| Title | : | Wormwood Mire (A Stella Montgomery Intrigue, #2) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 073333301X |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780733333019 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages | : | 288 |
| Publication | : | First published October 24, 2016 |
| Awards | : | Australian Book Industry Award (ABIA) Older Children (ages 8-14) (2017) |
Now they are sending Stella away to the old family home at Wormwood Mire, where she must live with two strange cousins and their governess.
But within the overgrown grounds of the mouldering house, dark secrets slither and skulk, and soon Stella must be brave once more if she's to find out who - or what - she really is ...
From bestselling writer-illustrator Judith Rossell comes the thrilling and magical sequel to her multi-award-winning novel, Withering-by-Sea.
Wormwood Mire (A Stella Montgomery Intrigue, #2) Reviews
-
After Stella's wild adventure, she is determined to get some answers from her aunts about her past. The Aunts are furious with Stella and refuse to answer questions. Instead, they pack her off to stay with her cousins and their governess at Wormwood Mire, the Montgomery family's ancestral home. Armed with a book of moral tales about naughty children, Stella is left to face her fate alone. She discovers a mysterious village where people are afraid to go out after dark and an old, crumbling manor house full of secrets. As Stella's memories of her early childhood return, she hopes she can finally solve the mystery of the babies in the photo. With her cousins, Strideforth and Hortense, Stella explores the Manor and the grounds, discovering a monster that lurks below the surface of the lake. Can Stella solve her family mystery or will she be eaten by the monster first?
This book sounds like Jane Eyre or Gothic novel of the Victorian period with a mysterious Manor and family secrets. The story is not as compelling as in the first book. In the first book the mystery is set up right away and Stella finds herself in danger. This book has relatively little danger until the end of the novel. It concludes satisfactorily and answers some of Stella's questions about her family history. I loved Wormwood Mire and longed to explore it more. I wanted to read great-great-Grandfather Montgomery's diaries of his travels and the mysterious creatures he discovered.
The new characters here are Stella's cousins Strideforth and Hortense. Strideforth is a young man of a scientific mind. He is fascinated by science, technology and engineering. I love his inventions though they don't necessarily sound all that helpful! He's an enthusiastic explorer and a fun cousin. He sounds like me, trying to find a rational explanation for things. Hortense has selective mutism following her mother's death. It doesn't ruin the story having a non-verbal character for Hortense has an extreme affinity for animals and can communicate with them through vocal sounds. Her naughty animal friends are the quirky, colorful characters in this novel. I quite like Anya the ermine. The trio make a great team and I hope they have more adventures. Their friend Jem is the son of the housekeeper/cook for the Manor. He is a spunky and cheeky lad who is a lot of fun. I hope he joins Stella and her cousins for more adventures.
As with books by Roald Dahl and Lemony Snicket, the adults are largely useless or just bad in this story. I was surprised and a bit let down by the revelations at the end by one of the adults but it makes the story less predictable. The adults give the book a creepy, gothic vibe.
The monster plays a huge role in the book and can be considered a character in it's own right. I was interested in learning more about it. If you liked
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets you will probably enjoy this book too. -
La historia aburridisima, se pasa cuatro páginas describiendo un ruido sin importancia.😴
-
Enjoyed this middle grade historical fantasy which reminded me of Eva Ibbotson. Here is a link to my review of books 1 and 2:
https://perfectretort.blogspot.com/20... -
I thought I would try a new way of reviewing, hopefully it will be helpful to some of you!
3,5 stars
Three main elements of this book:
1. an old, peculiar mansion
2. family mystery
3. a lot of bizarre plants and animals
After I finished reading the first book, Withering-By-Sea, I was absolutely delighted. Mysteries are my favourite middle-grade subgenre and this one also incorporated some folklore/mythology elements, so I thought it was wonderful. The second book followed Stella's adventure as she tried to uncover her family's secret, but it felt very much different to me.
Maybe it's a different setting (we're no longer in a seaside town, but instead in an old, crumbling mansion, surrounded by a huge garden full of unusual plants and sometimes even animals), but I also felt like the pace of the story itself was much slower this time around, and the story didn't grab me as much as it did previously. I still think that it will appeal to the younger readers, and most definitely those interested in botany :) It also has some humour and we do learn new things from Stella's past, so ultimately I can say that I enjoyed it.
