Thanks to their plucky governess, Miss Penelope Lumley, Alexander, Beowulf, and Cassiopeia are much more like children than wolf cubs now. They are accustomed to wearing clothes. They hardly ever howl at the moon. And for the most part, they resist the urge to chase squirrels up trees.
Yet the Incorrigibles are not entirely civilized, and still managed to ruin Lady Constance’s Christmas ball… So while Ashton Place is being restored, Penelope, the Ashtons, and the children take up residence in London. As they explore the city, Penelope and the Incorrigibles discover more about themselves as clues about the children’s-and Penelope’s own-mysterious past crop up in the most unexpected ways…
Just before their journey to London Penelope receives an unusual illustrated guide to London, the like of which has never before been seen, from her ex-headmistress and it’s evident that something odd is going on.
Characters who don’t seem to exist, strange noises from the attic, an obsession with charting the phases of the moon and people attempting to attack the children. There’s no escaping the fact that people are hiding things; the question is who, and why?
There’s the usual chaos surrounding the children, and Penelope’s determination to hang onto the power of education is amusing. Though it’s good fun, the clues about the origins of the children and suggestion that Penelope is linked were never developed fully and this felt rather short on answers.