Joan Aiken Books & Reviews

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Joan Aiken

5 stars across 63 books

Joan Aiken wrote over a hundred books, and is best known for The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, the classic adventure set in her own version of the nineteenth century, a time when Dukes travelled by railway, and ravening wolves roamed the land... This was followed by a linked series of fantasy adventures known as The Wolves Chronicles. While many of the books are set in a murky and dangerous London full of hackney-cabs and duchesses, the travels of Dido, the spirited cockney heroine of many of the books, take her all around the world on a series of adventures at sea and in fantastic foreign kingdoms. While the books form a series, they can also be enjoyed as separate stories.

Joan Aiken was also well known for working with Quentin Blake to create the Arabel and Mortimer stories, about a little girl and her hilarious pet raven which were originally shown on CBBC TV.

You can find out all about Joan Aiken and her many different books - from ghost stories to funny modern fairy tales, thrilling dramas set on the high seas, or bedtime stories like A Necklace of Raindrops to read to your baby brother or sister - on her website at http://www.joanaiken.com

Joan Aiken Facts

Joan Aiken was awarded the MBE for her services to Children's Literature

Joan started writing at the age of five, and saved all her stories - they are hilarious!

Joan Aiken was taught at home by her mother until she was twelve, and said that her best friends were books. When she went to boarding school she said she was so terrified of all the other children that she stopped growing! She put her height on her passport as four foot eleven and three quarter inches!

She said a good way she had discovered to get ideas was to eat cheese for supper in the hope of having exciting nightmares she could turn into stories...

Joan Aiken Characters

Dido Twite - feisty cockney heroine of The Wolves Chronicles
Mortimer the Raven - wildly naughty raven who does whatever he likes...! from Arabel's Raven
Miss Slighcarp - wicked governess from The Wolves of Willoughby Chase

Joan Aiken Quotes

"It was dusk, winter dusk. Snow lay white and shining over the pleated hills, and icicles hung from the forest trees." (The Wolves of Willoughby Chase)

"'There's a great awful bird in the fridge!' sobbed Mrs Jones.'And it's eaten all the cheese and a blackcurrant tart and five pints of milk and a bowl of dripping and a pound of sausages...'
Arabel looked at the raven and he looked back at her.
' His name's Mortimer,' she said." (Arabel's Raven)

‘Cor, love a lily-white duck!’ gasped Dido, as a murky bank of the smoke surged towards her and almost smothered her. ‘I never in all my born days smelt such a smell, never! It’s enough to make a bad egg burst out crying and go home to mother. (Night Birds On Nantucket)

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Series

The Wolves Of Willoughby Chase

4th March 2004

The Wolves Of Willoughby Chase

1832 - a period of English History that never happened. Good King James III is on the throne and the country is ravaged ... MoreThe Wolves Of Willoughby Chase

(11 reviews) Review

A Necklace Of Raindrops

5th November 2009

A Necklace Of Raindrops

"This is how it all began..." From 'A Necklace of Raindrops' to 'The Patchwork Quilt', here are eight classic stories to... MoreA Necklace Of Raindrops

(3 reviews) Review

The Kingdom Under the Sea

3rd November 2011

The Kingdom Under the Sea

This is a wonderful new reissued edition of the classic Joan Aiken short story collection illustrated with Jan Pienkowsk... MoreThe Kingdom Under the Sea

(2 reviews) Review

Black Hearts in Battersea

4th March 2004

Black Hearts in Battersea

"Simon paid off the driver and turned to follow Mrs Twite. But she seemed to have locked the door behind her and, as he ... MoreBlack Hearts in Battersea

(1 review) Review

Year 6: Snow Horse and Other Stories

20th September 2004

Year 6: Snow Horse and Other Stories

Joan Aiken was famous for her spine-tingling ghost stories, and this collection presents five classic Aiken chillers in ... MoreYear 6: Snow Horse and Other Stories

(1 review) Review

Arabel and Mortimer Stories

6th June 2019

Arabel and Mortimer Stories

Rediscover the A Puffin Book series and bring the best-loved classics to a new generation - including this treasured edi... MoreArabel and Mortimer Stories

(1 review) Review

More Arabel and Mortimer

3rd October 2019

More Arabel and Mortimer

Rediscover the A Puffin Book series and bring the best-loved classics to a new generation - including this highly antici... MoreMore Arabel and Mortimer

(1 review) Review

Stoneywish and other chilling stories: A Bloomsbury Reader: Dark Blue Book Band

14th May 2020

Stoneywish and other chilling stories: A Bloomsbury Reader: Dark Blue Book Band

Book Band: Dark Blue - Ideal for ages 9+A brilliant collection of spine-chilling tales by Joan Aiken, author of The Wolv... MoreStoneywish and other chilling stories: A Bloomsbury Reader: Dark Blue Book Band

(1 review) Review

Shadows

1st March 2018

Shadows

Patrick is a boy out of his time. He has been thrown forward 300 years into the future, and he must find a way home to s... MoreShadows

(1 review) Review

Dangerous Games

11th April 2019

Dangerous Games

Kevin's older brother, Adam, is a bad lot. Adam and his mates burn out a car they've stolen, trash the local community c... MoreDangerous Games

(0 reviews) Review

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New Book

Tales of London Town

1st September 2024

(0 reviews)

Recent Reviews

More Arabel and Mortimer

by Toppa

A fantastic collection of amusing stories that had the children howling with laughter....
Arabel and Mortimer Stories

by Toppa

I loved these books when I was little and I remembered them the other day! Has anyone else read them?

Such great stories about a little girl called...
A Necklace Of Raindrops

by Y3G

I enjoyed the first story because it was a mystery about the missing raindrop necklace. The girl was my favourite character because she was kind and g...