real* wolves of Willoughby Chase) are nasty villains, and therefore good ones, which everyone will love to see get their just desserts at the conclusion.
The scenery is beautifully created through Aiken's language, whether it be Sylvia's night time train ride, the opulence of the Willoughby house, or the children's summery travels in the countryside, and the pacing never slows or dwindles on any needless details. One scene in particular, when the girls are being hunted down by wolves on the estate's grounds is particularly gripping.
However, some older readers may be skeptical at the actual story itself. It seems to hold every cliché that a Victorian Children's Romance could have: a riches-to-rags-to-riches story, a villainous governess, a forged will, a cruel orphanage, a false death and a great escape, where every possible mishap is concluded with a happy ending — even if it's outrageously implausible (such as Bonnie's parents miraculous escape). Yet despite all this, somehow Joan Aiken seems to make it all seem real and natural through her strong and descriptive writing. A great book to read aloud, and follow up with its sequel Black Hearts in Battersea. —Rebecca Comments
Black Hearts in Battersea:
The Next Installment in a Fantastic Adventure
Black Hearts in Battersea is the second book in Joan Aiken's beloved Wolves saga, beginning with The Wolves of Willoughby Chase and continuing in Nightbirds in Nantucket. Each book can be read separately and out of order (i.e., each is a separate story, not one big story broken into several parts), linked by re-appearing characters, plot lines and locations. Each is set in a cleverly devised "parallel universe" where historical figures and events are changed from what we would recognize in our own history books.
In this case, the action takes place in London, where Britain is ruled by good King James III and plagued by marauding wolves immigrating from Russia, with other little snippets of an alternative history slipped in to give the book a whimsical, but authentic air. Anyone who has read Diana Wynne Jones's Chrestomanci books, or Philip Pullman's Golden Compass/Northern Lights will have no trouble adapting to this new environment, but those who haven't might be in for a pleasant surprise when they discover some of the little gems Aiken throws in: next to the familiar sights of Hyde Park and St Paul's Cathedral are places such as Battersea Castle on the Thames, made of pinkish stone, and made 'to look like a great half-open rose.' With such a fascinating world to explore, it hardly seems to matter whether there's a story or not.
But of course there is, and it perfectly combines with the backdrop Aiken sets for it. Young Simon the half-wild goose-boy, last seen being offered a painting career by Dr Field in The Wolves of Willoughby Chase arrives in London to begin his education at the Art Academy in Chelsea. But things are set to go wrong from the very beginning. On reaching Dr Field's described boarding house, there is no sign of him, and the family Twite insists that they've never heard of him. Befriending their youngest daughter, the rude, filthy, bratty Dido Twite, Simon gradually begins to make his way around in London and at the Art Academy — discovering some very suspicious things concerning the Twites in the meanwhile.
He meets up with his old friend from the Poor Farm where he grew up: the lovely Sophie, who is now the handmaiden of the Duchess of Battersea, and with the young Duke-to-be Justin, a somewhat miserable and pathetic boy. In his ever-growing adventures, including visits with the eccentric Duke of Battersea, strange occurrences at the Twites, and a highly enjoyable visit to the Fair, Simon comes to uncover a terrible Hanoverian plot to overthrow the king, and the secret to his own mysterious past. With plenty of wolves, fireworks, shipwrecks, kidnappings, subterfuges, maroonings, hot air balloons, explosions, false identities, lucky escapes and poisoned mince pies, Black Hearts in Battersea is a great read, and even better if it's read aloud, either to your own kids or a classroom (the lower classes's Cockney accents in particular are wonderfully created in Aiken's language).
Of course, it is unashamedly filled with quirks, coincidences and long stretches of credibility that will have anyone over the age of eight that enjoy nice, sensible stories raising an eyebrow in skepticism. To read the book critically would destroy any enjoyment one might have of it, as it is most certainly not to be taken too seriously. How could you when you have lines like: "My own dear husband's dead brother's long-lost child!" Just sit back and enjoy the story, complete with its exaggerations and unlikelihoods, as it harks back to another era where such occurrences were taken dead-seriously.
The Wolves Saga is a little known, but fantastic series, and I'm sure the previously-mentioned authors (Diana Wynne Jones and Philip Pullman) owe a lot to Joan Aiken's methods of alternative-history, as she is the first "modern" writer to the best of my knowledge to instigate such a device. Her characters are great fun (though Bonnie and Sylvia of Wolves of Willoughby Chase were sadly missed) and her stories filled with non-stop excitement and discovery. —Rebecca Comments
Nightbirds on Nantucket:
A Rich and Exciting Read
When we last saw Dido Twite at the end of Black Hearts in Battersea she was going down with the Dark Dew ship, swept away from her friends Simon and Justin in the middle of the ocean. Whilst the two boys were forced to go on without her (eventually preventing an assassination attempt on the Duke of Battersea), Dido's fate remained a mystery, that Joan Aiken now resolves for expectant readers in the third book in her Wolves Saga.
