The Wolves of Willoughby Chase (by Joan Aiken)

It’s over two decades since I last read Joan Aiken’s classic novel for older children, ‘The Wolves of Willoughby Chase’. But I was in a second-hand book shop with my grandchildren, and saw a good quality paperback edition of this book for just a couple of pounds. I ascertained that they did not already have it, and bought it for them. 

Not long afterwards, sitting in a tea shop waiting for them to return with their parents after more perusing of books, I picked it up to skim through the first ch...