Lois Lowry is nothing if not versatile. From serious, Newbery Award-winning fare such as NUMBER THE STARS and THE GIVER to brilliantly funny family comedy in the Anastasia Krupnik series, Lowry has successfully explored many different genres and moods in her fruitful career. Now, in THE WILLOUGHBYS, she demonstrates her range once more. Specifically, this book exhibits her extensive knowledge of the history of children's literature and playfully re-purposes those occupants of the bookstore's "Classics" shelf into a clever parody.

At the center of the tale are the four Willoughby children: bossy eldest son Tim, twins Barnaby and Barnaby (nicknamed A and B) and youngest sister Jane, who is convinced that her plain, ordinary name might be one of the reasons her parents seem to keep forgetting about her. The Willoughbys are a thoroughly old-fashioned bunch, engaging in just the kinds of wholesome activities that populate the pages of their favorite old children's stories.

But something is holding the kids back from becoming exactly like their storybook heroes and heroines --- their parents. If only their mom and dad would disappear, they could become "worthy," "winsome" and "deserving orphans," just like so many of the characters --- from Mary Lennox in THE SECRET GARDEN to Jane Eyre --- they emulate. So they hatch a plot to rid themselves of their parents once and for all. Little do they know, though, that their mom and dad (inspired by the story of Hansel and Gretel) might have an old-fashioned plot of their own in mind.

What follows is a glorious, tongue-in-cheek romp through the images and icons of classic stories --- from a baby abandoned on a doorstep to a no-nonsense nanny (who is nothing like Mary Poppins: "It almost gives me diabetes just to think of her: all those disgusting spoonfuls of sugar!") to a boy who pulls himself up by his bootstraps (whatever those are). Chock full of delightful asides from the narrator and genuine moments of dramatic irony and suspense, THE WILLOUGHBYS is --- if it's not oxymoronic to say so --- a thoroughly modern old-fashioned yarn. Lowry even manages to warp the traditional sentimental ending, as the Willoughbys reflect wistfully over their tragically lost parents (whose loss is somehow more comical than tragic).

Of course, the readers who will most appreciate the book's sense of play are those who themselves have knowledge of the stories the author references. But all will enjoy the snarky narrative, and no one should miss either the clever glossary or the hilarious summaries of the classic tales referenced in the novel (LITTLE WOMEN: "Meg is mature and sensible. Jo is literary and boyish. Amy is vain and foolish. Beth is saintly and dies."). Whether readers are familiar with classic literature or not, they will soon have their own example of classic parody to point to --- THE WILLOUGHBYS.

--- Reviewed by Norah Piehl

This book was excellent.

The parents were uncaring and cruel.
The childeren were yerning for attention.
The nannies were all so hoplessly confused!

Read this book.
It was amazing!

This showed up on an order for Topper (the old TV show) and I took a chance and ordered it too. So far so good.

This is a really good book. I read it first to see if it was okay for children, and had to ration myself to a couple of chapters per day to make it last--(you know how you hate to have a good book end.) I really liked it and my brother's children LOVED it (ages 6-12). I read it to them and we had discussions about words (English and German) as well as about love, sadness, men taking care of babies, parents, etc. I think it is worth buying. I don't know if it stimulated their interest in "The Secret Garden" or other "classic" children's books but we had a fun time reading it and laughing together and wondering how it would turn out AND I really liked the illustrations.

I think this is a beautiful little book. I like the way it you can still remember Lois Lowry wrote it while imagining something fun. The story was not at all predictable, and I was surprised by many events. There is one thing I was dissapointed by, and that was that the title did not have a hidden meaning, like in The Giver and Gathering Blue, I love that aha! moment that you get near the end of the story, and it was not in this book. I highly recommend reading the glossary and bibliography, because they are witty and helped me out with a few confusing words. One last thing is that even though it seems like a children's story, it would be enjoyed more by young adults.
I know I've said a lot, and since there is a mixture of good and bad qualities of the book written above, look at the number of stars the book got...

Although I am near fifty I found this to have many laugh-out-loud treats! Get past some of the dopey point-counting and there is a fun story. Very Roald Dahl-ish and Lemony Snicket-ish. The "glossary" is delightful and the bibliography is helpful. This would be a good read-aloud for kids who know the books listed in the bibliography.

Such a pleasure to find a truly versatile author. Lowry is as adept at the huge poignancy of THE GIVER and NUMBER THE STARS as she is with wicked drollery and with in her Krupnik tales and in this latest offering. While this one makes much of traditional children's literature and its myriad orphans from JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH to HUCKLEBERRY FINN to THE SECRET GARDEN, these is no mention of those latter-day pathos-grabbers, the Baudelaires, and their nigh-endless career of unfortunate events. What precious irony that no less than Lemony Snicket himself was the reviewer of choice for this new Lowry by PUBLISHER'S WEEKLY. This is a quick, fast paced, page-turner for the 'tween set with appropriately short chapters and Lowry's own cheeky (as in "tongue in") illustrations. The hilarity hits a high point however in the fractious and fractured attempts at German: "Ach. I forgotzenplunkt. Sorrybrauten." The book, as with most of Lowry, works equally well for independent reading as well as for reading aloud.

I ordered this book as an afterthought while I was picking up The Giver box set. I am so glad that I did. While at first, it felt like a rip off of Lemony Snicket. I soon found myself laughing out loud and no longer cared where she found her inspiration. This book is downright funny and truly fun to read.