Incorrigible Childred of Ashton Place Books In Order

Publication Order of The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place Books

Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place is a series of children’s books written by Maryrose Wood.

+The Story

The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place series tells the stories of three parties, namely: Penelope, the Incorrigibles, and Lord Frederick.

When the series begins, Miss Penelope Lumley is a bright young lady. At fifteen years of age, she just finished her studies at the Swanburne Academy for Poor Bright Females. Because she lives in a time and place where being governess is the one respectable means of earning a living available to an intelligent young woman, Penelope is excited to undertake her new career.

She has no idea what awaits her.

Lord Frederick Ashton is a rich man. When he is first introduced in ‘The Mysterious Howling’, the first book in the series, Lord Frederick has no children. But he does have a large estate and a young wife.

His life takes a strange turn when he comes upon the three children living in the forest of Ashton Place. The Incorrigibles, as he comes to call them, are not like any children he has ever seen. They chase squirrels, nip at each other and howl at the moon.

They act like they were raised by wolves, and it turns out that they actually were. Upon discovering them in the forest of Ashton place, Lord Frederick informally adopts them. Perceiving them as some sort of novelty he can show off to his rich friends, Lord Frederick takes them home and leaves them in the care of Lady Constance, his wife.

He charges her with turning them into civilized little ladies and gentlemen, a task that quickly overwhelms Lady Constance. The Incorrigibles are a handful. And rather than giving up on them, she hires a governess.

Lady Constance reaches out the Swanburne academy because she expects the best. And that is what she gets when she hires Penelope Lumley.

Penelope cannot wait to download everything she has learned into the young minds waiting at Ashton Place. She expects to spend her afternoons teaching Latin and geometry, maybe even poetry.

She is stunned to encounter the Incorrigibles. She isn’t merely expected to educate them. Penelope is charged with teaching them manners. By Christmas time, Lord Frederick doesn’t want to see silly little wolf children.

He expects to be greeted by three proper ladies and gentlemen; kids that can sit straight at a table eat meals with the right utensils and keep all their howling away from the public sphere.

It is an undertaking the likes of which Penelope never thought she would encounter. But after hard tutoring at the Swanburne Academy, Penelope isn’t about to give up. She rolls up her sleeves and begins molding the kids into respectable individuals. And not even their more intimidating antics will keep her from achieving her objective.

The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place series tells the story of Ashton place after three wild children move in.

You have Alexander, the ten-year-old that keeps everyone in check. Then there’s Cassiopeia who should be five or six—no one’s really sure. She loves to bark but her bite isn’t so severe.

Beowulf is somewhere in the middle. He’s the one that loves to chase squirrels.

The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place books are written with kids in mind, specifically 10-year olds and above. The biggest draw is the incorrigibles. They are the source of all the silliness, and they are a stark juxtaposition to the stiff, formal and almost snobbish world that they inhabit.

Readers cannot help but love them. Each book sees them take another step towards civilization. It is Penelope’s job to put them right and you root for her throughout her journey.

Her rehabilitation methods can be strict but also merciful and kind. But she often encounters frustration. Every time it looks like she’s beaten one wild habit out of them, another wolf-like tendency manifests.

She isn’t immune to questioning her own ability to actually fix the Incorrigibles. But as the books progress, you can see her progress. The Incorrigibles are never completely cured of their wild behavior. But they make great strides.

A central mystery of these books is the origins of Alexander and his siblings. No one knows where they came from or how they got to Ashton place. Penelope makes it a point to try and find out. Meanwhile, there is also some mystery surrounding Penelope, specifically the question of who left her at the Swanburne Academy and why.

Whenever Penelope takes a breather from investigating the incorrigibles, she uses that time to look into Lord Frederick. The Lord and Lady are not without their secrets.

And Penelope soon finds that, for all her frustration at the slow progress of the Incorrigibles, their wolf-like traits come in handy for collecting clues and solving puzzles.

The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place has been compared to the Lemony Snicket stories. The books are largely innocuous, free of sex, violence, and any other overtly negative components.

Even though Maryrose Wood wrote the series with children in mind, the Incorrigible books are also relatively popular among adults.

+The Mysterious Howling

Ashton Place is a pretty big place, especially the forest. You never know what you will find. However, the very last thing Lord Frederick expects to encounter is a pack of three children. And ‘pack’ is definitely the right word because Alexander and his siblings are more like wolves than actual children.

And unfortunately for Miss Penelope Lumley, a recent graduate of the Swanburne Academy, it will be her job as the new governess to turn them into civilized young boys and girls.

Even as she tries to teach them poetry and the right way to sit at a table, Penelope cannot help but investigate the mystery of their origins.

+The Hidden Gallery

It seemed like Miss Penelope had done the impossible. When Alexander, Cassiopeia, and Beowulf were discovered in the forest of Ashton Place, Penelope was hired to banish their wolf traits and turn them into civilized kids.

And Penelope would have happily patted herself on the back. After all, not only were they no longer chasing squirrels up trees but even the howling had begun to fade.

When the Incorrigibles, as the kids are now called, ruin Lady Constance’s Christmas ball, they are sent off to London while Ashton Place undergoes restoration. There, Penelope continues to try and figure out where the kids came from.