A Little Princess
Frances Hodgson Burnett
Like Bonnie and Sylvia, Sara Crewe is left at a harsh boarding school under a cold headmistress, and her courage in hard times will feel familiar to fans of Aiken's heroines.
12 books to read next
Books Like The Wolves of Willoughby Chase
If you loved The Wolves of Willoughby Chase by Joan Aiken
Readers who love The Wolves of Willoughby Chase usually enjoy its brisk, dramatic storytelling, its clear line between wicked grown-ups and resourceful children, and its mix of danger and humour. Joan Aiken moves quickly through a run of misfortunes, with wolves, a cruel governess and a grim orphan school, while the heroines keep their spirit. The tone is gothic but never too frightening, and the escape and rescue give the story its satisfying drive.
Orphans and cruel guardians
Matilda
Roald Dahl
A clever, mistreated child faces a domineering adult who abuses her power, much as Miss Slighcarp terrorises the girls, and the story turns on wit and defiance.
The Bad Beginning
Lemony Snicket
Three orphans are passed to a villainous guardian and face one misfortune after another, with the same wry narrator tone and mix of peril and humour that Aiken's readers enjoy.
Wolves and wild animals
The Wolf Wilder
Katherine Rundell
A girl in an alternative early-1900s Russia gets caught up in the care of wolves, offering the same gripping wolf-filled danger and daring rescue that drive The Wolves of Willoughby Chase.
The Call of the Wild
Jack London
Wolves and the harsh wilderness take centre stage in this classic adventure, appealing to readers who enjoyed the wild, menacing side of Aiken's story.
Wolf Brother
Michelle Paver, Patricia Anton De Vez Ayala-Duarte
A boy bonds with a wolf cub in a prehistoric forest, delivering the same mix of wolf peril, survival and a close bond between a young hero and an animal.
Plucky heroes on the move
Journey to the river sea
Eva Ibbotson
An orphan heroine is sent to a grim household and then sets off on a daring journey, combining Victorian-era settings, a sharp villain and the warm humour of Aiken's novel.
Treasure Island
Robert Louis Stevenson
A young hero escapes a sea voyage gone wrong and faces scheming adults, with the same swashbuckling pace and sense of a good story unfolding through danger.
Holes
Louis Sachar
A boy wrongly sent to a harsh camp run by a cruel authority figure finds a way to fight back, echoing the escape and resistance at the heart of Aiken's novel.
Gothic Victorian atmosphere
Oliver Twist
Charles Dickens
An orphan in a cruel institution is pushed around by greedy adults, offering the same Victorian social menace and ill-treated child at its centre that gives Willoughby Chase its bite.
The Graveyard Book
Neil Gaiman
A child raised by unusual guardians in a dark, eerie setting combines the gothic mood and sense of peril in Aiken's story with a warm, inventive heart.
Jane Eyre
Charlotte Brontë
A young orphan endures a cruel household and then a governess role at a mysterious house, matching the governess-led gloom and the heroine's steady resolve found in The Wolves of Willoughby Chase.
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