Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

The Willoughbys

3.74 of 5 stars 3.74 · rating details · 5,172 ratings · 1,196 reviews

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 fulfill their roles as good oldfashioned children. Following the models set in lauded tales from A Christmas Carol to Mary Poppins, the four Willoughbys hope to attain their proscribed happy ending too, or at least a satisfyingl...more

Hardcover, 174 pages

Published March 31st 2008 by Houghton Mifflin Books for Children

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

The Penderwicks on Gardam Street by Jeanne Birdsall

2009 Newbery Contenders

8th out of 91 books — 545 voters

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer

Best Books of 2008

141st out of 1,210 books — 6,532 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 3,000)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Jan 18, 2008 Betsy rated it 4 of 5 stars

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 young Will...more 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 young Willoughbys' aid comes a nanny of remarkable talents, a rich but sad benefactor, and a host of odd characters. In the end a happy medium is reached and everyone is happy, though perhaps not in the way you might expect.

When Lemony Snicket referenced works of children’s literature from the past in his own books he did so with the express purpose of showing how orphans in dire straits are more appealing when they are miserable than when they are happy. He was eventually able to mold this into larger themes touching on ideas like “What does it mean to be good?” and “To what extent are you culpable when you engage in an evil act, no matter how pure your intentions might be?” “The Willoughbys” does not stretch so far and, in fact, takes an entirely different tactic altogether. I’ll admit that for the first twenty or thirty pages of this book I felt that I was reading a slightly skewed Unfortunate Event. Then, all at once, it hit me. This wasn’t a Lemony Snicket knock-off! This is a book that reveals the ludicrous nature of any classic work of children’s fiction. It plays with the tropes like they were taffy in the hand. Orphaned babies, malevolent parents, sad rich benefactors, it’s all here. There are more hearts of gold than you can shake a fist at, but all the while you get the distinct feeling that Lowry is playing with you. She is perfectly aware of what she is doing and whether she intends to or not, she’s making a mockery of those current children’s novels that purposefully try to invoke the staid seriousness and style of classic literature from the past.

If I were a person prone to predictions, I might say that this is precisely the kind of book that is going to divide people. Some parents are going to enjoy this book tremendously (particularly those that make it to the Glossary at the back). However, there are just as many people out there who are going to take one swift glance at the Willoughby children’s heartfelt desire for dead parents and flip out. Kids who cheer on the deaths of their parental units do not always charm the hearts and minds of readers everywhere, I am afraid. Even when the parents deserve it entirely it’s still unnerving to hear a sweet six-year-old girl implore, “do let’s wish for a helicopter-and-volcano disaster!” It’s utterly silly but not everyone will get the joke.

If you stick with this book you’re bound to enjoy it. And if children can enjoy the massive hoards of pseudo-Victorian/Gothic novellas currently being churned out then they’ll probably get a lot of the jokes in this book. They’ll love the boy who doesn’t speak German but thinks that he can (“Schlee you later, alligatorplatz!”), and the nanny that disguises herself as an Aphrodite statue to scare off potential buyers of the Willoughbys’ home. It’s a great book for kids and adults alike. Perhaps it is not for all takers, but those with a keen sense of humor and a taste for the bizarre will enjoy this winsome tale of the beastly, the diabolical, the irascible, and the unkempt. An auspicious departure.(less)

15 likes · like · see review

Sep 16, 2008 Jackie rated it 2 of 5 stars

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 "old fashioned book" is ju...more

8 likes · like · see review

Dec 21, 2011 Daisy rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Lavender, Arpeggio, Noxzema

Recommended to Daisy by: Muphyn

Shelves: children-youth, favorites, switzerland

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 the author'...more

5 likes · like · see review

Feb 24, 2009 Elizabeth added it

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). While it's written with a consistent voice, by a consummate writer, unfortunately it wasn't satisfying for me 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...more 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). While it's written with a consistent voice, by a consummate writer, unfortunately it wasn't satisfying for me 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, the characters are so stylized they don't have real depth, but tend toward cliché. Lowry compounds this by telling us the characters' personality traits, sometimes inconsistently, rather than showing us through their behavior. For instance, we're told late in the game that the Commander was always happiest in his laboratory, inventing different candies. His wife obsessively cleaned and alphabetized his lab every night, destroying his projects. So now he's happy she's gone. No, wait, wasn't he sad about her loss at the beginning of the story – so sad that he never went back into his lab? Either the Commander loves his wife or he doesn't, but for no useful reason Lowry has it both ways and then implies that he has forgotten whether he loved her. As a result the poor Commander loses depth as a character.

