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The Willoughbys #2
The Willoughbys Return
It's been 30 years and with rising temperatures melting icy mountain tops the previously frozen Willoughbys have thawed out and are about to return!
Although they grew up as wretched orphans, the Willoughby siblings also became heirs to the the Melanoff candy company fortune. Everything has turned out just splendidly, except for one problem: Richie Willoughby, son of Timothy Willoughby, is an only child and is quite lonely.
Winifred and Winston Poore have long admired the toys of their neighbor Richie Willoughby and finally befriend the mysterious boy next door. But just as Richie finally begins to make friends, selling sweets is made illegal, and the family's fortune is put in jeopardy. To make matters worse, Richie's horrible Willoughby grandparents—frozen atop a Swiss mountain thirty years ago—have thawed, remain in perfect health, and are making their way home again.
What is the point of being the reclusive son of a billionaire when your father is no longer a billionaire? What is the future without candy in it? And is there any escaping the odiousness of the Willoughbys?
Although they grew up as wretched orphans, the Willoughby siblings also became heirs to the the Melanoff candy company fortune. Everything has turned out just splendidly, except for one problem: Richie Willoughby, son of Timothy Willoughby, is an only child and is quite lonely.
Winifred and Winston Poore have long admired the toys of their neighbor Richie Willoughby and finally befriend the mysterious boy next door. But just as Richie finally begins to make friends, selling sweets is made illegal, and the family's fortune is put in jeopardy. To make matters worse, Richie's horrible Willoughby grandparents—frozen atop a Swiss mountain thirty years ago—have thawed, remain in perfect health, and are making their way home again.
What is the point of being the reclusive son of a billionaire when your father is no longer a billionaire? What is the future without candy in it? And is there any escaping the odiousness of the Willoughbys?
192 pages, Hardcover
First published September 29, 2020
67 people are currently reading
895 people want to read
About the author
Lois Lowry
143 books22.8k followersTaken from Lowry's website:
"I’ve always felt that I was fortunate to have been born the middle child of three. My older sister, Helen, was very much like our mother: gentle, family-oriented, eager to please. Little brother Jon was the only boy and had interests that he shared with Dad; together they were always working on electric trains and erector sets; and later, when Jon was older, they always seemed to have their heads under the raised hood of a car. That left me in-between, and exactly where I wanted most to be: on my own. I was a solitary child who lived in the world of books and my own vivid imagination.
Because my father was a career military officer - an Army dentist - I lived all over the world. I was born in Hawaii, moved from there to New York, spent the years of World War II in my mother’s hometown: Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and from there went to Tokyo when I was eleven. High school was back in New York City, but by the time I went to college (Brown University in Rhode Island), my family was living in Washington, D.C.
I married young. I had just turned nineteen - just finished my sophomore year in college - when I married a Naval officer and continued the odyssey that military life requires. California. Connecticut (a daughter born there). Florida (a son). South Carolina. Finally Cambridge, Massachusetts, when my husband left the service and entered Harvard Law School (another daughter; another son) and then to Maine - by now with four children under the age of five in tow. My children grew up in Maine. So did I. I returned to college at the University of Southern Maine, got my degree, went to graduate school, and finally began to write professionally, the thing I had dreamed of doing since those childhood years when I had endlessly scribbled stories and poems in notebooks.
After my marriage ended in 1977, when I was forty, I settled into the life I have lived ever since. Today I am back in Cambridge, Massachusetts, living and writing in a house dominated by a very shaggy Tibetan Terrier named Bandit. For a change of scenery Martin and I spend time in Maine, where we have an old (it was built in 1768!) farmhouse on top of a hill. In Maine I garden, feed birds, entertain friends, and read...
My books have varied in content and style. Yet it seems that all of them deal, essentially, with the same general theme: the importance of human connections. A Summer to Die, my first book, was a highly fictionalized retelling of the early death of my sister, and of the effect of such a loss on a family. Number the Stars, set in a different culture and era, tells the same story: that of the role that we humans play in the lives of our fellow beings.
The Giver - and Gathering Blue, and the newest in the trilogy: Messenger - take place against the background of very different cultures and times. Though all three are broader in scope than my earlier books, they nonetheless speak to the same concern: the vital need of people to be aware of their interdependence, not only with each other, but with the world and its environment.
My older son was a fighter pilot in the United States Air Force. His death in the cockpit of a warplane tore away a piece of my world. But it left me, too, with a wish to honor him by joining the many others trying to find a way to end conflict on this very fragile earth.
