Abandoned by their ill-humored parents to the care of an odious nanny, Tim, the twins, Barnaby A and Barnaby B, and their sister, Jane, attempt to ...
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Jan 18, 2008
Elizabeth
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As in all good old-fashioned stories, this one involves the four Willoughby children. There is Tim, the oldest, who is very bossy. Jane is the youngest and has a hard time sticking up for herself. And then there are the twins A and B. The children are essentially good kids, but their parents are the worst sorts. Negligent and wasteful, they concoct a plan to leave on vacation and sell their house while they're gone (hopefully ridding themselves of the children in the meantime). To the youn
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Sep 16, 2008
Jackie
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As a scholar of 18th and 19th century children's literature, I was immediately drawn to a book purporting to be a parody of "old fashioned" books. But I was unimpressed by Lowry's actual novel. Perhaps because I had in mind a definition of parody that means something beyond just a "funny" imitation; most parodies are written to ridicule or satirize the genre they imitate. Lowry's book doesn't imitate to critique, or to satirize. Or perhaps it is because Lowry's idea of "
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(6 people liked it)
Dec 21, 2011
Daisy
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This is one of the best things I've read all year. It is my new favorite book. So smart and funny, I read it with--I swear--a real smile on my face the entire time AND I laughed out loud. That might have had something to do with the small kitten I have who fell asleep upside down on my shoulder while I was reading it but not entirely. I want to own this book (mine came from the library) and to give it to everyone I know, especially any children I know. Hmm...
I was hooked when I read More...
I was hooked when I read More...
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Jun 10, 2008
Jeanette
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Author Lois Lowry who gave us Number the Stars, The Giver, A Summer to Die and 30 + other children's stories has now given us The Willoughbys, a clever, tongue in cheek parody of "old fashioned" classic children's stories.
I loved the tag line for this book as soon as I saw it on the cover. "A novel nefariously written & ignominiously illustrated by the author." If that does not hook your attention then maybe the book description will: " 'Shouldn't we be orphans?' o More...
I loved the tag line for this book as soon as I saw it on the cover. "A novel nefariously written & ignominiously illustrated by the author." If that does not hook your attention then maybe the book description will: " 'Shouldn't we be orphans?' o More...
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Apr 06, 2008
Monica
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I was and am a BIG Lemony Snicket fan. And once I came across Edward Gorey in high school I was smittened too. I like Ambrose Bierce, Mark Twain, and other snarky writers enormously. But for whatever reason, this book didn't provoke the same response from me as the works of those writers do. (Gorey's Hapless Child is my all-time favorite.) The Willoughbys was just...okay. (I keep going between two and three stars. Two for my personal response, three because I respect what the author is doi
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Apr 05, 2008
Marjorie
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I remember being told, perhaps six or seven years ago, that Europeans considered America to have no proper sense of irony. Things have changed since then to such an extent that our even our eight-year-olds can understand a well-aimed dry parody. Or at least I hope so, because otherwise there will be no audience for this remarkable little book. Lois Lowry, a master of children's literature in deadly earnest ( The Giver frightened me to death, and remembering it still does) has produced The Willou
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Apr 24, 2008
Lara
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What a fun book! I would say the charm of the book is more in the winsome narration than in a page-turning plot or gripping characters. Great throw-back to silly literature like Roald Dahl. I loved that the characters all wanted to be winsome orphans. That was just like me. As a child always wanted to be tragically kidnapped or stricken down by a terrible disease.
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Jan 05, 2009
Audrey
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Not at all what I would've expected from Lowry. Personally, I'm a fan of many of the "old-fashioned" books that she parodied. This is a children's book (at least, it's shelved that way at my local library) but kids won't get many of the references or humor here, which means that it's really a book for adults masquerading as a children's book. When I first started reading, I felt it reminded me quite a bit of the Lemony Snicket books, so young readers might relate a bit more if they've
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Feb 24, 2009
Elizabeth
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This is a slim novel with a big conceit (and by conceit I mean "an elaborate and strained metaphor," including the glossary at the end that defines difficult words). I found it wasn't satisfying as either a book standing on its own, or as a parody.
The Willoughbys are an old-fashioned family, Lois Lowry tells us. In the style of Roald Dahl, the parents are awful but the four children (and eventually their nanny) are resourceful and determined. Unlike Dahl's books, though, More...
The Willoughbys are an old-fashioned family, Lois Lowry tells us. In the style of Roald Dahl, the parents are awful but the four children (and eventually their nanny) are resourceful and determined. Unlike Dahl's books, though, More...
