Book Review: The Hidden Gallery

The Hidden Gallery is book two in The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place series. Although the narrator's voice was grating when offering dialogue from Lady Constance in the first installment, I choked back my hesitation and gave this second audio book a try. No change! Thankfully, it's primarily Lady Constance's shrill voice I cannot abide, and she only made it to a few scenes in the second book. Still, I'm not sure I'll continue, even though my library has all six books in the series available in audio form.

After a disastrous demolition at the holiday party, the incorrigible children make their way to London while workers make repairs on Ashton Place. In the city, they meet pigeons, palace guards (with bearskin hats) and parrots. Each brings out their wolfish tendencies. But their governess, Miss Penelope Lumley, does her best to tame the children and lead them on adventures in the city, all the while following clues from a unique guidebook. This perplexing book, a gift from her former headmistress, leads them to the hidden gallery.

The books in this series hold my attention, but never get closer to a resolution. At the end of this second installment, the reader still doesn't know the parentage of either the incorrigible children or the governess. I wished the book had given more time to London locations. Indeed, my interest is flagging. I'm weary of the condescending tone of the narrator who interjects vocabulary lessons and reminds the reader that Miss Lumley's time differs greatly from our modern experience. However, precocious children may find this series appealing, especially if they enjoyed The Series of Unfortunate Events. If my boys were younger, and we were anticipating a road trip, this might be a reasonable choice.