It’s ridiculous, hilarious, mysterious…quite frankly, it’s wonderful. There are few books that are as much fun as this one is. This book (the whole series, really) is like Lemony Snicket’s and Charlotte Brontë’s child (with all of its personality deriving from Snicket’s side of the family). “One direction will smell more like elephants than the other, and this is the direction in which I shall go.” “Easy as pie!” she thought, preparing to sniff. And the chance to put this one to the test had arrived, for Penelope was already careening toward the intersection.

I shall ride until I smell elephants! For that will mean the zoo must surely be nearby.” This is the trouble with optimism, you see: In excess, it makes even ridiculous ideas seem worth a try. Hixby’s advice is sounder than it first appeared. “Why, this is not difficult at all,” she thought, perhaps feeling a bit more confident than she had a right to. From the sound of it, this fellow was taking the stairs two at a time.” Straightaway there was a great clatter and thumping and the crash of things colliding. “I’m coming down!” The young man’s head disappeared back inside the window. “What?” the young man yelled down, louder. “Yes,” Penelope called back, but the children were still carrying on in a most frightful way. “What’s all that racket? Is everything all right?”

“I say!” A young man stuck his head out of a window two floors above. As they explore London, however, they discover more about themselves as clues about the children’s-and Penelope’s-mysterious past crop up in the most unexpected ways…” But the city presents challenges, too, in the form of the palace guards’ bearskin hats, which drive the children wild-not to mention the abundance of pigeons the Incorrigibles love to hunt. Penelope is thrilled, as London offers so many opportunities to further the education of her unique students. So while Ashton Place is being restored, Penelope, the Ashtons, and the children take up residence n London. And for the most part, they resist the urge to chase squirrels up trees.ĭespite Penelope’s civilizing influence, the Incorrigibles still managed to ruin Lady Constance’s Christmas ball, nearly destroying the grand house. “Thanks to the efforts of Miss Penelope Lumley, their plucky governess, Alexander, Beowulf, and Cassiopeia are much more like children than wolf pups now. Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery, and a bit of Fantasy My review of the first book can be found here and Wood’s website can be found here. It is the second book in The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place series. It was published in 2011 by Balzer + Bray. The Hidden Gallery is written by Maryrose Wood.

The Hidden Gallery by Maryrose Wood