Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful characters, loads of fun
Review: When I first read this book I was ten or eleven...I recommended it to my then best friend, and she too loved it. We used to play "Bonnie and Sylvia" (I was Bonnie) at recess. Anyways, this book will totally engross its readers. The strong heroines are amazing, and how someone couldn't love Simon is beyond me. The good guys are SO good, but they have quirks and eccentricities that make them loveable nonetheless, and the bad guys just drip evil. I think the book is made by its primary characters, though. If it weren't for Bonnie's charisma, Sylvia's believability, even if she's not the magnetic one, and Simon's goodness I would probably have dismissed it as Dickensian sop. However, since the heroes take charge, and although they face great adversity, they are never "put upon", I really enjoyed this book. I think it's a must read for young girls. It's less action-packed and fun and adventurous than the other books in the series, but it certainly inspired me enough at recess!
Rating: 
Summary: Great Children's Adventure For All Ages
Review: "The Wolves of Willoughby Chase" is the adventure of two young cousins (Sylvia and Bonnie Green) who must outwit the evil new governess, Miss Slighcarp, and her accomplices from stealing the Willoughby's estate. When news comes of Bonnie's parent's death, Sylvia and Bonnie are forced into an orphanage at Miss Slighcarp's order, but later escape with the help of Simon, a friend of Bonnie's, and are then able to uncover Miss Slighcarp's elaborate plot."The Wolves of Willoughby Chase" is the first book in the Wolves Chronicles, followed by "Black Hearts in Battersea", "Nightbirds on Nantucket", "The Cuckoo Tree", and "The Stolen Lake". I recommend you read the others as well if you enjoyed "The Wolves of Willoughby Chase". I first read this book in fifth grade and have reread it often ever since. It's one of my favorite books, and I highly recommend it for all ages. It was later made into a movie in 1988, but I haven't seen it yet.
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Summary: The First of the "Wolves" Saga
Review: "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 terrorise 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 servents, 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 realises 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 independance 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 cliche 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 conclused with a happy ending - even if it's outrageously implausible (such as Bonnie's parents miraculous escape). Yet despite all this, somehow 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."
Rating:
Summary: Very good! Very Exciting Adventure!
Review: This book is great! Sylvia goes to live with her cousin Bonnie and they both are treated badly when Bonnie's parents go away on a sea trip by their governess. They are taken to an orphanage when the governess (Miss Slighcarp) starts her plans to take over Willoughby Chase and doesn't have time for them. They escape from the orphange with a little help from their friend, Simon and make their way to London, where they find Sylvia's Aunt Jane. Buy this book or pick it up from the library to find out what happens next. I recommend it to people who like adventures where girls are the heroes, and well-written stories. Joan Aiken's books have girls as the heroes in all of her books that I have read so far. They are really adventurous. DO NOT judge the book before it is finished, because sometimes the most unexpected endings occur. Read this book!
Rating:
Summary: Challenging and engrossing with strong female heroes
Review: I read this wonderful book to my daughter beginning at age five and continuing through age 10 or so. It was our favorite book to read together and we must have read it five or six times. Joan Aiken has weaved a suspenseful plot driven by strong characters, both good and evil. At the time I began reading "Wolves" to my daughter (1983) it was one of the very few book-length stories I could find that featured girls as heroes--girls who learned to overcome adversity and take care of themselves, with a little help from good friends. Aiken never writes down to her audience, and the vocabulary is quite challenging. But my daughter and I never worried about that too much. I'd read, she'd listen, and over time she figured out the words for herself and added them to her own vocabulary. Today, she's a professional writer herselrf (at age 19 1/2) and I've often thought that the time we spent with Joan Aiken's beautifully structured books had something to do with that!