I am a grandmother now. For my own grandchildren - and for all those of their generation - I try, through writing, to convey my passionate awareness that we live intertwined on this planet and that our future depends upon our caring more, and doing more, for one another."
"I’ve always felt that I was fortunate to have been born the middle child of three. My older sister, Helen, was very much like our mother: gentle, family-oriented, eager to please. Little brother Jon was the only boy and had interests that he shared with Dad; together they were always working on electric trains and erector sets; and later, when Jon was older, they always seemed to have their heads under the raised hood of a car. That left me in-between, and exactly where I wanted most to be: on my own. I was a solitary child who lived in the world of books and my own vivid imagination.
Because my father was a career military officer - an Army dentist - I lived all over the world. I was born in Hawaii, moved from there to New York, spent the years of World War II in my mother’s hometown: Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and from there went to Tokyo when I was eleven. High school was back in New York City, but by the time I went to college (Brown University in Rhode Island), my family was living in Washington, D.C.
I married young. I had just turned nineteen - just finished my sophomore year in college - when I married a Naval officer and continued the odyssey that military life requires. California. Connecticut (a daughter born there). Florida (a son). South Carolina. Finally Cambridge, Massachusetts, when my husband left the service and entered Harvard Law School (another daughter; another son) and then to Maine - by now with four children under the age of five in tow. My children grew up in Maine. So did I. I returned to college at the University of Southern Maine, got my degree, went to graduate school, and finally began to write professionally, the thing I had dreamed of doing since those childhood years when I had endlessly scribbled stories and poems in notebooks.
After my marriage ended in 1977, when I was forty, I settled into the life I have lived ever since. Today I am back in Cambridge, Massachusetts, living and writing in a house dominated by a very shaggy Tibetan Terrier named Bandit. For a change of scenery Martin and I spend time in Maine, where we have an old (it was built in 1768!) farmhouse on top of a hill. In Maine I garden, feed birds, entertain friends, and read...
My books have varied in content and style. Yet it seems that all of them deal, essentially, with the same general theme: the importance of human connections. A Summer to Die, my first book, was a highly fictionalized retelling of the early death of my sister, and of the effect of such a loss on a family. Number the Stars, set in a different culture and era, tells the same story: that of the role that we humans play in the lives of our fellow beings.
The Giver - and Gathering Blue, and the newest in the trilogy: Messenger - take place against the background of very different cultures and times. Though all three are broader in scope than my earlier books, they nonetheless speak to the same concern: the vital need of people to be aware of their interdependence, not only with each other, but with the world and its environment.
My older son was a fighter pilot in the United States Air Force. His death in the cockpit of a warplane tore away a piece of my world. But it left me, too, with a wish to honor him by joining the many others trying to find a way to end conflict on this very fragile earth.
I am a grandmother now. For my own grandchildren - and for all those of their generation - I try, through writing, to convey my passionate awareness that we live intertwined on this planet and that our future depends upon our caring more, and doing more, for one another."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 167 reviews
July 29, 2023
SURPRISE!! The Willoughbys are back!! More like they never officially left in the last book! After being frozen for 30+ years, the Willoughbys awaken to a whole new world where things like Google and Facebook exist. (LOL, yikes!)
A quirky sequel to a creative book, The Willoughbys Return captures the same magic as the first book and adds even more of a flare. I had many laugh-out-loud moments and felt very entertained throughout the entire story. It’s witty, imaginative, and written like a parody. In addition to the Willoughbys unexpectedly returning, candy also becomes illegal. Yes, illegal. Can you even imagine? My husband (a huge candy lover), after a few seconds of gloomy imagination of such a world, added some of his world-famous commentary on how he would deal with such a law going into effect – he says he would secretly start making his own candy at home. I asked what if there was no sugar to be found? He went as far as to state he would somehow illegally obtain sugar cane itself. Desperate measures. Well. Okay, then.
I highly recommend this fun book series for anyone with a sense of humor looking for a light and fun read!!
A quirky sequel to a creative book, The Willoughbys Return captures the same magic as the first book and adds even more of a flare. I had many laugh-out-loud moments and felt very entertained throughout the entire story. It’s witty, imaginative, and written like a parody. In addition to the Willoughbys unexpectedly returning, candy also becomes illegal. Yes, illegal. Can you even imagine? My husband (a huge candy lover), after a few seconds of gloomy imagination of such a world, added some of his world-famous commentary on how he would deal with such a law going into effect – he says he would secretly start making his own candy at home. I asked what if there was no sugar to be found? He went as far as to state he would somehow illegally obtain sugar cane itself. Desperate measures. Well. Okay, then.
