maiya's+The+Willoughbys+book+review+FALL+2010

The Willoughbys Author: Lois Lowry Copy right: 2008 Pages: 163


 * //__ The Willoughbys! __//**

This book is about four, old-fashioned kids that are trying to become orphans by getting rid of their parents. The eldest child is a boy and his name is Timothy, but everyone calls him Tim. Since he's the oldest, he bosses his siblings around like they are trash. He calls them dodos and makes himself win every game. The middle children are twin boys and are named Barnaby A and Barnaby B because their parents didn't care to change their names. They became A and B for short though. They always listened to Tim like he was a God and does whatever he says. In the book, they also have a problem with only having one sweater and two boys. There mother didn't want to make another sweater for them, but for fun made a sweater for their cat. That shows that she didn't care at all. The final and youngest child is named Jane. She is a sweetheart and is the kindest out the the four. She has glasses and little bangs. The parents are referred to in the story as Mr and Mrs Willoughby. The parents hate their kids and the kids hate their parents. Like when their mother made them dinner, the kids wouldn't eat the food for nothing. " We do not like this," he might announce, and they would all put down their forks and refuse to open their mouths, even if they were very, very hungry". Pg 3.

One day when the Willoughby children were going to go outside, they noticed an infant in a basket on their doorstep. They brought the little thing inside to show their mom. Jane wanted to keep it because she thought that the blond curls on top of the baby's head were cute. The mother didn't want this thing found on her doorstep, so she got her gold scissors from her sewing basket and chopped the poor curls off. Jane didn't want the baby now, so the kids put the baby in a wagon and wheeled it off to a nearby mansion that looked deserted. They dropped the baby off on the mansion's doorstep and left her there alone. But what they didn't know was that the mansion was owned by a rich, widowed, candy factory owner who hasn't been out of his house since his wife and son died in an avalanche two years before. His name was Commander Melanoff. He ended up finding the baby while getting the mail. He ended up taking her in and named her Ruth.

One major conflict is that the parents go on a vacation and are trying to sell the house while they are gone. This also means that they are trying to sell the house with the kids inside. Another problem for the kids are that they are trying to get rid of their parents but their parents won't die. Later in the book, Commander Melanoff gets a letter telling him his wife and son might be alive. Will the parents win and sell the house with the kids inside? Will the kids win and kill the parents? Will the wife and son of Commander Melanoff be alive? You will only know if you read the book because I can't tell. HAHA!

This story takes place in Rotterdam, Netherlands which is where the Willoughbys live. Another important place in the book is Switzerland. The story might take place in the summer because they are not in school. It is also snowing, but they don't talk about Christmas. They really didn't give you the season and the author didn't give you hints about the season either.

I would recommend this book to kids who like mind twisting, adventurous, sweet, and touching stories. 4th to 7th graders would enjoy this book. Kids with lower reading levels could read this book because this book has easy vocabulary. If you don't understand a word, there is a glossary in the back of the book which may help you a lot! I hope you love this book as much as i did! Happy reading and thanks for reading this book review!