Of especially naughty children it is sometimes said, "They must have been raised by wolves."
The Incorrigible children actually were.
Since returning from London, the three Incorrigible children and their plucky governess, Miss Penelope Lumley, have been exceedingly busy. Despite their wolfish upbringing, the children have taken up bird-watching, with no unfortunate consequences—yet. And a perplexing gift raises hard questions about how Penelope came to be left at the Swanburne Academy for Poor Bright Females and why her parents never bothered to return for her.
But hers is not the only family mystery to solve. When Lord Fredrick's long-absent mother arrives with the noted explorer Admiral Faucet, gruesome secrets tumble out of the Ashton family tree. And when the admiral's prized racing ostrich gets loose in the forest, it will take all the Incorrigibles' skills to find her.
The hunt for the runaway ostrich is on. But Penelope is worried. Once back in the wild, will the children forget about books and poetry and go back to their howling, wolfish ways? What if they never want to come back to Ashton Place at all?
From School Library JournalGr 4-6-As governess for three children raised by wolves, Penelope Lumley faces many challenges, especially when Lord Ashton's long-lost mother and explorer Admiral Faucet arrive at Ashton Place. An ostrich is loose in the woods and the children's unique tracking talents are put to the test. This leads to the mystery of the children's savage upbringing being revealed. Admiral Faucet immediately thinks of money-making schemes involving the children, ostriches, and wolves along with his plan to marry Lord Aston's mother for her money. It is up to Miss Lumley, with the help of some characters from the previous book in the series, to find a way to protect everyone involved. Katherine Kellgren narrates with different voices for each character-from the prim English accent of Miss Lumley to the screeching parrot-like voices of the wolfish children. Fans of Maryrose Wood's series will enjoy the sometimes rambunctious action, exaggerated characters, and unique humor of this book (Balzer + Bray, 2012) which ends with unsolved mysteries and the promise of more adventures.-Teresa Wittmann, Westgate Elementary, Edmonds, WAα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
ReviewIt's the best beginning since The Bad Beginning (1999) [by Lemony Snicket] and will leave readers howling for the next episode.--Kirkus Reviews (starred review)