I highly recommend this fun book series for anyone with a sense of humor looking for a light and fun read!!
September 19, 2020
Hilarious! I enjoyed every minute. Once again, Lois Lowry's tongue-in-cheek delivery is like plucking the best of Lemony Snicket and Roald Dahl and putting them together in one author. So much fun to see the Willoughby parents return to society and realize how much has changed in 30 years. Unfortunately we only get to spend time with one Willoughby sibling. Perhaps there will be yet another book for Jane and the Barnabys? This can easily function as a standalone, but why would you just read one Willoughby book, when there are two to enjoy?
Thank you to HMH Books and to Edelweiss+ for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to HMH Books and to Edelweiss+ for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.
November 15, 2024
I wondered how she was going to do a follow up to a book that featured everyone growing up and/or dying! I should have trusted in the magic of Lois Lowry to pull this off with great hilarity and aplomb! The Poore children checking their mother whenever she's "marming" by being too cheerful and can-do really made me laugh. (It's a Little Women joke.)
March 7, 2021
4.5 stars
The Willoughbys is hands down our family's favorite book, particularly the audiobook. After the complete disaster that was The Willoughbys movie, we nearly chose to skip the second book. However, it is clever and delightful (though not quite as much of the crisp humor for which we love the first Willoughbys book) and we look forward to many rereads.
Hoping next for a follow-up about Jane!
The Willoughbys is hands down our family's favorite book, particularly the audiobook. After the complete disaster that was The Willoughbys movie, we nearly chose to skip the second book. However, it is clever and delightful (though not quite as much of the crisp humor for which we love the first Willoughbys book) and we look forward to many rereads.
Hoping next for a follow-up about Jane!
January 11, 2021
The Willoughbys come back after they are frozen in the Swiss Alps for thirty years and discover the world has changed. Fans of the first book will enjoy this story, learning about their adventures, and reading about what you might experience if you were to return to the world after thirty years. The Willoughbys come to terms with their past and embrace the present as they interact with people in their former neighborhood. Their eldest son and grandson are now part of a wealthy family facing a reversal of fortune. They also encounter an impoverished family struggling to adapt to a life without their father who is on a trip trying to sell outdated encyclopedias. This is a very humorous story with footnotes that will delight readers with its timeless message about finding strength in forgiveness, friends and family.
Reviewed by: Liz Glazer, Youth and School Services, Vernon Area Public Library
Reviewed by: Liz Glazer, Youth and School Services, Vernon Area Public Library
December 16, 2020
A cute follow up that I think any elementary kid would enjoy but I am clearly not the intended audience anymore and this is not a book that I felt transcended it’s age!
January 2, 2025
3.7 rounded up. I didn't like this one as much as the first for sure, but it certainly maintained the satire and off the cuff humor that the first one had. This one was just a little too strange for me to thoroughly appreciate it, but the characters were whimsical and it made me feel warm and cozy to read. A fun winter evening read
June 2, 2020
Not So Lovely the Second Time Around
The first Willoughbys book was a hoot. It was Snicket without the snarky aftertaste, or a more forgiving Dahl. I liked the way it subverted and slyly teased the usual kid book conventions. This sequel, though, has little of that original fun, fresh zing, and seems more like a labored do-over.
This story has eight main characters. All of them are rather dim, distracted, or oblivious. Most of the humor is built around mocking the characters and their failures to observe, adjust to, or appreciate what's going on around them. A great deal of the humor consists of wry or indirect insults. There is a general air of sourness and a number of repetitious and tedious running jokes. I don't think that characters have to be "likeable"; what's so fun about likeable? But they have to be interesting, and the characters here were just one note each, (or two inconsistent, conflicting notes, which is even odder.)
This is a shame because there are funny ideas here, as well as some amusing one-liners and deadpan throwaways. But it's hard to enjoy that sort of thing when the bulk of the tale revolves around mocking how dense everyone is. (The kids are a little bit less dense than the adults, which I guess is the Dahl influence, but that isn't saying much.) Sorry. I was excited to have this sequel, but ultimately disappointed.
(Please note that I received a free advance ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)
The first Willoughbys book was a hoot. It was Snicket without the snarky aftertaste, or a more forgiving Dahl. I liked the way it subverted and slyly teased the usual kid book conventions. This sequel, though, has little of that original fun, fresh zing, and seems more like a labored do-over.