The cleverness overwhelms the funniness. There's a long build-up to a joke involving the Commander -- a candy maker -- unsuccessfully naming his new chocolate bar creation (view spoiler) I don't require knee-slapping humor in every book, but sometimes cleverness masquerading as humor paradoxically feels dull.

The story is a parody of "old-fashioned" children's books, without the richness and originality or resonant themes that made those books classics. And even as a parody, it's dated. I'm 43 years old, and I haven't read half the books in Lowry's bibliography. Honestly, Toby Tyler (1923) and Ragged Dick (1867)? Even The Bobbsey Twins (1924) is a stretch for modern readers. Other books she references may be recognizable to adults as cultural icons, but I venture to say they're probably not widely read anymore, and even their movie versions are dated enough that children may not know them (Heidi (1872), and Pollyana (1913).) And are the middle-grade readers of The Willoughbys ready to think about tackling Jane Eyre? All of the books referenced are from 1934 or earlier, other than James and the Giant Peach (1961). Yet I don't think kids will be drawn to the original sources the way they are presented in The Willoughbys (as old-fashioned and stereotypical), which means young readers will also never appreciate the parody Lowry presents of those classics. That's the double-jeopardy of the conceit, I guess. This novella is not an irreverent middle-grade introduction to the classics, it's a one- or two-hour-long amuse-bouche for librarians.

A note on the illustrations: Lowry made her own illustrations for the book, but I'm disappointed that the editors didn't persuade her not to. I'm sure she enjoyed the process, but the black-and-white line drawings are only passable in skill relative to professional artists' work, and they don't enhance the story (they illustrate precisely what's described). I don't want this to sound harsh, but the illustrations shouldn't have been squandered on her. There are struggling artists out there who could have made a wonderful debut with this book, because of the automatic audience that this talented writer commands.(less)

3 likes · like · see review

Rachel Not to nit-pick - you obviously have many other issues with the book - but at the beginning of the novel, the narrator does clarify that (the) Command...more
updated Jun 01, 2010 05:30pm

deleted user I do believe that this was what she was trying to get at - it's a parody, and I loved it personally. And, like Rachel said, Commander Melannoff did mi...more I do believe that this was what she was trying to get at - it's a parody, and I loved it personally. And, like Rachel said, Commander Melannoff did miss his son - but he was just more upset about the loss of her, as a person. Really, they aren't tackling Jane Eyre - I think they are just suggesting they are similar to her, in the way she is old fashioned, but did you ever care to look at the back of the book? They educate you about the book(s), along with a summary, and that suggests she added it in order to show kids more about the older books.
It does not seem like you examined the books close enough. On the front cover, it says, Ignominiously Illustrated by the Author. So why complain about it if she was aware of it? I love this book, and will absolutely defend it. I found it very rude to say something like that. Are you a struggling artist yourself? Are you feeling sore to the fact you weren't given the job? I think that it was perfectly fine for a writer to not be a fantastic visual artist - and I think that he or she should be able to do draw the book, and make a small picture per every 15 pages. You can't be that bothered by the drawings, can you? I find that ridiculous to be upset by such a small picture. I also don't entirely understand what you meant by this.
This is just an opinion - but it just doesn't seem as though you thoroughly read this book. I believe she meant to make the children seem ridiculous - she makes them talk about being old fashioned, she makes them sexist, she makes them say ignorant things. If you have read her other books, like Number the Stars, Gathering Blue, The Giver, and many other masterpieces, you would definitely see that this is not usually her way of thinking and writing - she was definitely making fun of the older days, and pointing out that it was not perfect, like said in other classics.
It sounds like you do need humor. I think she is poking fun, pointing out how ridiculous humans can sometimes be. I think this to be no crime.
I would love to hear how you feel on other books, because I would be disappointed if you feel this way on everything. Thank you for sharing your ideas, even if I don't necessarily agree with them.
Also, do you have something against thin books? I think she may have just made it thin because she wanted it to be a short adventure, and I guess you thought of it as a very long, gruesome story in a short book.
But then again, what do I know? I'm only an eleven year old girl who disagrees with another person's review.

