The Interrupted Tale — Maryrose Wood

Fans of Lemony Snicket and the Mysterious Benedict Society books will devour the Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place series, about a governess and her three charges--children who have been raised by wolves.

In The Interrupted Tale, the fourth title in the acclaimed and hilarious mystery series, Miss Penelope Lumley's sixteenth birthday is not quite sweet. Her parents remain absent, and her friend, Simon, has not been heard from since he went to visit his ailing great-uncle Pudge in the old sailors' home.

Luckily, an invitation to speak at the annual Celebrate Alumnae Knowledge Exposition (or CAKE) at the Swanburne Academy for Poor Bright Females provides just the diversion Penelope needs. But when Penelope is asked by the Swanburne board of trustees to demonstrate the academic progress of her three wolfish students, so the board can judge the true worth of a Swanburne education, the future of her school--and of her job as governess to the Incorrigibles--hangs in the balance.

Signature quirky black-and-white illustrations add to the appeal of these books.