"The Willoughbys" by Lois Lowry

I chose to review this particular book for two reasons. First, although I have not read many of Lois Lowry's works, I thoroughly enjoyed her two Newberry award-winning books: The Giver and Number the Stars. Second, as a winner of the 2008 Parents' Choice Gold Award, The Willoughbys appeared this year on the 3rd-5th grade list for Oregon Battle of the Books.

The Willoughbys
"Nefariously written and ignominiously illustrated by the author"
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 9-12 years

SUMMARY
The Willoughbys is a parody of old-fashioned children’s literature, and it has all the required elements: orphans, a rich benefactor, a nanny, a long-lost heir, even a baby abandoned on a doorstep. Essentially, the story is a very simple one. It is about four siblings whose parents do not love them. The children, in turn, dislike their parents so much that they would prefer to be orphans. Unbeknownst to the other party, both parents and children are concocting plans to get rid of each other.

While Mr. and Mrs. Willoughby go on an exotic vacation, the children (with the help of the nanny) try to prevent their house from being sold. Down the street, a miserable candy bar tycoon finds happiness - after years of grieving the loss of his wife and son - when he finds a baby left on his doorstep. The two story lines interweave when the children are ultimately compelled to find a new home and the presumed-dead son of the billionaire reappears. As with all good, old-fashioned stories, (almost) everyone lives happily ever after.

The story is followed by a humorous glossary of “old-fashioned” words. There is also a bibliography containing a list of the “old-fashioned” children’s books to which the author alludes throughout the course of the book.

CRITIQUE
I loved Ms. Lowry’s award-winning books, The Giver and Number the Stars. I also thought the premise of this book sounded interesting, so I looked forward to reading The Willoughbys. Although there were some genuinely humorous parts, overall I was disappointed. Ms. Lowry attempts to create 'more realistic' characters than those found in classic children's literature but, in my opinion, only succeeds in making them less appealing. Furthermore, in her attempt to entertain rather than instruct, she fails to convey anything of lasting value which ultimately is what gives those "old-fashioned" books their intrinsic worth.

As I mentioned in the summary, this book is intended to be a parody of “old-fashioned” children’s literature. Specifically, Ms. Lowry alludes to classics such as Mary Poppins, James and the Giant Peach, and The Secret Garden. However, unless children have read these other books, they will not understand the allusions and the humor will be lost on them. Ms. Lowry herself, in an interview she gave with Time For Kids, admits that kids today “are not going to rush to read those books,” and if they do, they are “not going to like them much” because they are “kind of outdated.” (To see this interview in its entirety, click here.) For this reason, I consider The Willoughbys to be an example of a children’s book that is probably more appropriate for an older audience.

The bottom line is that, while I would highly recommend some of Ms. Lowry’s other works, reading The Willoughbys is probably not worth your time. For a thorough preview of the potentially objectionable material in this book, please see below.

RATINGS
Disrespectful/Bad Attitude: Heavy
Frightening/Suspenseful: Mild
Profanity: Mild
Sex: Mild
Substance Use: Mild
Mature Themes: None
Violence: Mild

SPECIFIC CONTENT
Disrespectful/Bad Attitude:
-The oldest brother, Tim, is extremely bossy and dictates to his siblings what games they can play, what food they can eat, and even what they should think and feel.
-Tim calls his younger siblings and parents “dolts” and “dodos.”
-Tim calls a baby “disgusting” and beastly.”
-Tim tells his younger sister, Jane, that she will “never be called upon for important work because she is a girl.” This makes Jane cry.
-Willoughby parents and children do not like nor respect one another and plot to get rid of each other.
-Mr. and Mrs. Willoughby write, “The crocodile river was such fun. Two tourists were eaten…but it was not sad at all because they were French.” Later they write, “Only the pilot was lost and it didn’t matter because he was a Presbyterian.”
-Commander Melanoff says. “That is how we billionaires exist…we profit on the misfortune of others.”
-Mrs. Melanoff calls her husband an “old goat” and an “old fart.”
-Willoughby children are not saddened in the least by the death of their parents.

Frightening/Suspenseful:
-Mrs. Willoughby talks about wanting to see the frozen bodies of several famous climbers littering the side of the mountain.

Profanity:
-Mr. Willoughby calls fondue “fon doo-doo.”

Sex:
-Nanny poses as a nude statue to camouflage herself when prospective buyers come to view the house.
-Hans-Peter von Schlusseldorf, the Swiss postmaster, finds himself thinking about Mrs. Melanoff’s hair and “the way it fell around her shoulders in soft, luxuriant waves. And her lips! The redness, the moistness, of them!”
-Commander Melanoff hears Nanny in the kitchen and imagines her pulling something out of the oven and being tempted to “pat her large behind affectionately as she bent over.”
-Commander Melanoff looks at Nanny with a “lovesick gaze.”

Substance Use:
-Mentions beer drinking as part of the wedding ceremony in Switzerland.

Violence:
-The twins suggest that they should “murder the villain” when discussing what they should do about the fact that their house has been sold.
-Tim suggests that Jane should die a slow and painless death, Nanny should get lost in the jungle looking for heathens, and the twins should drown in a whirlpool.
-Mr. and Mrs. Willoughby die in the Swiss Alps and their bodies are frozen on the mountainside.