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May 12, 2008
Roxanne Hsu
rated it:
I found this one utterly charming. Yes, I know that this might not be the most original concept -- the satirical tone and hurtful humor. However, I do see how it would strike a core more easily with young readers than some of the more sophisticated and ironic works. I laughed out loud several times through the book and was very happy that this has a "very old-fashioned" ending. I intend to read it aloud to my 4th graders and see how they react to it. I might be surprised -- they m
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Apr 08, 2008
Jen
rated it:
Lemony Snicket gave The Willoughbys a rave in Publishers Weekly, so I had to read this clever, slightly twisted children's book. I loved its offbeat take on "old fashioned stories" - the four children wish they were orphans, and their irritable parents wish they had no children (and can never remember the daughter exists). The humor is dry and I laughed out loud several times while reading this on an airplane, which kept waking up the guy sleeping next to me.
There are also More...
There are also More...
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Mar 25, 2008
Jill
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This Lemony Snicketish novel features the four Willoughby children who long to be "old fashioned," like the characters in many of the books they love like Anne of Green Gables, Jane Eyre, and James and the Giant Peach. Tim, the oldest, is the rather bossy leader of his siblings: identical twins Barnaby A and Barnaby B (A and B for short), and the youngest and timid Jane. It's very clear from the beginning that their parents are well--not that much into being parents. The banker father
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Jul 01, 2008
Eva
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A fabulously tongue-in-cheek parody of "old-fashioned" books like Mary Poppins, Little Women, the Bobbsey Twins, The Secret Garden, and so on. All the elements are here - orphaned siblings, a nanny, a grieving billionnaire, neglectful or awful grown-ups - but they add up to more than the sum of their parts. The characters are well aware of their roles. At one point, Nanny says, "Oh, lovely! You are an old-fashioned family, like us. We are four worthy orphans with a no-nonsense
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May 05, 2008
Brooke
rated it:
A rare misfire from Lowry -- this is a satire of various motifs found in "old-fashioned" kidlit: plucky sibling orphans, dastardly villains, prim nannies, long lost sons, babies left on doorsteps, etc. The premise and setup are good, but the characters -- especially the four Willoughby children -- come off as more caustic than funny. I think a lot of these jokes are going to wink straight over the heads of most kids, and some of them (such as the casual "girls are no good at any
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Nov 25, 2008
Debbie
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i learned that lois lowry can be really funny. this was penderwicks with tongue in cheek. i loved it. i like her science fiction but i hope she tries funny again, this was like scary movie for old fashioned novels.
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Feb 19, 2008
Edie
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This is just a wonderful book with lots of appeal to the entire family. Fans of Lemony Snicket will love it and it is more subtle and charming than that series. Lowry has even done the illustrations. Take four children who need to be orphaned, a Nanny who won't stand for comparison to the diabetic coma inducing Mary Poppins, a young survivor of an avalanche who makes up his own words (like shoenschmitl--my version) and a baby who would have been cute until her hair got chopped off and you have
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May 10, 2008
KT
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I liked this book a lot, and enjoyed the parodies of classic children's novels (and especially enjoyed the annotations of them at the end). It's fresh, funny and original, but for me is marred by the reference to the parents going to "darkest Africa to tame the heathens." I know it's in in the spirit of the novels it's parodying but I still thought it was an unfortunate choice on the part of the author. It would keep me from recommending it for a classroom read-aloud and from giving it
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Jan 23, 2009
Meryl
rated it:
such a horrifyingly silly book! its laugh garrenteed!!
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Feb 18, 2009
Lowry, L. (2008). The Willoughbys. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company.
9780618979745
Lois Lowry, made famous for her explorations of distopias and historic moments in The Giver (1993) and Number the Stars (1998), went in a more humorous direction with The Willoughbys. I had wanted to say ‘a lighter direction,’ but alas, that would be mistaken. The plot features a family of four children attempting to rid themselves of their parents so they may become orphans. Don’t More...
9780618979745
Lois Lowry, made famous for her explorations of distopias and historic moments in The Giver (1993) and Number the Stars (1998), went in a more humorous direction with The Willoughbys. I had wanted to say ‘a lighter direction,’ but alas, that would be mistaken. The plot features a family of four children attempting to rid themselves of their parents so they may become orphans. Don’t More...
