Summary and Reviews of The Mysterious Howling by Maryrose Wood

The Second Chapter

Penelope and Lady Constance converse to the accompaniment of strange noises.

If you have ever visited a theme park full of roller coasters, water slides, and thrilling games of chance, you were undoubtedly tickled half to death by it all. But then, just when it seemed the excitement had reached a fever pitch from which you might never recover, the tedious ordeal of waiting in a long line for the bathroom may have suddenly made you so bored that you wished you were home in bed with the flu.

So it was with Penelope. Despite the two days of anxious travel she had just endured and the important job interview that awaited her, as she sat there trapped in the carriage seat next to a coachman who had decided not to talk, Penelope grew excruciatingly bored. She decided it would be rude to glance at her poetry book.

"I shall have to resort to the scenery to keep me occupied," she thought, turning her mind to the task. They were now passing through stately woods. ...

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

Discussion Questions

1. What does incorrigible mean? Do you think Alexander, Beowulf, and Cassiopeia really are incorrigible? Could any of the other characters in the novel be described as incorrigible?
2. The narrator says that Penelope Lumley is "perfectly match[ed]" to "what any reasonable person might expect a young governess to look like" (p. 7). What adjectives would you use to describe Penelope?
3. When Penelope first tells the story of the ponies, she says that Silky's rough behavior is not his fault because he has "known no kindness or tender care in his life" (p. 40). Do you agree or disagree? Are people and animals responsible for acting badly if they've never been ...