It does disappoint me, though, to think that you may not read the other books, because maybe you just don't like this type of humor. I will assure you her other books are all very good, and I urge you to read them. The Giver, for instance, is just amazing. It is a black and white world, and the main character, Jonah, is one of the rare people who can see color. I don't want to give much away to you, though, since it is full of secrets. Number the Stars, as well, is very good. It's about a girl with a Jewish friend during the Holocaust, and she has to protect her with her family - they take her in as the family. It is really amazing.

Thank you for letting me post this, and I hope I didn't offend you - sometimes I do get annoyed and hot headed, and I apologize if I did any sort of gesture like that. I daresay I have done it before. I am curious, as I said before, to see what books you like! If you could reply, that would be fantastic. Thanks,

Zora S.(less)
updated Sep 10, 2010 04:59pm

Jun 10, 2008 Jeanette rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2008, middle-grade

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?' one of the Willoughby childr...more 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?' one of the Willoughby children suggests one day. The four are, after all, part of an old-fashioned kind of family, and their parents-well, their parents are not all that one would hope for. The Willoughbys concoct a diabolical plot to turn themselves into worthy and winsome orphans. Little do they know that Mr. and Mrs. Willoughby have already begun to formulate their own thoroughly despicable plan inspired by another favorite bedtime story: the tale of Hansel and Gretel..."

I laughed and snickered my through this whole book. Lowry included a bibliography of "books of the past that are heavy on piteous but appealing orphans, ill-tempered and stingy relatives, magnanimous benefactors, and transformations wrought by winsome children." Books such as Anne of Green Gables, James and the Giant Peach, Heidi, Jane Eyre and Mary Poppins are included. The novel is full of literary allusions to and parodies of these tales as the Willoughby children strive to be old-fashioned, winsome orphans. The story is full of twists that kept me laughing and rooting for all the characters from the Willoughby children to their Odious Nanny and the Melancholy Tycoon but not for Mr. and Mrs. Willoughby. :-)
One of the most enjoyable and humorous parts of the book is the glossary. Here you will find such definitions as "Villainous means typical of an evil person. Very obnoxious. You could have guessed that, of course, since you already know the word villain. In old movies, villains almost always has mustaches. I don't know why." And "Meticulous means extremely precise and careful. Surgeons have to be meticulous. Some people think great cooks are meticulous, but they are wrong. Great cooks read a recipe, maybe, but they ignore the instructions and add extra garlic if they feel like it. Surgeons can't do that."
Unfortunately, I would not be at all surprised to see this book end up on a banned book list. I imagine there will be some people who look past the humor and wit and see only a book about kids and parents who are trying to do away with each other but to quote from Lois Lowry's website, "this is a humorous book, of course, and no one is recommending that real children do away with their parents. (Unless, of course—heh heh—their parents are as outrageously awful as Mr. And Mrs. Willoughby!"(less)

3 likes · like · see review

Apr 06, 2008 Monica Edinger rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: childrensliterature

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 doing.)

I...more

2 likes · like · see review

Apr 05, 2008 Marjorie Hakala rated it 5 of 5 stars

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...more

3 likes · like · see review

Apr 24, 2008 Lara rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Highly imaginative adults and children.

Recommended to Lara by: Meagan's April pick

Shelves: childrens, just-for-fun

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.

3 likes · like · see review

Jan 05, 2009 Audrey rated it 3 of 5 stars

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 read those...more

2 likes · like · see review

May 12, 2008 Roxanne Hsu Feldman rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 1-3grade, 4-6grade, childrensbooks, 2008, bestbooks

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 might simply mis...more 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 might simply miss the point and hate it. Will report soon.

Here's what I just wrote (May 12th) on my Rationale for nominating for Notables discussion:

This is an unusual book. Although there has been satirical work done for children, for some reason, this one really stood out for me. Maybe because Lowry simply has a way with words, or maybe because from the beginning, one sees that BOTH children and adults are “despicable,” or maybe because even though many “old-fashioned” books are made fun of, the story winds up being an Old Fashioned book itself: the newly formed family of the Willoughby children, the Millionaire, the baby, the nanny, and the Millionaire’s son becomes a truly sunny and warm unit once all the unsavory characters are “gotten out of the way.” The more I think about this book, the more I share it with young readers, and the more I delve deeper into the psyche of the characters and the readers, the more I am convinced that this is indeed a very special offering in 2008.
----------------------

