The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place by Maryrose Wood

Maryrose Wood's series The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place (J WOOD) has been likened to a cross between Jane Austen and A Series of Unfortunate Events. The books in the series, which is set in 19th century England, are:

1. The Mysterious Howling
2. The Hidden Gallery
3. The Unseen Guest

Having read the first two Incorrigible books, I'd characterize the series as a kinder, gentler, but no less stylish and whimsical choice to Lemony Snicket's immensely popular Unfortunate Events.

Fifteen-year-old Penelope Lumley, newly hired by Lord Fredrick and Lady Constance of Ashton Place to serve as a governess, arrives to find a rather bewildering scenario: Her three charges — Alexander, Cassiopeia and Beowolf — were actually found running wild in the nearby woods. The children have been taken in by the couple, but it's Penelope's job to civilize and educate the feral youngsters.

As a recent graduate of the Swanburne Academy for Poor Bright Females, the practical-minded Penelope quickly overcomes her shock and devotes all her efforts to seeing to her charges' well-being. The children, though occasionally given to bouts of howling and squirrel chasing, blossom under Penelope's attentions.

However, Wood's first book right away hints that not all is at it seems. Lord Fredrick, who seems to enjoy hunting more than he does his wife's company, has an odd compulsion to constantly check an alamanac. His colleagues, whom Penelope first meets at the Ashtons' Christmas party, seem to have shadowy motives. And something — or someone — possibly lurks on the fourth floor.

These questions only multiply as you continue into the second book, The Hidden Gallery, when Penelope and the Incorrigibles journey to London.

I admire the pluck and determination young Miss Penelope Lumley (or "Lumawooo!", as the Incorrigibles call her) shows. Penelope comes across as bright, mature and level-headed, but not to an unrealistic degree. (The only thing I found slightly jarring was the ambitious curriculum she sets for the Incorrigibles: She soon has them appreciating great literature, spouting Latin and tackling advanced math — quite the absorption rate for a pack of half-tame grade-schoolers!) With few allies — Lord Fredrick comes across as uncaring and Lady Constance, a flake — Penelope does her best to protect her charges while solving the mystery of the Incorrigibles' origin as well as her own.

Alexander, Cassiopeia and Beowolf themselves are endearing. The rapidity at which they learn also lends the story much of its humor as we see Penelope's lessons pay off. Each of the siblings has a distinctive personality, though it's clear all of them adore and trust Penelope. Still, this is Penelope's story to tell, and it's one I think all ages will find entertaining.

Here's a video of author Maryrose Wood discussing the books:

How do you like your green eggs and ham?

Happy birthday, Dr. Seuss! The beloved author and illustrator, whose real name was Theodor Seuss Geisel, was born on March 2, 1904, in Springfield, Mass. He gave us the Cat in the Hat, Horton the elephant, the Christmas-averse Grinch, the determined Sam-I-Am, with his green eggs and ham, and many more unforgettable characters.

According to his biography, available through the library's Gale Biography in Context database, his books have been translated into nearly every language in the world, with more than 100 million copies sold. Animated TV specials of his stories have won Emmys and Peabody awards.

In 1984, Geisel earned a Special Award and Citation from the Pulitzer Prize committee recognizing his contributions to children's literature. Until Geisel, books for children beginning to read had been dull affairs. The Cat in the Hat, with its humor, imagination and wordplay— changed all that.

Later, Geisel would talk about the process:

"Writing children's books is hard work, a lot harder than most people realize, and that includes most writers of children's books. And it never gets any easier. I remember thinking that I might be able to dash off The Cat in the Hat in two or three weeks. Actually, it took over a year. You try telling a pretty complicated story using less than two hundred and fifty words! No, don't, not unless you're willing to rewrite and rewrite and rewrite."

Geisel passed away at the age of 87 in 1991.

In honor of Dr. Seuss' achievements, the National Educational Association celebrates his birthday each year as Read Across America Day. Edcators, families, city officials and celebrities come together to read his works aloud to children to encourage literacy. The Houston Chronicle has posted a video of several local celebs — including former first lady Barbara Bush, Texans quarterback Matt Schaub, activist and minister Quanell X, Mayor Annise Parker and Lakewood Church's Victoria Osteen — reading Green Eggs and Ham:

Feel like picking up some Seuss yourself? You'll find many of them in our children's department under E SEUSS (children's picture books)and ER SEUSS (children's beginning readers). Please check with a librarian if you have any questions. Happy reading!

Data log: 10 weeks after launch

Here are our science experiments at the 10-week mark:

Check the previous post for the 8-week update.

How does your garden grow?

Earlier this summer, Children's Librarian Kayla and many of our young patrons did some science experiments involving plants. You can check out the results of their work in the children's department. You'll see sweet potatoes shooting sprouts in their cups of water, seedlings planted in different kinds of dirt to see which would grow the fastest — so far Texas City soil is proving thew winner — and a variety of other green things growing.

Minute to Win It marathon

Last week we had three straight programs of 60-second games for our children and teen patrons. There was fierce competition and lots of good-natured trash-talking with the teens, and the smaller munchkins in some cases were so inspired by the games, they made up their own, right on the spot! Check out our videos:

And we've still got four more programs this week — two each on Thursday and Friday — to wrap up our Summer Reading Program. Check out the MMPL website for the schedule!