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Summary: Baby it's cold outside
Review: Have a child that loves Lemony Snicket? Read them this book. Have a child interested in dark gothic tales involving secret passages and cruel hungry wolves? Read them this book. Have a child? Read them this book. An admission: When I was a child I avoided this book like the plague. Why? Because I grew up in a time when books about girls and lovable wolves/dolphins/ponies (etc.) were what all the young ladies were reading. In a kind of rebellion against my sex I steadfastly decided not to read anything girly. Looking at "The Wolves of Willoughby Chase" I simply saw the word "wolves" and moved on. I probably thought it was something akin to the pandering "Julie of the Wolves". Had I been a little more vigilant in my cover perusal, I might have notices that the aforementioned wolves are pictured slathering and drooling in anticipation of eating two young girls dressed all in furs. This is not one of those I-Love-Wolves books you hear so much about. It is rather, an old fashioned anti-wolf tale that delves into the seamy underbelly of class and corruption. And it is remarkably good. Young Sylvia is being sent to live with her cousin Bonnie. Sylvia is an orphan, raised only by her elderly Aunt Jane and she is a frail lonely child. Bonnie, by contrast, is a rich boisterous young girl with a house full of pretty things and kind servants. When Bonnie's parents leave for several months, the girls are placed in the care of the vile Miss Slighcarp and her partner in crime, Mr. Grimshaw. Soon enough the children are packed off to a horrendous boarding school and must find a way back to their house and home using their wits and a couple faithful friends. The tale is rife with all the aspects of a Dickensian style novel made palatable to younger children. There are caricatured men and women with over-stylized names. There are moments of dire peril (without ever becoming too too dire) and lovely descriptions of pretty clothes and delicious food. The book does rely on a couple old-fashioned stereotypes, but this is not particularly surprising. Like many a Victorian novel, the true villains of this piece are members of the lower classes that wish to use any means to be above their stations. Hence, a governess that goes about wearing the clothes of her employer is considered the height of evil itself. But if the book is a flashback to the past, it's a flashback we've all needed for some time. Pat Marriott's original illustrations in pen and ink deftly create the atmosphere so needed for this kind of a story. Elements of this tale will remind children of other famous books they may have read in the past. The thin Miss Slighcarp and her overweight boarding school friend Mrs. Brisket (could it BE any more Oliver Twist?) are not too dissimilar to the evil aunts in "James and the Giant Peach". And the plucky young lad Simon who lives alone and on his own is not much different from Dickens in "The Secret Garden". But just because these elements seem similar, this is not to say that the book feels repetitive or overdone. Instead, it's an interesting story that contains just enough danger to make the plot interesting without scaring younger kid readers too much. A success as a book and a wonderful tale.
Rating:
Summary: Great Children's Adventure For All Ages
Review: "The Wolves of Willoughby Chase" is the adventure of two young cousins (Sylvia and Bonnie Green) who must outwit the evil new governess, Miss Slighcarp, and her accomplices from stealing the Willoughby's estate. When news comes of Bonnie's parent's death, Sylvia and Bonnie are forced into an orphanage at Miss Slighcarp's order, but later escape with the help of Simon, a friend of Bonnie's, and are then able to uncover Miss Slighcarp's elaborate plot. "The Wolves of Willoughby Chase" is the first book in the Wolves Chronicles, followed by "Black Hearts in Battersea", "Nightbirds on Nantucket", "The Cuckoo Tree", and "The Stolen Lake". I recommend you read the others as well if you enjoyed "The Wolves of Willoughby Chase". I first read this book in fifth grade and have reread it often ever since. It's one of my favorite books, and I highly recommend it for all ages. It was later made into a movie in 1988, but I haven't seen it yet.
Rating:
Summary: This book rocks!!!!
Review: The Wolves of Willoughby Chase by Joan Aiken is a very exciting and adventurous book about two cousins, Sylvia and Bonnie, who are being taken care of by an eval Governess, Miss Slighcarp. When Bonnie learns that her parents are dead, Miss Slighcarp sends her and Sylvia to a horrible orphanage, and takes her parent's house and money. With the help of a friend, Simon, the girls try to escape! You should read this book to find out what happens next. It's exciting! Isabelle, (...).
Rating:
Summary: Can't say enough
Review: This book is a masterpiece, truly.
When I was ten, I wrote Ms. Aiken. And she wrote me back! I told her I wanted to write too and she wished me luck. Now I have several short stories published and I'm nearly completed with my first novel.
Thank you, Joan Aiken.
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Summary: This book Rocks!
Review: The book: "The Wolves of Willoughby Chase" by Joan Aiken is the best book i have ever read! It starts off as richy kinda story and turns out to be a true friendship story about the people you trust. You will see when you read this book how much Joan Aiken livens up life with all of his creativness. This book ROCK'S!*!*!
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