This story has eight main characters. All of them are rather dim, distracted, or oblivious. Most of the humor is built around mocking the characters and their failures to observe, adjust to, or appreciate what's going on around them. A great deal of the humor consists of wry or indirect insults. There is a general air of sourness and a number of repetitious and tedious running jokes. I don't think that characters have to be "likeable"; what's so fun about likeable? But they have to be interesting, and the characters here were just one note each, (or two inconsistent, conflicting notes, which is even odder.)
This is a shame because there are funny ideas here, as well as some amusing one-liners and deadpan throwaways. But it's hard to enjoy that sort of thing when the bulk of the tale revolves around mocking how dense everyone is. (The kids are a little bit less dense than the adults, which I guess is the Dahl influence, but that isn't saying much.) Sorry. I was excited to have this sequel, but ultimately disappointed.
(Please note that I received a free advance ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)
June 2, 2020
First sentence: The front page of the New York Times, on a Thursday in June: CONGRESS VOTES OVERWHELMINGLY TO BAN CANDY, CITES DENTAL HEALTH On the same day, on an inside page of a Zurich newspaper: AMERICAN COUPLE, FROZEN IN SWISS MOUNTAINS FOR THREE DECADES, THAW SPONTANEOUSLY, APPEAR UNHARMED These two events, it was later proved, were related. It’s complicated.
Premise/plot: It has been thirty years--give or take--since the events of The Willoughbys. In the first book, two dreadfully selfish parents freeze to death in the Swiss Alps, leaving their four children (Tim, Barnaby 1, Barnaby 2, Jane) orphans in the care of a nanny. It's a comic novel. It may sound completely odd and over-the-top...and it is...but it works. This sequel opens with startling and shocking news. First, ALL CANDY has been banned. This would be bad news to just about every household in America...but especially if your family's business is a candy factory. Tim Willoughby's business--which he inherited--is a candy factory. Second, Mr. and Mrs. Willoughby find themselves unthawed and in a bit of a predicament. They are in a foreign country with soggy money and expired identification (and credit cards). They feel at a complete loss when interacting with the world. (Think Encino Man.) They return to the States...
My thoughts: I really LOVED this one. I don't know how it compares to the first. It is equally delightful perhaps but with a bit more sugary goodness perhaps. I really loved the chapters focused on the Poore family. I definitely got vibes of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
Premise/plot: It has been thirty years--give or take--since the events of The Willoughbys. In the first book, two dreadfully selfish parents freeze to death in the Swiss Alps, leaving their four children (Tim, Barnaby 1, Barnaby 2, Jane) orphans in the care of a nanny. It's a comic novel. It may sound completely odd and over-the-top...and it is...but it works. This sequel opens with startling and shocking news. First, ALL CANDY has been banned. This would be bad news to just about every household in America...but especially if your family's business is a candy factory. Tim Willoughby's business--which he inherited--is a candy factory. Second, Mr. and Mrs. Willoughby find themselves unthawed and in a bit of a predicament. They are in a foreign country with soggy money and expired identification (and credit cards). They feel at a complete loss when interacting with the world. (Think Encino Man.) They return to the States...
My thoughts: I really LOVED this one. I don't know how it compares to the first. It is equally delightful perhaps but with a bit more sugary goodness perhaps. I really loved the chapters focused on the Poore family. I definitely got vibes of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
February 12, 2021
Was less impressed with this one for some of the words used, which we don’t use in our house - but fortunately it was a read aloud so I could edit those out!
The notes were creative, the plays on words hilarious, and the forgiving resolution just what I like.
My son even wrote a poem called “The Unfortunate Salad” about the book. Fun!
The notes were creative, the plays on words hilarious, and the forgiving resolution just what I like.
My son even wrote a poem called “The Unfortunate Salad” about the book. Fun!
May 5, 2023
3.5 stars but the footnotes made it good enough to round up
Read
May 19, 2022not terrible, and perhaps even funny at times, but it certainly did not live up to it's predecessor.
April 7, 2020
Decided to drip into children's fiction for a quick "happy" fix. Not disappointed.
Thirty years after the utterly nasty Willoughby parents are frozen whilst attempting to climb the Alps (wearing shorts and using their crampons as head decorations), they are miraculously thawed with the help of global warming. Meanwhile, their now-wealthy first-born Timothy watches his fortune collapse as congress has declared candy illegal (and he runs a sweets empire). The (aptly named) Poore children next-door have offered themselves as paid companions to Timothy’s son Richie (also aptly named) who is lonely despite his great wealth.