Dec 08, 2008
Jennifer
rated it:
I was delighted with the little novel, and I feel that "delighted" connotes perfectly the mild surprise, smirks, and enjoyment that I derived from this novel. Beware, however, if you pick up The Willoughbys because of your recognition of the author, Lois Lowry, whom most of us know best for her Newbery-winning The Giver. This novel is nothing like it and is much more cheeky than serious. The Willoughbys is the wry tale of four would-be orphans, an abandoned baby, nanny, candy tycoon
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Apr 07, 2011
Patricia
rated it:
I LOVED this book! It made me laugh out loud several times, including when I first started reading it at Chorale rehearsal! I read it again, reading it aloud to my children, who also loved it. I loved explaining all of the literary references. I loved the way it poked fun at the Series of Unfortunate Events series, and I loved the glossary at the back. My favorites? The distasteful mother who knits for the cat and cooks badly; Timothy Anthony Malchy Willoughby and his rules; the Reprehensi
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Jan 21, 2011
Alice
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I have enjoyed other books by Lois Lowry, but some of hers are a little.... "odd." So, I picked this one up with some concerns, especially since, once again, I was to be the tie-breaker reader to approve this book for our school library. I can understand why one parent said "no" to the book.... mainly because the parents and the children don't really like each other. There is no hate between, mostly just indifference. The parents are annoyed at having to care for the chil
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Jan 12, 2011
Lesli
rated it:
Amazon referred this book to me after I read The Penderwicks. I got it because hello Willoughby! Any Jane Austen/Children's Lit fan could not not get the book. It was my first Lois Lowry book, I'm ashamed to admit, but the time period most people read Lowry wasn't a good reading time for me in my life. Maybe that's why I read Juvenile Fiction to make up for my dyslexia, maybe in two decades I can upgrade my reading choices. Back to the book, Lowry has a bit of a dark sense of humor in the boo
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Jan 01, 2011
Sweet on Books
rated it:
Lois Lowry’s clever parody of an “old-fashioned” family will entertain young readers, as long as they know what they’re getting into when they open this book. The kids want to get rid of their parents, the parents try to ditch their kids, babies are abandoned and an exaggerated rudeness is commonplace. The Willoughby parents are “irascible” and “indolent” and not too happy about having to care for their four children. The kids, in turn, decide that they would fare better as orphans, as that seem
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Oct 07, 2010
Shauna
rated it:
Bleah. Not a great book, but a funny quick read. Much of the humor was lost on the children, I think. I also couldn't stay awake to read it, so it lost some of the fluidity. We missed a couple of night time readings (when it isn't a great book, it is harder to ensure that read aloud happens at night even we have a bunch of other things going on.) I wanted to stop and just go on to something else. (It wasn't a BAD book, I just wanted to read something else,) but the children wanted to finish it.
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Jul 16, 2010
I never thought I would be pointing children who like Lemony Snicket towards Lois Lowry, but such is the case. The Willoughbys is a parody of old-fashioned families in literature. The parents are so self-centred that they forget to mention their fourth child when hiring a nanny; the children so ruthless that they abandon an abandoned baby. Recalling orphans in storybooks, the four children plot to become orphans themselves by encouraging them to vacation amidst exotic danger as their parents plo
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Dec 01, 2009
Jennifer
rated it:
When I first cracked this book open, I thought Lois Lowry had decided to do a poor imitation of Lemony Snicket, and I was disappointed. Then I remembered that Lois Lowry has been writing books since before Daniel Handler was born and that she doesn't need to imitate anyone. It turns out that Lois Lowry and Mr. Handler/Snicket were both parodying a common source--old-fashioned children's books--but to different ends.
The Willoughbys bored me a little at first, but I kept going it rea More...
The Willoughbys bored me a little at first, but I kept going it rea More...
Nov 28, 2009
Lisa
rated it:
This is a wonderful book for a book worm. It pays homage to so many of the books I loved while growing up. Delightful!
The four Willoughby children feel that they are a bit old-fashioned, and of course as any reader knows, all of the best old-fashioned children are orphans. The Willoughby children decide that they should be orphans too. Of course having met their parents, this wish is quite understandable. Fortunately they have a kind nanny.
Complete with a clever glossary More...
The four Willoughby children feel that they are a bit old-fashioned, and of course as any reader knows, all of the best old-fashioned children are orphans. The Willoughby children decide that they should be orphans too. Of course having met their parents, this wish is quite understandable. Fortunately they have a kind nanny.
Complete with a clever glossary More...
Nov 23, 2009
Sasha
rated it:
Now that I realize the book is a parody, I like it. It's brilliant. However...
I purchased this book somewhat blindly, the only description/synopsis provided being something about children realizing that all great literature consists of orphans and therefore they would be better off as orphans themselves. Because I've read other Lowry works, I trusted her as an author; because her other works are serious, I fully expected a "happy family" book wherein these children find out More...
I purchased this book somewhat blindly, the only description/synopsis provided being something about children realizing that all great literature consists of orphans and therefore they would be better off as orphans themselves. Because I've read other Lowry works, I trusted her as an author; because her other works are serious, I fully expected a "happy family" book wherein these children find out More...
