Lois Lowry

The Willoughbys

Sarah Sammis

Lois Lowry's written more than thirty books and of them I've read three. I'm a new comer to Lowry's books only having "discovered" her in the last couple of years. I also subscribe to her blog and recommend that you do. The Willoughbys has the added benefit of being illustrated by the author.

There are two basic types of family stories in children's fiction: the adventures that orphans have and the families separated by tragic circumstances trying to reunite.

The Willoughbys is Lowry's response to so many of the cliches of children's literature. The book follows two families: the Willoughbys and the Commander Melanoffs. The Willoughby parents and children share a mutual dislike of each other. The children decide its time to become orphans because in books they always find a wealthy benefactor and end up living a better life. Meanwhile, the parents decide they're sick of the children and decide to go on a trip around the world and have the house sold out from under the children.

For the separated family half of the book, there is Commander Melanoff who is living a sad life at home while his wife and son have been lost in a snow storm on a train in Europe. What he doesn't realize in his long time grief is that they were rescued years ago. They have assumed he doesn't want them to come home because he hasn't answered their letter.

Lois Lowry brings these two stories together with the help of Baby Ruth, an honest to god doorstep orphan, who has been passed from the Willoughby doorstep to Commander Melanoff's. The novel plays with the conventions of children's fiction and draws attention to the many tropes and cliches. Although it's not marketed as metafiction, it's as firmly grounded in metafiction as Ara 13's Fiction: A Novel. The only difference is that one is intended for children and the other for adults.

Celeste Richardson

What a delightful little book. I had a feeling it would be. Beneath the title, the phrase “Nafariously Written & Ignominously Illustrated by the Author” adorns the title, and I figured after see those words that this story was sure to be a snarky treat. And I was right. I’ve always loved Lois Lowry, but this was a new side of her for me. There was so much tongue-in-cheek sass in this book. It reminded me of a quicker, happier version of Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events. If you need a little pick-me-up and have an hour or two to spare, The Willoughbys is a fun way to spend that time.

Now a Netflix animated film, starring Ricky Gervais, Maya Rudolph, Terry Crews, Martin Short, Jane Krakowski, Will Forte, Alessia Cara, and Séan Cullen! From the New York Times Bestselling and two-time Newbery Medal-winning author of The Giver and Number the Stars, comes a delightfully tongue-in-cheek story about parents trying to get rid of their four children and the children who are all too happy to lose their beastly parents and be on their own. The Willoughby children—Timothy, twins Barnaby A and Barnaby B, and their sister Jane—are fond all old-fashioned things, but especially old-fashioned adventures. What they aren't fond of, however, are their parents. Truth be told, their parents aren't the fondest of them, either, and they're concocting an evil plan to get rid of their children once and for all! Both parents and children have plenty of dastardly ideas and tricks up their sleeves. The only thing they don't have is any idea of what lies between them and a happily-ever-after. Complete with a cheeky glossary and bibliography, this hilarious and wonderfully old-fashioned parody pays playful homage to classic works of children’s literature like Mary Poppins and A Christmas Carol.

The Willoughbys

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