Wormwood Mire, by Judith Rossell

In this sequel to Withering-by-Sea, Stella Montgomery has been banished by her formidable aunts to the crumbling gothic manor Wormwood Mire. Stella is out of her depth, away from the awful aunts but also away from the comfortable hotel on the coast, with maids and chef-cooked meals. She does have the company of her new-found cousins, aspiring engineer Strideforth and animal loving Hortense. There is also the botany-obsessed governess Miss Araminter, housekeeper Mrs Burdock and her grandson Jem. The house and its grounds are full of mystery, with exotic flora and fauna imported by an intrepid ancestor. And there is also the mystery of Stella’s connection to the house – she discovers that she lived there as a baby, but what happened to her mother and sister and who is her father? As Stella gains independence and builds a friendship with her cousins, she begins to find answers to some of her questions, while uncovering several more. The hardback version of this book is beautifully illustrated by the author, although the green print is a little hard on the eyes. The story is dark and satisfying, with a nice lead-in to what will undoubtedly be a suitable third instalment of Stella’s tale.