The Willoughbys
By: Lois Lowry
The Willoughbys is a hilarious parody of themes found in classic literature centering around four precocious children that are determined to become “deserving orphans” after their horrible parents (who are as equally ready to rid themselves of the children) set out for a dangerous around-the-world adventure, leaving the children in the care of a nanny.
Timothy, the twins Barnaby A and Barnaby B (because coming up with more than one name was too much work for the parents) and little Jane spend many hours reading “old fashion stories” such as The Secret Garden, Mary Poppins, and Huck Finn where they find themselves obsessed with the thought of being orphans. Tim takes charge over the children making them play silly games he invents with rules he creates. When they find a baby on their doorstep and their mother simply won’t let them keep such a “beastly” thing they leave her on the doorstep at the home of a rich, old depressed man with a note that all rewards should be sent to them. They then hatch a plan to rid themselves of their parents so that they can become orphans. At the same time the parents hatch a plan to rid themselves of the children leaving them in the care of a nanny. Once the nanny arrives and takes charge the children bond with her and they eventually find the home they always wanted just like in the “old-fashioned stories”.
While this book is very unlike any of Lois Lowry’s other books (and honestly that is part of the intrigue and appeal) this is one of the cleverest books I have read in awhile. It is very funny; quick paced, and has hilarious dialogue. It also holds a large vocabulary (complete with ‘glossary’ in the back) as well as a witty ‘bibliography’ of the classic literature (“old fashion stories”) it is constantly referring to.
Timothy, the twins Barnaby A and Barnaby B (because coming up with more than one name was too much work for the parents) and little Jane spend many hours reading “old fashion stories” such as The Secret Garden, Mary Poppins, and Huck Finn where they find themselves obsessed with the thought of being orphans. Tim takes charge over the children making them play silly games he invents with rules he creates. When they find a baby on their doorstep and their mother simply won’t let them keep such a “beastly” thing they leave her on the doorstep at the home of a rich, old depressed man with a note that all rewards should be sent to them. They then hatch a plan to rid themselves of their parents so that they can become orphans. At the same time the parents hatch a plan to rid themselves of the children leaving them in the care of a nanny. Once the nanny arrives and takes charge the children bond with her and they eventually find the home they always wanted just like in the “old-fashioned stories”.
While this book is very unlike any of Lois Lowry’s other books (and honestly that is part of the intrigue and appeal) this is one of the cleverest books I have read in awhile. It is very funny; quick paced, and has hilarious dialogue. It also holds a large vocabulary (complete with ‘glossary’ in the back) as well as a witty ‘bibliography’ of the classic literature (“old fashion stories”) it is constantly referring to.
No comments:
Post a Comment