Joan Aiken is a big name in children’s literature; she also wrote a handful of adult novels before her death in 2004. A good deal of her children’s (middle-grade) novels fall into the Wolves sequence, of which this is the first; it was originally published in 1963. Several of her adult novels are continuations or retellings of Jane Austen’s works, including a completion of The Watsons, and Jane Fairfax: The Secret Story of the Second Heroine in Jane Austen’s Emma. Her father, Conrad Aiken, was a poet who won the Pulitzer Prize; apparently she came by her writing talent honestly.

Bonnie is the daughter of Sir Willoughby, the lord of Willoughby Chase. His wife, Bonnie’s mother, is doing poorly, and the doctor has recommended a voyage at sea. Consequently, Sir Willoughby has sent away for a distant relation to be Bonnie’s guardian while they are away. At the same time, Lady Willoughby’s sister, who had guardianship of a deceased third sibling’s child, has been doing poorly as well and has asked if Sir Willoughby could take over the guardianship of the child (a girl, named Sylvia). Sir Willoughby agrees, and Bonnie (who is a very . . . active child) is excited. However, the governess (Miss Slighcarp) shows up a day early, before Sylvia even gets there, and turns out to be a very mean individual. That, of course, could be dealt with, except after Bonnie’s parents leave, she takes over the house, starts selling things, and becomes even more of a horror. Can Bonnie and Sylvia stop her?

According to the Wikipedia entry, Joan Aiken’s novels are all set in an alternate reality in which James II wasn’t deposed in the Glorious Revolution. The first novel of this series, at least, is set during the reign of James IV, in the nineteenth century. The wolves apparently came over from Siberia via the Chunnel, but that wasn’t covered in the book, either. It just happens that there are wolves who terrorize everyone during the winters that live somewhere near Willoughby Chase. Of course, the wolves are also metaphorical, referring to Miss Slighcarp’s taking over of Willoughby Chase, but the wolves themselves do exist. They even almost attack Sylvia.

The novel is written in the style of the mid-century semi-Gothic novels, rather like the Bronte sisters. I’m not entirely sure if it’s intended in a tongue-in-cheek fashion, but it’s got a good deal of humor if one reads it that way. As a matter of fact, I prefer to think it’s tongue-in-cheek, because otherwise the book is a little too bleak for my tastes. However, the style won’t be an impediment to reading the book; it’s not overly wordy, and descriptions tend to be to the point. Younger readers who have read The Secret Garden or The Little Princess and liked them will probably love this book; it’s less than two hundred pages long and much scarier. (In that spine-tingling way.)

The females in this book are rather stereotyped. They’re either evil (Miss Slighcarp and company), fainting sorts (Sylvia, Aunt Jane, Lady Willoughby), or servants (Miss Pattern, Bonnie’s maid), with the notable exception of Bonnie herself. Bonnie is an excellent character; her foil, Sylvia, is a little too inclined to resting on the fainting couch for my tastes. Of course, some may argue that Bonnie is just a stereotype of a willful child, but I still liked her. I enjoyed her enthusiasm, her ingenuity, and her honest, open affection for Miss Pattern, her parents, and Sylvia.

Overall, I quite enjoyed this book quite a bit. Since it’s the beginning of a long series, I have a lot of reading to do in the future! 4.5/5 stars.