After a ten month long sleep, Dido awakes on board a whaler in the middle of the Arctic sea, on a boat completely covered in icicles and frost. There she meets young Nate, a ship's hand, who informs her of her surroundings, of how far she is from home. Also on board is the fox-like and slimy Mr Slighcarp and the moony Captain Casket, who is determined to chase and catch the magnificent pink whale. He informs Dido that his young daughter Dutiful Penitence Casket is also on board, but who has locked herself away in a cupboard in mortal terror of the sea. He requests that Dido attempt to coax her out, and then accompany her to her Aunt Tribulation on the island of Nantucket before she tries to head back to England. Dido, taking it into her responsibility to teach Penitence not to be so timid, agrees despite her homesickness.
But there are other mysteries about, such as the fierce stowaway that Dido finds hiding in the hold, and the suspicious actions of Mr Slighcarp that aren't solved by the time Penitence and Dido reach the domineering and threatening Aunt Tribulation. The two girls eventually realised there's a Hanoverian plot in the making that involves a giant gun being fired from Nantucket to London, which will not only succeed in destroying the palace, but with blowing Nantucket backwards into New York harbour! With pink whales, German inventors, hidden woods and a familiar villainess from The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, Joan Aiken once more dishes up excitement and intrigue set in her continually-growing parallel world, where history mingles with fiction, and characters engage in some rather incredible situations!
To a point, Nightbirds in Nantucket was not quite up to the standards of The Wolves of Willoughby Chase and Black Hearts in Battersea, as the duo of the strong-willed Dido and the meek little Penitence reminded me a little too much of Bonnie and Sylvia of Wolves, (especially in "Aunt Tribulation"'s treatment of them), and the Hanoverian plot of conquering King James III was basically the same threat that was faced in Black Hearts. However, Joan Aiken's imagination is amazing, whether she is creating the icy whaling ship sailing through the Arctic Sea, or the warm sunny moorlands of Nantucket with its white-washed cottages. Her melodramatic plot twists and devices are always humorous and adventuresome (despite their unlikeliness), and the story ends on a note of further adventure for the irrepressible Dido Twite.
—Rebecca Comments
The Cuckoo Tree:
A Deeper, More Scary Adventure than Usual
After her light-hearted adventures on the island of Nantucket in the previous installment in Joan Aiken's Wolves Saga, Dido Twite comes up against darker enemies once she reaches English soil once more. At the end of the last book, Dido left Nantucket with Captain Hughes, who since then has become rather ill. When the carriage they're riding in overtips thanks to a dodgy cabby-driver, Dido goes for help and soon finds herself in the company of more weird and wonderful acquaintances — so many in fact, that they add up to more than all of the previous books put together!
Finding shelter for Captain Hughes thanks to the Tegleaze Manor House and its inhabitants (the spoilt young heir Tobis, the matriarchal and domineering Lady Tegleaze and the strange, creepy Tante Sannie) Dido soon suspects the makings of another Hanoverian plot to usurp the British throne and wreck King Richard the Fourth's coronation. But many factions are at work within the plot: the illusive Mr Mystery and his bizarre, life-like puppets, the witch Mrs Lubagge whose dislike for Dido could prove dangerous, Tante Sannie and her Joobie nuts, and even her own father — the self-important Mr Twite, last seen in Black Hearts in Battersea!
But Dido is not entirely alone; there is the blind, but kindly Tom Firkin, the terrified Cris and his mysterious "Aswell", Yan and his band of smuggling "Gentlemen" and of course Lord Sope and his bun-loving elephant Rachel. But into these friends and allies Aiken still places a sense of displacement for young Dido, a feeling of being a cuckoo in a nest that does not belong to her, though at the conclusion of the story one gets the hope that this will not always be so, as a past friend comes in search of her...
In many ways The Cuckoo Tree is quite different from the previous books in the series, despite the traditional story of the Hanoverian plot and its increasingly dubious means of putting Prince George on the throne (if you thought the giant gun was extreme, wait till you've seen what they've cooked up here!) But the cast of characters in The Cuckoo Tree is much more vast than usual, to the point where it got difficult to keep track of them all, and certain parts were a little darker than usual, with the use of witchcraft and attempted murder. Furthermore, some ideas, such as Aswell, Tante's eventual fate, and Dido's increasing loneliness are more suited to an older audience than the light-heartedness of the former books. But for me anyway, these deeper levels only make the books more fascinating, and I hope the trend continues in further books in the series. —Rebecca Comments
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Other novels and collections:
  The Kingdom and the Cave — (1960) Ages 9-12. Publisher: Prince Michael is accompanied by the palace cat and a wise old mare on a long and dangerous search for the elusive Under People.