I'm excited to see what awaits us in the third and last part of this series. It looks like we'll change the setting again, and unravel yet another mystery :) -
Wormwood Mire is even more beautifully presented than Withering-by-Sea.
The green ink font and illustrations generously scattered throughout the book make this a visual feast as well as a glorious, mysterious and slightly magical read.
I was entranced with the new story from page one.
Chapter One reveals a rather Harry Potteresque illustration of Stella sitting in a railway carriage by herself staring forlornly out the window. She has been banished from her aunts for her 'bad behaviour' at the end of the first book. They feel she is in need of proper tuition and education and have decided to send her off to school with her cousins, Strideforth and Hortense.
Fortunately for Stella, the cousins are kindred spirits. Unfortunately for all three of them, the old family home, Wormwood Mire (almost a character in itself) is haunted by a mysterious and sinister creature that lurks in the woods.
The pacing and tension in book two is tremendous. Fast-paced and convincing, Rossell has created a believable world that lives on the edge of feyness. Wormwood Mire is far more complex and engrossing than book one and takes us down a completely different path. A path full of gothic adventure and lots of family secrets.
Full review here -
http://bronasbooks.blogspot.com.au/20... -
Stellas Tanten hatten sich wirklich Mühe gegeben, aus ihrer burschikosen Nichte eine vornehme junge Dame zu machen. Doch nun haben sie die Nase voll und schicken das Mädchen nach Wormwood Mire, auf den Stammsitz der Familie. Die drei Tanten und Stellas Mutter sind dort aufgewachsen. Das Foto einer jungen Frau mit zwei Kindern hat Stella schon auf der Reise aufgewühlt – sollte sie eine Schwester gehabt haben? Stella soll gemeinsam mit Cousin Theodor und Cousine Hortense von einer Gouvernante unterrichtet und erzieherisch zurechtgestutzt werden – für Stella eine schreckliche Vorstellung. Das Haus stand 10 Jahre lang leer und schon gleich bei ihrer Ankunft hört Stella munkeln, damals wäre etwas Schauriges passiert. Die Hausmeisterin Mrs Burdock würde die Kinder am liebsten keine Minute aus den Augen lassen.
Theodor interessiert sich für die komplizierte Haustechnik eines so großen Anwesens. Ihm lässt die Frage keine Ruhe, warum auf Wormwood ständig ohne Erfolg geheizt wird (Wo bleibt die Wärme?). Er ist überzeugt davon, dass es keine Ungeheuer geben kann, das wäre wissenschaftlich erwiesen. Stella ist sich da nicht so sicher. Hortense spricht nicht und hat eine enge Beziehung zu Tieren. Wer einen riesigen, aufdringlichen Albatros wie Henry im Haus hat, lernt schnell, sein aktuelles Buch stets mit einem großen Stein zu beschweren, damit Henry es nicht zerfetzt.
Miss Araminter, die Gouvernante, lässt die Kinder die meiste Zeit in Ruhe, damit sie selbst sich mit der Pflanzenwelt des Anwesens beschäftigen kann. Stella kann darum in aller Ruhe die Nase in den Expeditionsbericht des alten Wormwood stecken. Der Vorfahr war Forschungsreisender und Sammler, so dass man sich auf dem Anwesen weder über Würgereben noch über giftige Tausendfüßler wundern sollte. Die Tanten wären entsetzt, wüssten sie, dass die Kinder gemeinsam nicht nur Geheimnissen im Haus auf die Spur kommen, sondern auch das Rätsel des Ungeheuers im See zu lösen versuchen.
Auf Wormwood werden Kinder bei ihren Abenteuern nicht nur nass und schmutzig, sie werden auch mit magischen Wesen und künstlichen Schöpfungen aus der Welt des Steampunk konfrontiert. Die drei Schüler und der Enkel des Hausmeisterpaars geben mit ihren unterschiedlichen Stärken ein tolles Team ab. Ich konnte mich nur schwer entscheiden, ob ich mich lieber mit Stella und ihrem Interesse für die gesamte Welt identifiziere oder mit „Es gibt keine Monster und keine Meerjungfrauen“-Theodor. Wenn am Ende der Buchdeckel über einem überraschend spannenden viktorianischen Abenteuer geschlossen wird, hat Stella verstörende Tatsachen über sich und ihre Herkunft erfahren.
angekündigt Band 3: Wakestone Hall -
I may or may not have stayed up until 11:30 at night to finish this book......
