| The Willoughbys | 
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Avg. Customer Rating:   (based on 24 reviews)
Sales Rank: 20842
Category: Book
Author: Lois Lowry
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin/Walter Lorraine Books
Studio: Houghton Mifflin/Walter Lorraine Books
Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin/Walter Lorraine Books
Label: Houghton Mifflin/Walter Lorraine Books
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 176
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 7.9 x 5.4 x 0.8
ISBN: 0618979743
EAN: 9780618979745
ASIN: 0618979743
Publication Date: March 31, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
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 satisfyingly maudlin one. However, it is an unquestionably ruthless act that sets in motion the transformations that lead to their salvation and to happy endings for not only the four children, but their nanny, an abandoned baby, a candy magnate, and his long-lost son too. Replete with a tongue-in-cheek glossary and bibliography, this hilarious and decidedly old-fashioned parody pays playful homage to classic works of children's literature.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 19 more reviews...
 If you have no sense of humor, don't read this book January 1, 2009
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 "impatient and irascible," and their mother is "indolent and ill-tempered." They "frequently forgot that they had children and became quite irritable when they were reminded of it." They actually become so irritable with their children that they devise a plan to get rid of them by selling their house while they go on vacation. Little do they know that this adventurous (and highly dangerous) vacation is the children's plan to get rid of their parents so that they may finally become old-fashioned orphans. But things don't go EXACTLY as planned, and along the way, the Willoughby children learn a little bit about kindness and find a loving family of their own.
I found myself snickering at the book from the very beginning, and it's actually kind of difficult to tie it up into a neat little description. It's dark yet irreverent and lighthearted at the same time. Lowry does a fantastic job of weaving in hilarious scenarios and funny characters, from the kind nanny who disguises herself as Aphrodite to scare off potential home buyers to the rich benefactor who made his fortune in the candy industry. I also immensely enjoyed the references to lots of classic "orphan" books she pokes fun of.
But let me SHOW you what I'm talking about. In this passage, the children receive a postcard from their parents.
"'Dear ones,'" Tim read. "'Though slightly bruised, we have survived quite a lovely earthquake (you may have read the headlines: THOUSANDS KILLED)...'"
"'Oh my," Jane said sadly. "I suppose kittens were killed, too. How sad."
"Shhh," Tim told her, and he continued. '"...and next we are off to kayak a crocodile-infested river. Such FUN! '"
"They don't know how to kayak!" Barnaby A exclaimed.
"They never once have kayaked," his twin added.
"Precisely," Tim said. (pages 56-57)
Even Lowry's glossary in the back is injected with this same type of bizarre humor, and she even takes a poke at herself:
IGNOMINIOUS means shamefully weak and ineffective. Oliver Twist saying, "Please sir, might I have some more?" would be ignominious, except that he isn't shameful, just sort of pathetic. This book has ignominious illustrations. They are shamefully weak because the person who drew them is not an artist. (p. 163)
(Lowry herself sketched all of the illustrations in the book).
I predict that children and parents alike will love this book even though some young children may not get all of the jokes. However, those that do will probably read it over and over again and find something new to laugh at every time. I admit that I was first a little skeptical when I heard that Lowry would be writing a humorous book, but like all of her books, she executed it with perfection and added her own special style.
 Funny parody of classic tales November 23, 2008
The Willoughby children, Tim, Barnaby A & B, and Jane, live in an old-fashioned type of family. But not all is as it seems. The parents are either so busy or indifferent to them that one day one of the Willoughby children asks, "Shouldn't we be orphans?"
Then one day a baby shows up on their porch, which sets some things into motion which are similar to some classic works of literature. Only hopefully this tale will end with a happily ever after. Or will it?
This story is totally unlike any other Lois Lowry story I've read. I thought I'd be disappointed but I found myself enjoying this parody. More than once I chuckled over some comparisons to some classics. Though some of the characters are stereotypical-( like the English boy who can't speak German or the nasty parents that plot to do away with their children), I think the author does this all in fun.
This tale has a Lemony Snicket appeal that I'm sure will attract the same audience.
I enjoyed reading this very much, I wish it hadn't been so short. November 17, 2008
The book starts off with four children finding an abandoned infant on their front step. These are the Willoughby children: Tim, Barnaby A, Barnaby B, and the youngest, the only girl, Jane. Although at least Jane wants to keep the abandoned baby, the rest of the family, especially their mother, does not. In fact, we soon learn that their mother and their father often how disapprove of the children's thoughts along with their actions and their general existence. Bleak as that might sound, it's quite amusing to read about the way the parents disapprove of them and the reasons they give for this.
Thereafter their story continues to mix in with the lives of a local tycoon, a new nanny, and this new baby who is soon named Ruth. The book is a short, light read, but it is definitely entertaining. It sort of reminded me of the sort of humor found in A Series of Unfortunate Events, but Lemony Snicket, however it's devoid of the constant theme of gloom and doom even with constant examples of unloving parents and abandoned orphans.
I think if anything, some people not enjoy this book if they don't enjoy this type of humor. It's satirical, in a way. My own personal complaint is simply that the book was too short. I wish it hadn't ended so quickly.
Also, I strongly recommend that some of you try out the audiobook read by Arte Johnson. It's about three hours long and it's extremely entertaining to hear the way he reads it, I think the experience is much better this way.
 Cheap October 26, 2008
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
The writing was really not up to Lois Lowry's usual standards, the characters were not enjoyable to follow, and the jokes are played for cheap laughs. Lowry can write better humor than this.
Clever, quick read September 16, 2008
Read this enjoyable little book this summer and knew I had to share it with my middle school class. We have enough time to read a couple of chapters every few days during our "silent" reading time and I love Lowry's tongue-in-cheek delivery. The vocabulary is great too and I branched out to show them more of the "old fashioned" stories the Willoughby's are obsessed with. Does my heart good when I see kids pick up Heidi or Pollyanna.
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