As I predicted -- many of the 4th graders that listened to the first chapter could not detect the subversive tone at all. They said, "I hate it -- they are SO mean!" But some definitely saw the connection between this and some of other titles they have loved: "The parents remind me of Matilda's parents." or "I like when the mother cuts off the curls.. it's so funny!" And a few expressed curiosity as to what's to come. One said, "This probably is the kind of books that start off boring and you have to get through the first two chapters and then you love the book." I hope I have more chances to read it to them next few weeks and see how they react further.(less)

like · see review

Apr 08, 2008 Jen rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: booksfornephewsandnieces

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 lots of book reference...more

2 likes · like · see review

Mar 25, 2008 Jill rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: middle-grade-fiction

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 is "impati...more

1 like · like · see review

Jul 01, 2008 Eva Mitnick rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: children

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 nanny...And you ar...more

1 like · like · see review

Dec 20, 2011 Woodge rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: kids, reading-aloud

Some weeks ago I bought four books to read to the kids. This is the second of them. It's a lot shorter than the previous one, we read the whole thing over a span of nine evenings. It's pretty cute and has a nice sense of humor running throughout. It also does some shout-outs to some classics of young adult literature. When it mentioned The Secret Garden, for example, my two kids immediately understood the reference as we'd that one about a month and a half ago. This story is about four kids (of...more

1 like · like · see review

May 05, 2008 Brooke Shirts rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-read-in-2008

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 anything" parody of...more

2 likes · like · see review

Nov 23, 2008 Nono rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: childrensjuvenile

a fun change for Lois Lowry. Reminiscent of the Series of Unfortunate events. A foursome of rather repulsive children and their even more repulsive parents meet their proper ends. All ends happily, in a matter of speaking.

1 like · like · see review

Nov 25, 2008 Debbie rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: all

Recommended to Debbie by: susan the librarian

Shelves: books-read-with-my-kids

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.

1 like · like · see review

Feb 19, 2008 Edie rated it 5 of 5 stars

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 j...more

like · see review

Jan 23, 2009 Meryl rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

such a horrifyingly silly book! its laugh garrenteed!!

1 like · like · see review

Feb 18, 2009 Shel added it

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 feel too bad for the parents t...more

like · see review

Dec 08, 2008 Jennifer rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: childrens

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, and a boy f...more

like · see review

Nov 20, 2012 Crystal rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: juvenille-fiction

This book was laugh out loud funny! Not the whole way through, but in a dry, sneak-up-on-me, all of the sudden I start laughing out loud in the middle of a crowded room of coworkers way. I needed something to get me through a VERY monotonous temp job, and this was one of several audio books I'd picked up from the library for that purpose. It was short and lighthearted enough that I thought it would make the time fly by, and it did (as much as anything could). The actor who reads the book has a p...more

like · see review

Jul 22, 2012 Eccentrika rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: children, humor, dark

I Sappington sono una famiglia molto particolare, i cui membri sono diabolicamente malvagi e irritantemente indifferenti. Ma attenzione, il tipo di malvagità è appunto umoristica, un tipo di umorismo nero, se così si può definire. Non verranno infatti a mancare scenette grottesche e surreali, battute al vetriolo, condite da sarcasmo, con vari rimandi atti a sdrammatizzare i luoghi comuni della letteratura classica. Già, perché la famiglia Sappington, come amano loro stessi ricordare svariate vol...more

like · see review

May 06, 2012 Sara rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: humor, juvie

In this hilarious tongue-firmly-in-cheek children’s novel, Lois Lowry explores the world of juvenile literature cliches, and creates an easy-to-read chapter book at the same time.

The Willoughby family consists of four ordinary children — Tim, the bossy rule maker, twins Bartleby A and B, and Jane, who is easily cowed by her older siblings but still gets a word in edgewise now and then. Their parents… well… “The Willoughby parents frequently forgot that they had children and became quite irritabl...more

like · see review

Mar 11, 2012 Alexandra rated it 5 of 5 stars

I loved this book with every fiber of my being. It was HYSTERICAL.