I did
And I don’t regret it
This book was really good and I think it’s safe to say that this series is one of my favourite middle grade series. Unfortunately this series is highly underrated though.
I do think the first book was slightly better but this book was still really good. It’s very hard to compare the 2 because they are so different. I’m happy we got lots of answers as well. -
3.5 stars
-
Delicious! I seriously could not put this down. I meant to keep it for evening time reading but I just couldn't help powering straight through it. I can see myself reading this book, and perhaps the next if it is as good, over and over.
Second in the series, it is better than the first.
Yum. -
Das fantastische Element passt für mich irgendwie nicht . Ansonsten eine nette Geschichte für zwischendurch
-
I liked this first book better than the first one in the series. It has a more cheerful tone and a possible better future for Stella.
However, the climax of the book, to my mind, was very similar to that of the first book. -
I enjoyed Withering-by-Sea, but loved Wormwood Mire even better! It's a little more hopeful, the pace is wonderful (and even gripping), and I love where this story is going! The new characters introduced are engaging and interesting, and I can't wait to read what happens next in the series! :)
-
What a gorgeous book! I loved finding out more about Stella's past as she looks for answers that nobody seems willing to give her - all she has to go in is a old photograph. Wormwood Mire was an amazing setting (although I did miss the Hotel Majestic a little as well as all the friends that Stella made in the first book). The illustrations are divine, the closer you look the more details you see. Looking forward to more!
-
I hope there's a third book. What a great character Stella is, and how brave she is. I love the twists in the story and the surprise near the end. Lots to please everybody here. Monsters lurking; evil men ready to kill you - What more could you want? Love the beautiful green ink illustrations by the author too.
-
Stella Montgomery lives with her three aunts in the Hotel Majestic. They are raising her to be a proper young lady, not someone who wishes for and participates in adventures. When a letter arrives from their cousin Frederick in which he tells them that he is sending his own children to the family estate, Wormwood Mire, and would love for Stella to attend with her cousins, they bundle her off with a suitcase and a book, A Garden of Lilies: Improving Tales for young Minds.
Stella is thrilled to get away, not just to leave the Aunts, but because she has hidden in her possession a picture of her mother at Wormwood Mire pushing a perambulator with two twin babies in it. Could it be Stella? and does she have a twin?
Living at the Mire are her cousins, Strideforth and Hortenese, and their Governess. The place is a wreck, not lived in for many years. The land is overgrown with strange plants and animals, for it seems their great-great-great grandfather, Wilbur Montgomery, was an adventurer and collector of oddities.
Dark things are a foot around Wormwood Mire. Strange events have occurred and animals and people have gone missing. There are village rumors about a monster lurking in the woods. As Stella tries to gather clues about her mother and maybe twin sister, a scary creature in the lake makes its presence known.
When Jem, the grounds keeper's son, goes missing, only Stella, Strideforth and Hortenese find the clues that lead to his whereabouts and maybe a monster!
My Thoughts-
Bravo! This book is full of wonder and adventure. Middle graders are sure to love Stella and her cousins as they explore the strange Wormwood Mire and take on monsters in the forest. I had not read the first book in the series, so it was sort of a shock, when around thirty pages in, Stella suddenly mentions that she has fairy blood and can make herself disappear. Whoa! But really glad the author popped that in there because it makes the rest of the book make sense.
One thing I LOVED was the presence of A Garden of Lilies. Throughout the story Stella mentions this horrible book that her Aunt's gave her and the terrible tales it tells with rhyming morals, such as, "Modesty should be your aim, or you will surely come to shame," or "Greedy children always tend, To meet with a disastrous end." There are tons of them, and all of them are ideas that Stella eventually goes against. They are so funny, I loved it every time they showed up.
Another fun thing about the book is the Governess. Her character is wonderful. Strideforth describes her as the only Governess in the land willing to come to the dilapidated, old Wormwood Mire. She is a true treat. She loves biology and plants and thinks it great when the children go off exploring. She creates poultices from herbs and wants to find killer plants to study.
