The Wolves of Willoughby Chase

Joan Aiken is a marvel -- Philip Pullman
She was a consummate story-teller, one that each generation discovers anew -- Amanda Craig * The Times *
Dickensian in flavour ... rich in atmosphere and intrigue -- Julia Eccleshare * Guardian *
A genuine small masterpiece -- Time
Thrilling tale...stuffed with atmosphere, adventure, memorable characters and luxuriant Gothic prose. Any child who discovers it will fall in love, not only with Aiken’s writing, but with reading... The Wolves sequence has inspired writers from Philip Pullman to Cathryn Constable... Aiken was a genius, and her reissue deserves howls of delight -- Amanda Craig * The Times *
Take a whirlwind journey to the desolate, wolf-infested Willoughby estates. Brave cousins, an evil governess, a horrid orphanage - this rip-roaring story has them all, and more -- Anne Fine
So what makes these different to any other set of classics? In a moment of inspiration Random House had the bright idea of actually asking Key stage 2 children what extra ingredients they could add to make children want to read. And does it work? Well, put it this way...my 13-year-old daughter announced that she had to read a book over the summer holiday and, without any prompting, spotted The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas...and proceeded to read it! Now, if you knew my 13-year-old daughter, you would realise that this is quite remarkable. She reads texts, blogs and tags by the thousand - but this is the first book she has read since going to high school, so all hail Vintage Classics! * National Association for the Teaching of English *
Masefield conjures the snowy landscape unforgettably , as does Joan Aiken in the 50th anniversary edition of The Wolves of Willoughby Chase. -- Amanda Craig * The Times *