The story is rich, twisted, and child-centric; the writing is fun and quintessential Lois Lowry. A complete pleasure to read.
Thirty years after the utterly nasty Willoughby parents are frozen whilst attempting to climb the Alps (wearing shorts and using their crampons as head decorations), they are miraculously thawed with the help of global warming. Meanwhile, their now-wealthy first-born Timothy watches his fortune collapse as congress has declared candy illegal (and he runs a sweets empire). The (aptly named) Poore children next-door have offered themselves as paid companions to Timothy’s son Richie (also aptly named) who is lonely despite his great wealth.
The story is rich, twisted, and child-centric; the writing is fun and quintessential Lois Lowry. A complete pleasure to read.
August 8, 2023
Honestly, this didn't have the same whimsy as I had felt in the first book. The characters seemed to grow up and fall flat, which was disappointing.
Tim seemed to act almost exactly like his parents, which was sad to watch, but instead of him being shipped off on a vacation, Candy was made illegal--his fortune and work ruined. Which, that plot point made no sense. How would that happen? How was it so accepted immediately? Where were the riots in the streets? I would've killed if people took away my chocolate.
Overall, I'm not going to read this again, but I don't regret reading it. It was a face-paced, fun little book.
Tim seemed to act almost exactly like his parents, which was sad to watch, but instead of him being shipped off on a vacation, Candy was made illegal--his fortune and work ruined. Which, that plot point made no sense. How would that happen? How was it so accepted immediately? Where were the riots in the streets? I would've killed if people took away my chocolate.
Overall, I'm not going to read this again, but I don't regret reading it. It was a face-paced, fun little book.
February 25, 2021
A pretty surprising sequel to the original as the horrid parents of the Willoughby children have melted back alive and into a completely different world. They find out that their children are now adults, and that they’re now grandparents to Tim’s children, and must now adjust to their new lives and try to change their attitudes. Definitely more fun and better behaved than the original and the best part is seeing Mr. and Mrs. Willoughby get a new look at life. B+ (83%/Very Good)
November 5, 2021
The first book is great! A classic. I’m afraid to say this second one may have just been riding the wave of the movie a bit and didn’t really have anything going for it. The jokes were about technology that will be dated soon and the whole redemption arc of the Willougbys evil parents was far from believable…it felt like a totally different genre and the characters were weak charades of those of first book.
May 5, 2021
I didn't know there was a sequel to The Willoughbys!! We read this aloud the last month or so, and had a wonderful time revisiting some favorite characters. It's just as funny, exciting, and fantastic as the first one. The poem about Nanny and her ______ still makes us laugh.
November 24, 2021
Not as good as the first book, but still a terribly good chuckle.
December 13, 2023
Très bon, très drôle, même si j'ai plus aimé le premier, on est dur du très bon niveau d'humour pince en rire ! Dès 10 ans.
November 18, 2024
What a bizarrely hilarious book! Loved it.
August 27, 2021
This sequel was absolutely delightful - much more so than the first one. That dreary Dahl-esque overtone took a back seat and the humor was amped up a great deal. Truly laugh out loud funny!
November 28, 2022
It was mediocre. The plot was visible from the start and there were no plot twists to liven things up. The characters were not endearing.
May 20, 2024
A fun and silly read, easy to plow through in an afternoon.
January 6, 2024
I couldn’t resist this sequel - equally as charming as the first book. Simply darling.
Read
February 23, 2022Esta muy bien pero espero el siguiente !.acaba un poco raro.
September 11, 2023
A fun little book about family with a good dose of sarcasm and slapstick. My biggest criticism is that there are many cultural references that will not age well and I didn't feel really connected to the characters. But overall, I think readers of this age group will enjoy it!
Found in L4M Volume 82.
Found in L4M Volume 82.
June 16, 2021
Even more disappointing than it would ordinarily have been, because I like the author so much, and the first book so much. This felt like when an author dies, and someone new, with a tin ear for the material (e.g. Scarlett) handles sequels.
Only a few Willoughbys return, and most of them have had an unaccountable personality transplant. The proceedings are unbelievable in an unbelievable way, rather than a fun, over-the-top manner (as in the first book, or any Dahl, or Snicket). Sometimes it simply makes no sense: in one paragraph someone has "notified the newspapers" to the extent that "late-night comedians had begun performing routines" about the event, and yet in the subsequent paragraph "so far the news was not out to the public." Then why would comedians do routines on the subject? And it's very, very difficult to believe the elder Willoughby would say " And now my pants are kaput. I'm afraid I barfed on them." I wouldn't have said that at any age, let alone as a grown man.