There is one thing I need to critique and it involves a *****SPOILER***** So, fair warning. At the end of the book, Stella finally finds her twin and they discover their mother has been turned to stone and is a statue in the woods. They both don't seemed overly bothered by this fact, and Stella, who has been on a quest for her Mother the whole time, let's it roll of her shoulder's very easily. I expected some despair or major morning, but nope. Plus, then after only seeing her sister for a couple pages, her sister gets whisked away. What? Why can't they be together? The sister's guardian is fearful, but if Stella is out in the open, why can't her sister be with her?
Oh well, overall I enjoyed this book. It has a mystery, a monster and several fantastical twists. I'm giving this book 4 stars! I hope there is another book, because I really want to know who her mother was fleeing to meet in the woods when she got stopped. A fairy husband perhaps? -
Wormwood Mire is the second part of the Stella Montgomery Intrigue. In this one Stella is sent by her aunts to an old family house to study and live with her cousins. I'm not certain why she was sent to live with them for such a short period of time, but apparently it was necessary in the world of the book for some unexplained reason, presumably beyond just the aunts' desire to rid themselves of their troublesome orphaned niece Stella.
The book is interesting and continues Stella's search for information about herself, but there is no resolution to Stella's search in this installment of the story. The lack of resolution is both interesting and frustration. It absolutely means that the reader has to read all three books in the series. Many other series I read are written such that each installment has a self-contained element, so that if you read only that book, there is a sense of resolution of the plot, and any cliffhangers are secondary to the main plot of the story of that book. With the Stella Montgomery Intrigues, the orverarching plot is the main plot and the individual installment plots are the sub-plots to the books. This is somewhat unsatisfying and frustrating for the reader. I'm lucky enough to have all three books in the series, but many other readers may not be in that position and the struggle to find the other books may put them off reading this series, or in fact other series by this author.
Overall, Wormwood Mire was an interesting, but ultimately unsatisfying intrigue. The colored print in the copy I have was nice, but on the whole this installment in the Intrigues was not as much fun as the previous one. Anya was a great character and as a reader I would have preferred to get to know her more, she reminded me a great deal of Lyra Belacqua's dæmon Pantalamion, who was my favorite character in Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials series. The other characters were interesting, but extremely secondary to Stella. There is no question this series is Stella's story and other characters are only there to assist Stella in her search, which leaves them to be a bit one-dimmensional. -
This book was about that it's not always bad to disobey the rules, especially when it is for the greater good. And that you have to be strong and brave in the eyes of danger.
I loved the mystery aspect of this book. It's so creepy with it's ghosts and monsters and things like that! I love the fact that the main character must uncover her family's legacy and find out what happened to her long-lost mum and sister. The mystery was definitely what kept me reading.
The setting was very well-built and described. I felt I could pinpoint every part of what happened in the book in my mind.
I loved the friendships in the book and how all the kids are so dedicated to each other.
But what really made me even pick up this book was because it was Australian Historical Fiction. I love historical fiction, but I can't get my hands on enough of it in middle grade.
I loved all the rules and regulations the children had to follow and loved hearing about the thousands of times they broke those rules.
I really felt as if we had stepped back in time, everything was so well done.
My only critique is that I didn't feel like I knew the characters that well. Yes, I liked the main character, but I cannot sum up her personality after reading the book. I don't what she would do in this situation, I don't know her motives... I don't really know their personalities. Any of the characters. There was very little direct characterization, if any and I just felt that they were very, especially the supporting characters, flat.
Unfortunately, even though I like most of it, this is not a re-read for me. -
11-year-old Stella has left Withering-by-Sea to meet her young cousins at Wormwood Mire, to be educated along with them by their governess. But Wormwood Mire is an odd place - Wilburforce Montgomery - their great great grandfather built it to house his exotic collection of plants and animals. Now it’s very run down and mysterious. With only a governess, gardener and a cook, the children have a lot of time to explore. Stella is still wondering about who she is, and the photograph she found (in book one) shows 2 babies and a mother in front of Wormwood Mire. She is certainly one of them, but where is the other and what happened to their mother. No one will talk about it. Oh, and there seems to be a monster in the woods - a strange lizard like creature that turns things into stone.
Nice and spooky - this 19th century story (set in Australia) has all the pieces of a great mystery story - strange old house, mysterious people, scary woods, a monster, a creepy traveling sideshow, and strange and unusual animals. Stella is independent and resilient, her cousins are clever and inventive and the adults are responsible (except for the bad guys) Well written and fun, I’m sure there will be a part 3.
