I think I was aged 9 or 10 when I first read this book. Having always been a fan of the adventure story (my bookshelves were somewhat Enid Blyton dominated), I enjoyed this book enormously, and have re-read it on a regular basis since then. Joan Aiken is a wonderfully imaginative author and her descriptions and characterisations engage the reader straight away. You really feel for Bonnie Green and her cousin Sylvia as they are left with the governess Miss Slighcarp, who turns out to be a plotter after the estates of Bonnie's wealthy father. The adventures that ensue are exciting and at times suspenseful, and Joan Aiken holds your interest throughout.
This book is the first in the James III sequence, which now consists of some 12 books. They are set in an alternative period of English history when James II remained on the throne to be followed by James III and where it is the Hanoverians rather than the Jacobites who plot against the throne. The cast of characters who develop throughout this series are wonderful creations who have extremely interesting adventures.
I would recommend this series of novels to everyone, but particularly children aged 8 and upwards, or parents looking for books to read to their children.