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Summary
Summary
May Hill Arbuthnot Honor Lecture Award: Lois Lowry
"Shouldn't we be orphans?" one of the Willoughby children suggests one day. The four are, after all, part of an old-fashioned kind of family, and their parents-well, their parents are not all that one would hope for. Recalling literary heroes and heroines such as Anne of Green Gables, Pollyanna, and James with his giant peach, the Willoughbys concoct a diabolical plot to turn themselves into worthy and winsome orphans. Little do they know that Mr. and Mrs. Willoughby have already begun to formulate their own thoroughly despicable plan inspired by another favorite bedtime story: the tale of Hansel and Gretel ...
Villains, benefactors, no-nonsense nannies, abandoned infants, long-lost heirs, and late-life romance all make their appearance along with the irrepressible Willoughbys as the Newbery Award-winning author Lois Lowry pays playful homage to classic works of literature in this hilarious and decidedly "old-fashioned" parody.
Author Notes
Lois Lowry (nee Lois Ann Hammersberg) was born on March 20, 1937, in Honolulu, Hawaii. She was educated at both Brown University and the University of Southern Maine. Before becoming an author, she worked as a photographer and a freelance journalist.
Her first book, A Summer to Die, was published in 1977. Since then she has written over 30 books for young adults including Gathering Blue, Messenger, the Anastasia Krupnik series, and Son. She has received numerous awards including: The New York Times Best Seller,the International Reading Association's Children's Literature Award, the American Library Association Notable Book Award Citation and two Newberry Medals for Number the Stars in 1990, and The Giver in 1993. She was also awarded an honorary Doctorate of Letters by Brown University in 2014.
The Giver is part of a Quartet of books; it is the first book, followed by Gathering Blue, messenger and Son. The Giver has been met with a diversity of reactions from schools in America, some of which have adopted it as a part of the mandatory curriculum, while others have prohibited the book's inclusion in classroom studies. It was also made into a feature film of the same name released in 2014. Lois Lowry also made the Hans Christian Andersen Awards 2016 finalists in the author category.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (2)
Horn Book Review
Read by Arte Johnson. (Intermediate)Seeking orphanhood, the four bookish Willoughby children develop a plan to rub out their neglectful, loathsome parents. Unbeknownst to them, their parents have hatched a fiendish counterplot inspired by "Hansel and Gretel." Lowry mines a bevy of literary clichÄs in this inventive spoof of "old-fashioned" children's stories, including the no-nonsense nanny, the foundling left on a doorstep, and the reclusive benefactor. Narrator Johnson's deadpan performance melds perfectly with Lowry's sardonic humor; his tongue remains firmly in cheek as he unfalteringly conveys the riotous absurdities of Lowry's metafictional lampoon. A glossary and an annotated bibliography supply a droll postscript to this gothic farce ê la Joan Aiken and Edward Gorey. From HORN BOOK, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
School Library Journal Review
Gr 4-7-Lois Lowry's hilarious novel (Houghton Mifflin, 2008) is a parody of "old-fashioned" children's books and features the requisite uncaring and self-centered parents, orphans, nanny, and the like. Timothy, the oldest of the Willoughby children, makes all the decisions and the youngest, Jane, just wants to be more assertive. Twins Barnaby A and Barnaby B, the middle children, are so alike that their parents can't tell them apart even if they bothered to try. When the youngsters find a beastly baby on their doorstep, they leave it at a rich neighbor's house to get rid of it. The melancholy candy maker tycoon who lives there adopts the baby and his life becomes happy after years of grieving over the death of his wife and son in an avalanche in Switzerland. Meanwhile, the Willoughby children concoct a plot to get rid of their insufferable parents and turn themselves into orphans by sending them on a dangerous trip. The nanny who comes to take care of them turns out to be just what they need to bring out the best in their personalities. The two stories intertwine when the children and the nanny must find a new place to live and the long-lost son of the tycoon makes his way home. A lengthy and humorous glossary at the end defines old-fashioned words in the story (lugubrious, affable, etc.) with examples and hints for proper use. Arte Johnson does a wonderful job of narrating all the characters' diverse voices, enhancing the comedic elements of the tale. This is a clever parody on classics such as James and the Giant Peach and Pollyanna with wonderfully imperfect orphans and memorable characters. Teresa Wittmann, Westgate Elementary School, Edmonds, WA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