Cross posted to
http://kissthebook.blogspot.com CHECK IT OUT! -
Review cross-posted from reviewer’s personal Goodreads account
Rossell, Judith Wormwood Mire, 281 pgs. Atheneum Books for Young Readers (Simon & Schuster) 2016. $16.99. Language: G (0 swears, 0”f”); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG. (Peril)
11-year-old Stella has left Withering-by-Sea to meet her young cousins at Wormwood Mire, to be educated along with them by their governess. But Wormwood Mire is an odd place - Wilburforce Nice and spooky - this 19th century story (set in Australia) has all the pieces of a great mystery story - strange old house, mysterious people, scary woods, a monster, a creepy traveling sideshow, and strange and unusual animals. Stella is independent and resilient, her cousins are clever and inventive and the adults are responsible (except for the bad guys) Well written and fun, I’m sure there will be a part 3.
EL, MS - ADVISABLE Lisa Librarian
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2017... -
Hadn't read the first book but love Jude Rossell's writing. This is an atmospheric book with lots of old style adventurous details for readers ten plus up to adult. A bit slow starting but I advise younger readers to keep going. It gains momentum and the twists toward the end are involving. Lots of scientific and quirky historical details included. Great to have an inventive boy cousin like Strideforth tackling plumbing and heating systems. Can imagine a film with these absurdly named characters. Like the contrast between what a 'good girl' should do according to the moral books of the period, and scientific problem solving. Only children's book I've read recently that does not use food as a sensual substitute for sex. Mainly bread and jam sandwiches. But the relationship between the cousins is accepting and caring in an adventurous kind of way.
-
When Stella is sent to her childhood home to be educated alongside her cousins, Hortense and Strideforth, she is apprehensive about what might await her. And there is much to be found in the crumbling mansion - secret rooms, haunting music boxes, a lurking creature in the pond, plus a menagerie of unpredictable animals and a governess with a passion for botany. The change of location makes this sequel fresh and engaging and I enjoyed finding out more about Stella's mysterious past. Rossell is a mastery of intrigue and manages to keep the plot ticking marvellously with little tidbits of information gleaned along the way. Once again the illustrations are magical and add so much to the reading experience. I devoured this book in less than 24 hours and cannot wait to introduce the series to my children.
-
Nachdem wir Stella schon bei ihrem ersten großen Abend bei ihren Tanten begleitet haben, wird sie zu Beginn dieses Bandes von ihren Tanten als Strafe weggeschickt.
Sie muss zu ihrem Cousin und ihrer Cousine in ein altes verfallenes Haus und soll dort mit ihnen zusammen lernen. Doch gleich zu Beginn wird klar, dass an dieses Haus Erinnerungen gebunden sind. Ob das gute sind oder ob sie in Stella ihre schlimmsten Befürchtungen wahr werden lässt, muss man auf seiner eigenen Reise durch das Buch klar machen.
Was dabei Botanik, Latein und Wadenumschläge für eine Rolle spielen, wird man hierbei auch erfahren.
#netgalley #stellamontgomeryundderschaurigeSeevonWormwoodMire -
This sequel to Withering by Sea has a Gothic flavor. Stella, the orphan with unusual powers from the first book, comes to live in a dark disused mansion with her unknown cousins, who turn out to be nice. The house is the site of the only photo she has of her mother, herself and a twin sister who vanished long ago. There is a monster rumored to inhabit the lake. The villain in this book is a traveling dentist with a sinister pair of pliers and his own sideshow. I didn't like it quite as much as the first one though it was well written and original, maybe because I don't love the horror genre.
-
The misadventures, or rather the miseries, of Stella Montgomery continue in book 2 of this fun and intelligent Australian series—we rejoin our heroine on a train traveling away from the Aunts to live with two cousins, Strideforth and Hortense, newly back from abroad. Naturally she is worried, but she is also curious to discover the secrets of her past. Amiable chaos awaits her as well as chilling adventure. Delightfully spooky and brimming with intriguing detail and plotting. Hope there will be a book 3. Upper elementary.
-
I liked this more than the previous book and am looking forward to reading the next book in this series. The magic and creatures were interesting. I even liked the ghost story. Also, I liked the characters. The MC was just as likeable in this book, and I liked her cousins, too. The old house mentioned in the first book was also interesting, more than I thought it would be. Also, it was nice to get some answers in this book, and enough was left open to make the next book intriguing.