But I suppose Ms. Lowry has earned the right to write as she wishes. My favourite part of the book was the author description: "Today she is a wizened, reclusive old woman who sits hunched over her desk, thinking obsessively about the placement of commas." I want to read about her!
Note: 5 stars = amazing, wonderful, 4 = very good book, 3 = decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful.
Only a few Willoughbys return, and most of them have had an unaccountable personality transplant. The proceedings are unbelievable in an unbelievable way, rather than a fun, over-the-top manner (as in the first book, or any Dahl, or Snicket). Sometimes it simply makes no sense: in one paragraph someone has "notified the newspapers" to the extent that "late-night comedians had begun performing routines" about the event, and yet in the subsequent paragraph "so far the news was not out to the public." Then why would comedians do routines on the subject? And it's very, very difficult to believe the elder Willoughby would say " And now my pants are kaput. I'm afraid I barfed on them." I wouldn't have said that at any age, let alone as a grown man.
But I suppose Ms. Lowry has earned the right to write as she wishes. My favourite part of the book was the author description: "Today she is a wizened, reclusive old woman who sits hunched over her desk, thinking obsessively about the placement of commas." I want to read about her!
Note: 5 stars = amazing, wonderful, 4 = very good book, 3 = decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful.
June 12, 2020
I loved the first Willoughbys book and the Netflix movie was cute too but the book was definitely better.
I was delighted to learn that there was a sequel coming out and wanted to get my hands on it as soon as possible.
The events in this book take place 30 years after the original book’s events. The Willoughby children are all grown up and have kids of their own. Their parents, who were frozen somewhere in the Swiss Alps are miraculously alive and thawed out by global warming.
Timothy has a candy empire and in the beginning of the book we are told that all candy is to be banned by the govt. He is worried for his business.
Also in the book are events surrounding Timothy’s son Richie and his interaction with the Poore children next door.
I really enjoyed this book as it’s full of humor and witty dialogue. It’s going to be a hit with kids everywhere like the original book.
I would recommend it for kids as well as adults who enjoy some tongue in cheek humor.
*Spoiler alert* I was sad to learn that nanny had passed away and was no longer in the book. She was my favorite character.
Thank you to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an advance reader’s copy for an honest review.
I was delighted to learn that there was a sequel coming out and wanted to get my hands on it as soon as possible.
The events in this book take place 30 years after the original book’s events. The Willoughby children are all grown up and have kids of their own. Their parents, who were frozen somewhere in the Swiss Alps are miraculously alive and thawed out by global warming.
Timothy has a candy empire and in the beginning of the book we are told that all candy is to be banned by the govt. He is worried for his business.
Also in the book are events surrounding Timothy’s son Richie and his interaction with the Poore children next door.
I really enjoyed this book as it’s full of humor and witty dialogue. It’s going to be a hit with kids everywhere like the original book.
I would recommend it for kids as well as adults who enjoy some tongue in cheek humor.
*Spoiler alert* I was sad to learn that nanny had passed away and was no longer in the book. She was my favorite character.
Thank you to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an advance reader’s copy for an honest review.
November 4, 2020
One does not need to read “The Willoughbys” to enjoy this follow-up in which the mean and presumed dead parents thaw out and return home after 30 years of being frozen in the Alps.
Lowry is known for her clever writing, and this book is no disappointment. Each chapter begs the reader to keep reading. In spite of a lot of technical terms about finance, medicine, and manufacturing, these are not distracting, and can add to the humor for older readers. Lots of footnotes directed to the reader add to the entertainment, and some describe certain historical events, which may prompt further investigation by the reader.
Would make a great read aloud for middle elementary and perhaps younger grades. As a pre-reading activity, students could try to list things not heard of 30 years ago, such as Google, Uber, and Tesla.
Lowry is known for her clever writing, and this book is no disappointment. Each chapter begs the reader to keep reading. In spite of a lot of technical terms about finance, medicine, and manufacturing, these are not distracting, and can add to the humor for older readers. Lots of footnotes directed to the reader add to the entertainment, and some describe certain historical events, which may prompt further investigation by the reader.
Would make a great read aloud for middle elementary and perhaps younger grades. As a pre-reading activity, students could try to list things not heard of 30 years ago, such as Google, Uber, and Tesla.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 167 reviews