  The Cockatrice Boys — (1966) Ages 9-12. Publisher: What does a cockatrice enjoy most for dinner? Anyone it can find.
So the alarmed inhabitants of England discover when a plague of monsters-known as cockatrices-invade their country and begin gobbling them up. They must be stopped! A plucky band of survivors dubbed the Cockatrice Corps- including youngsters Dakin and Sauna-decide to fight back. But how?
A rollicking adventure filled with breathtaking twists and turns, The Cockatrice Boys is Joan Aiken at her comic best.
  The Whispering Mountain — (1968) Young adult. Publisher: Owen and Arabis as they try to prevent the evil Lord Mayln from stealing the town's magical golden harp.
  Midnight is a Place — (1974) Ages 9-12. Publisher: Lucas Bell lives at Midnight Court with his ill-tempered guardian, Sir Randolph, and longs for a friend to take away his loneliness. Then Anna-Marie arrives. Spoilt and wilful, she is practically half Lucas's age. But one night something terrible happens, and together they fight to survive.
  A Touch of Chill — (1979) For adults. Publisher: A Touch of Chill: Tales for Sleepless Nights. Stories of horror, suspense, and fantasy.
 A Touch of Chill: "Since You Are Here, You May as Well Wind the Clock..."
Joan Aiken is one of my favourite authors, best known among children as the writer of the alternative-history series The Wolves Chronicles. She is also a writer for adults, and the same sense of imagination, wit and mystery found in her earlier books are found in this collected anthology of creepy and twisted short stories. Although the title claims that these are stories of "horror, suspense and fantasy," this is a little misleading. It's not that these stories aren't any of these things, it's just that Aiken does not write typical short stories in this genre — these tales are seldom wrapped up in a neat little bow, and often Aiken is more interested in crafting an unsettling atmosphere than answering questions that her stories raise. As such, many of the stories do not seem particularly creepy , and those who are used to their horror stories being filled with blood, gore and screaming ghosts may feel somewhat bewildered as to how a falling cat, a laughing clock and ceramic puppets are supposed to be scary. But mature readers, who knows that there is something terrifying in ordered life cracking under inexplicable madness (often presented in achingly ordinary objects) will definitely feel the promised touch of chill.
"Lodgers", a dark and disturbing story about a frazzled working mother who has an elderly couple lodge in her home whilst her children are sick. Trying to juggle her work, her children and the presence of the lodgers, she can't help but be suspicious at the odd behavior of Mr and Mrs Colegate — their interest in her children, the odd white shapes in their bedroom, the creepy marionettes they collect, and the snatches of bizarre conversation she hears between them.
"Mrs Considine" concerns the friendship between this elderly woman and her young ward Julia. Mrs Considine is an avowed atheist, and Julia has several odd (and, as it turns out, prophetic dreams) about the people in her community. What do her dreams have to say about Mrs Considine? This is a short, strange, but oddly sweet story about a young girl's perception of the world and its people.
"The Sewanee Glide" is a darkly comedic story about two elderly feuding sisters, a deceased husband whose memory still lingers on in the rapidly falling-apart manor house and a bag of poisoned walnuts. The first of several stories that Aiken devotes to the motivations behind murder and the ease with which the assailant gets away with it.
"Listening", one of the more obscure stories in the collection, in which several seemingly unrelated events are wrapped up in one man's day, in a way that is too complex on some thematic level for this particular reader to fathom. In a single day, Professor Middlemass witnesses a lecture on listening to sounds, three mistreated cats and a disturbing collage in an art gallery with his name on it. What does all this mean? I have no idea. Ask someone smarter.
"The Companion" is a ghost story that follows a more familiar pattern; Mrs Clyrard finds an odd sense of happiness in her troublesome cottage, till the day she expects it has become inhabited by a ghost. Calling in an exorcist, she's relieved to feel the presence leave her home. But who was the ghost? And where is it now?
"The Rented Swan" is the most lighthearted story in the collection, more like a contemporary fairytale than anything else, concerning a young writer who rents an elegant flat — complete with a butler and a swan. Yes, I said a swan.
"The Jugged Hare" is probably my least favourite in the collection, about two people having an affair and a jealous husband who practices archery. You can probably tell where this one is going ...unfortunately, Aiken doesn't actually go there — ending the story with the plotting of murder, and not the murder itself.
"A Game of Black and White" is another obscure and bizarre story that defies my understanding, though it is filled with compelling images, including eclipses, graveyards, dentists, black tulips, and a creepy doppelganger. I can't make heads or tails of it — but I still like it, certainly a lot more than her other surrealist story, the aforementioned "Listening".