Tim, Barnaby A, Barnaby B, and Jane are the 4 Willoughby children. Their parents don't really like them and the feeling is very much mutual so one day Tim, the eldest Willoughby comes up with the great idea that they should be orphans, like all children in old fashioned books. He brings home brochures from the Reprehensible Travel Agency and leaves them for his parents to find, in the hopes that they will embark on some ridiculou...more

1 like · like · see review

Feb 13, 2012 Barb Middleton rated it 3 of 5 stars

What a quirky book. I think people will either like it or hate it. I’m not sure kids will get the humor ( too adult-like?) because it’s a parody of old-fashioned books and famous characters from classics such as Mary Poppins, Heidi, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and more. The story involves four children who want to get rid of their parents and the parents who want to get rid of their children. A nanny is hired while the parents go off to travel the world. When the children find their house...more

like · see review

Apr 07, 2011 Patricia rated it 4 of 5 stars

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 Reprehensible Tr...more 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 Reprehensible Travel Agency and the parents' horrifying adventures and their postcards; the nanny, the melancholy tycoon (who nearly died of grief), and Baby Ruth; the Melanoff boy and his atrocious German; the happy ending for this old-fashioned story.

In the glossary it has the following words (which Emma now uses regularly): Acquisition ("If your dad is a stockbroker or a lawyer, ask him what "mergers and acquisitions" means. Fifty points if you understand his answer."); Affable ("means good-natured and friendly. There are whole groups of people who are known for being affable. Cheerleaders, for example. Or Mormon missionaries."); Alabaster; Auspicious; Beastly; Bilious; Confectionary; Conspiracy; Contemplating; Cryptic; Despicable; Diabolical ("means extremely cruel or evil. The French word for it is diabolique. There is a French movie called Diabolique that I saw more than fifty years ago, and it is still the scariest movie I have ever seen." --This totally makes me think of Gary London!); Expostulation; Fortuitous; Glossary; Glutinous; Heinous; Ignominious (this is Emma's favorite word right now!); Insignificant; Irascible; Lugubrious; Malevolent; Melancholy; Meticulous; Nefarious; Obfuscate; Oblivious; Obsequious; Obstruction; Odious; Pathetic; Regrettable; Reprehensible; Surreptitious; Tycoon; Unkempt; Villainous; Winsome.

Finally, these are the books in the bibliography: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn; Anne of Green Gables; The Bobbsey Twins and Baby May; A Christmas Carol; Heidi; James and the Giant Peach; Jane Eyre; Little Women; Mary Poppins; Pollyanna; Ragged Dick; The Secret Garden; and Toby Tyler, or, Ten Weeks With the Circus. I've read most of them. Time to put the rest on my "to-read" list!

I HIGHLY recommend this fun book!(less)

1 like · like · see review

Jan 21, 2011 Alice rated it 3 of 5 stars

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 children, and the children,...more

like · see review

Jan 12, 2011 Lesli rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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 book,...more

like · see review

Jan 01, 2011 Sweet on Books rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: reader-sr, melissa-g

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...more 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 seems to have been the case in many “old fashioned” stories so they plot to kill off their parents. They encourage their parents to set off on an adventurous trip and secretly hope for a fatal accident. The parents, in keeping with their wicked ways, hire a nanny and leave without so much as a wave goodbye. Before their parents leave, the Willoughby children find a baby on their doorstep and when they tell their mother, she instructs them to get rid of it. She’s the same woman who is described as having once read a book but found it “distasteful” because it had adjectives – I’m still laughing at this thought, especially since Lowry clearly loves them! The children leave the baby with a local tycoon who, while extremely wealthy, is currently living a shabby existence as he mourns the loss of his wife and child. The story of these two families, and how their lives collide, will take readers on an interesting journey of their own.

Everything about these characters and their lives is an exaggeration, a world turned upside down from what is normally expected, and they should not be taken too seriously. So, when Lowry writes that it didn’t matter if the pilot died because he was Presbyterian or that some travelers were eaten by crocodiles because they were French, we should laugh and not be offended. When she mocks it is meant to be funny not imitated. Readers should also be able to handle plenty of details about events and people, as well as a variety of challenging vocabulary. Lowry does offer a helping hand with the not-so-ordinary glossary provided at the back. It is so engaging that it made me think that Lowry should really write her own version of the dictionary. Children would definitely enjoy learning words using her definitions and may even be more likely to remember their meanings. While it did get a little predictable, it remains a unique introduction to a humorous style of writing that may even encourage readers to look more critically and observantly at the world around them.(less)

like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 99 100 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

Recommend it | Stats | Recent status updates

combine
Other Editions (16)

More editions...

