The Incorrible Children of Ashton Place

Dear Readers,

I have started to read a new book series entitled "The Incorrible Children of Ashton Place" by MaryRose Wood.  I have to admit, the first thing that drew me to the book was the cover page illustration (by Jon Klassen).  It reminded me of "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë and that couldn't be a bad thing!

Coincidentally, this story is also about a young and poor governess, Miss Penelope Lumley, who is hired to take charge of three very unusual pupils.  The series consists of 6 volumes but the 6th volume is not released yet.   All the books are written by the same author but the illustrator changed: from books 1-3, it's Jon Klassen and for books 4-5, it's Eliza Wheeler.

I loved reading "Jane Eyre" and so without much hesitation, I bought the first book:

"The Incorrible Children of Ashton Place: The Mysterious Howling"

I read it in three hours and was instantly hooked! I decided to buy all four remaining volumes!  Each book apparently ends with a cliffhanger so if you don't want to wait for the next delivery, you should buy all of them at once like I did! LOL

The target age range is 8-12 years old (or Grade 3-7) but I think adults can enjoy this book series as well.  The is a lot of humor in the story and Mrs. Wood's writing style is fluid and very likeable.  The story reminded me very much of the 1970 French movie "L'Enfant Sauvage" by François Truffaut which was about a teacher trying to educate a young boy who was apparently raised without or with little contact with human beings.

I found myself rooting for Miss Penelope Lumley and hoping that she would be able to solve the mysteries surrounding the children in her charge and the strange people who gravitate around them.

Disclaimer: All opinions are my own. I was not paid or received gifts to write this or mention any store or website.  

The Snow Queen

This is possibly the most gorgeous book version I have ever seen of The Snow Queen from Hans Christian Andersen.  It is illustrated by Mary Engelbreit and it is a delight to the eyes!

My boy first heard of this story a few months ago, but not in its entirety so he asked me if I could get him the book.  There are many many picture books of this story but I chose the one from Mary Engelbreit because I love her illustrations.  Also, this story could be quite dark and scary for a child so I was hoping Engelbreit's adorable and innocent style of drawings would be more age appropriate for children.

If you are not familiar with the story, here is a quick summary: Kay and Gerda are two young children and they are the best of friends. One day, Kay gets an evil glass shard in his eye and heart and he becomes mean and sees the world differently.  He is then kidnapped by the Snow Queen and Gerda goes on a quest to find him. 

The story is full of magic and suspense!  It is quite long, especially for young children, but it was captivating from start to end and I think it will be something that my son would want to re-read on his own.  I can't wait for my baby girl to be old enough to understand the story too!

I ordered the book via Amazon a month ago and hid it for the Christmas Book Advent.  Two days ago, my son opened the wrapped book and he was very glad to read the whole story at last.  He loved the pictures and I couldn't be happier with this purchase.  It is a BIG book and it's worth every penny!

I posted some pictures on my Instagram account this morning but if you don't have Instagram, I am showing them here below.

Aren't those the sweetest illustrations you have ever seen?  Please pardon my enthusiasm for I am such a fan of Mary Engelbreit!

Do you like this story?  I loved re-reading this tale and I must say that I now want to buy all the illustrated Snow Queen books out there!  If you have a different version of this book, please let me know!  Which one would you recommend?