| The Willoughbys | 
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Avg. Customer Rating:   (based on 23 reviews)
Sales Rank: 3399
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 18 more reviews...
 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
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.
I quirky fun story! August 27, 2008
I throughly enjoyed this little book. I thought it was quite charming. It kind of reminded me of the series of unfortunate events. Mainly because of the way it's written. I'm glad it ended happily and thought it was whimsical and silly. I think this would be a great story to read as a family.
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