Genres

Childrens

117 users

Humor

74 users

Young Adult

62 users

Childrens > Juvenile

58 users

Childrens > Middle Grade

43 users

Fantasy

23 users

Humor > Funny

21 users

Realistic Fiction

17 users

Adventure

11 users

Childrens > Chapter Books

11 users

See top shelves...

Readers also enjoyed similar books

About Lois Lowry

Taken from Lowry's website:
"I’ve always felt that I was fortunate to have been born the middle child of three. My older sister, Helen, was very much like our mother: gentle, family-oriented, eager to please. Little brother Jon was the only boy and had interests that he shared with Dad; together they were always working on electric trains and erector sets; and later, when Jon was older, they always...more Taken from Lowry's website:
"I’ve always felt that I was fortunate to have been born the middle child of three. My older sister, Helen, was very much like our mother: gentle, family-oriented, eager to please. Little brother Jon was the only boy and had interests that he shared with Dad; together they were always working on electric trains and erector sets; and later, when Jon was older, they always seemed to have their heads under the raised hood of a car. That left me in-between, and exactly where I wanted most to be: on my own. I was a solitary child who lived in the world of books and my own vivid imagination.

Because my father was a career military officer - an Army dentist - I lived all over the world. I was born in Hawaii, moved from there to New York, spent the years of World War II in my mother’s hometown: Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and from there went to Tokyo when I was eleven. High school was back in New York City, but by the time I went to college (Brown University in Rhode Island), my family was living in Washington, D.C.

I married young. I had just turned nineteen - just finished my sophomore year in college - when I married a Naval officer and continued the odyssey that military life requires. California. Connecticut (a daughter born there). Florida (a son). South Carolina. Finally Cambridge, Massachusetts, when my husband left the service and entered Harvard Law School (another daughter; another son) and then to Maine - by now with four children under the age of five in tow. My children grew up in Maine. So did I. I returned to college at the University of Southern Maine, got my degree, went to graduate school, and finally began to write professionally, the thing I had dreamed of doing since those childhood years when I had endlessly scribbled stories and poems in notebooks.

After my marriage ended in 1977, when I was forty, I settled into the life I have lived ever since. Today I am back in Cambridge, Massachusetts, living and writing in a house dominated by a very shaggy Tibetan Terrier named Bandit. For a change of scenery Martin and I spend time in Maine, where we have an old (it was built in 1768!) farmhouse on top of a hill. In Maine I garden, feed birds, entertain friends, and read...

My books have varied in content and style. Yet it seems that all of them deal, essentially, with the same general theme: the importance of human connections. A Summer to Die, my first book, was a highly fictionalized retelling of the early death of my sister, and of the effect of such a loss on a family. Number the Stars, set in a different culture and era, tells the same story: that of the role that we humans play in the lives of our fellow beings.

The Giver - and Gathering Blue, and the newest in the trilogy: Messenger - take place against the background of very different cultures and times. Though all three are broader in scope than my earlier books, they nonetheless speak to the same concern: the vital need of people to be aware of their interdependence, not only with each other, but with the world and its environment.

My older son was a fighter pilot in the United States Air Force. His death in the cockpit of a warplane tore away a piece of my world. But it left me, too, with a wish to honor him by joining the many others trying to find a way to end conflict on this very fragile earth.
I am a grandmother now. For my own grandchildren - and for all those of their generation - I try, through writing, to convey my passionate awareness that we live intertwined on this planet and that our future depends upon our caring more, and doing more, for one another."(less)

More about Lois Lowry...

Books by Lois Lowry

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About The Willoughbys

5 trivia questions

More quizzes & trivia...

Quotes from The Willoughbys

“Once she read a book but found it distasteful because it contained adjectives.” — 20 people liked it

“We are four worthy orphans with a no-nonsense nanny."

Like Mary Poppins?" suggested the man, with a pleased look of recognition.

Not one bit like that fly-by-night woman," Nanny said with a sniff. "It almost gives me diabetes just to think of her: all those disgusting spoonfuls of sugar!” — 10 people liked it

More quotes…

title link	preview: The Willoughbys
avg rating	preview: The Willoughbys Goodreads rating: 3.74 (5172 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=https://www.discovereads.com/book/show/2114086.The_Willoughbys?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1345715407l/2114086.jpg[/img][/url] [url=https://www.discovereads.com/book/show/2114086.The_Willoughbys?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]The Willoughbys by Lois Lowry[/url]

The Willoughbys

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website