THE WOLVES OF WILLOUGHBY CHASE

Bleak roads, marauding wolves and an isolated mansion combine to form an atmosphere of haunting suspense on the first few pages. However, the mood is abruptly shattered when stereotypical characters— the wicked governess, the mistreated children, the frail kindly aunt, the loyal servants— walk on stage. The cruel governess and her associate are caught in the act of locking children in the dungeons; the kind parents return from their trip, and all ends with jolly good cheer all 'round. The constantly active children may command the attention of the listening circle, but all in all, the book is not on a par with the author's The Kingdom and The Cave (1960, p. 329, J-153).