"Time to Laugh" — out of curiosity, Matt decides to break into an abandoned house to see what's inside. He's delighted to find a clock that tells the time by laughing, and horrified to discover that the chair-bound old woman still inhabits the house. Still, he's not too concerned...till he discovers that he's securely locked in the house with her. This is one of the creepiest stories here, and goes well with "Power-Cut."
"He" is definitely my favourite story, concerning a young girl's sea voyage from Poland to America and her meeting with a witch on board. After old Mrs Polander is severely injured by a careless boy, young Gisela inherits a strange box from her — and decides to use it to take revenge on the boy.
"The Story About Caruso" is the third story about the murder of a family member — this time it's a woman who has her deceased husband's uncle come to stay with her. But how long can she stand his ineffectual housekeeping, his nasty attempts at cooking, and the endless retellings of his old-time stories?
"The Helper" is a well crafted story of mysterious death and ongoing bitterness between two families that would switch daughters for the holidays. Seven years after the death of his daughter, Mr Frost returns to the house of Charles-Edouard Aveyrand to help him with a patent for a new invention: a robotic figure that automatically turns lights on and off. With the grim past pressing down on him (portions of which Aiken purposefully leaves obscure), Frost can't help but procrastinate in the task of helping Aveyrand make money - after all, he holds Aveyrand's daughter responsible for *his* daughter's death. But the odd invention isn't so easily put aside...
"Power-Cut" is the second full-out scary story of the bunch, concerning a warring married couple that returns to their small holiday cottage after the death of their son Simon. Mr Michaels had despised his loutish, spoilt son who was responsible for his blindness, and returning to the cottage only intensifies his bitterness. According to his wife there is a power-cut, and she leaves to fetch candles. But if there is a power-cut, then how come Mr Michaels can hear the messages left on the answering machine, including one from his dead son...
"Who Goes Down this Dark Road?" is another darkly amusing story, about a young girl who believes that she has a tribe of Gauls living in her hair. For a six year old, her knowledge on the subject is remarkable, and she relates the message that a catastrophe is coming...
"A Train Full of War-Lords" features another blind man in a broken family, and what everyone can get up to under the nose of someone who cannot see. This one is completely void of any supernatural tone, but is creepy enough in the range of familial secrets and bitterness that fester within what seems to be a perfectly ordinary home.
Despite the fact that some stories are preferable to others, Aiken writes beautifully, often frightening the reader with what she doesn't say — the eerie silences and gaps in information help create stories in which the characters teeter on the edge of reality, poised to fall into madness. She has a keen eye for dialogue and the dark side of human nature (at a wedding: "Julia thought she had never known before that an atmosphere could be so bright and glittering with hate") and there is an appealing sense of "Englishness" throughout all the stories — plenty of cups of tea, British landmarks, names like 'Luffington' and 'Thorneycroft' and even an aversion to Irishmen. Altogether, this is a compelling and creepy set of stories — though subtle enough that it needs a serious amount of effort on the part of the reader to fully understand and explore the nightmarish tone that permeates (most of) them. —Rebecca Comments
  The Shadow Guests — (1980) Ages 9-12. Publisher: After the mysterious disappearance of both his mother and older brother, Cosmo is sent away to live with his eccentric mathematician aunt. Lonely and confused, Cosmo must also deal with being the new kid at school. Not an easy assignment! But things take a weird twist when Cosmo is visited by ghosts from the past. Ghosts who claim to need his help fighting an ancient curse!
Only in time will Cosmo learn that he is at the center of that ancient... and deadly... curse.
  The Shoemaker's Boy — (1991) Ages 9-12. Publisher: "I have come to ask a favour of you..." It is a night for visitors for Jem, the shoemaker's boy, working alone in his father's famous shop. First, there strange green children ask him for a set of silver keys, which he knows nothing about. Then a black knight comes requesting a fine pair of boots — and also asks for keys. But the third visitor proves to be the strangest — and most magical — of them all...
  The Serial Garden: The Complete Armitage Family Stories — (2008) Ages 9-12. Publisher:
This is the first complete collection of Joan Aiken's beloved Armitage stories-and it includes four new, unpublished stories. After Mrs. Armitage makes a wish, the Armitage family has "interesting and unusual" experiences every Monday (and the occasional Tuesday). The Board of Incantation tries to take over their house to use as a school for young wizards; the Furies come to stay; and a cutout from a cereal box leads into a beautiful and tragic palace garden. Charming and magical, the uncommon lives of the Armitage family will thrill and delight readers young and old. Includes Joan Aiken's "Prelude" from Armitage, Armitage, Fly Away Home, as well as introductions from Joan Aiken's daughter, Lizza Aiken, and best-selling author Garth Nix.
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