Lois Lowry Books

This is a re-read from my youth and I am glad that it has been reissued. I love all of Engdahl's work and I only wish that she would write more after her long dry period. A well-writte intelligent and charming female protagonist learns and grows within a setting much like early (good) Andre Norton- reminiscent of Ice Crown, in fact.

This is an interesting book. I like the three different voices she uses to narrate the three different worlds, and the way the most advanced world, being the most self-aware, is done in first person.

Interesting questions are raised and about truth, right/wrong, etc. I do not agree with everything the author seems to believe, but this book would be a good springboard for discussion of questions like, "What is truth?" and "What/who is God?" and "Is there anything beyond what we can see and study with traditional science?"

There are a lot of other interesting questions that can be pondered that the book raises but does not answer. For instance, was Alana's father exploiting her young heart and propensity to fall in love in order to save the world of Andrecia and, if so, is that a morally defensible thing?

Not the absolute best book I have ever read, but worth reading, and probably worth reading more than once.

Having read Sylvia Engdahl's excellent novel, The Far Side of Evil, several years ago, I approached this book with a positive outlook that it would be just as thought-provoking and well told. I wasn't disappointed, though this novel is indeed different in tone.

The Enchantress of the title is Elana, whose exact age is never given but can be assumed to be in her late teens or early twenties. Elana, looking for adventure and real life experience, stows away on board a starship that is sent to Andrecia, a medieval planet that is currently being colonized by a more advanced society. Once her presence is known, her father and boyfriend decide that Elana can indeed help with the plan to oust the invaders, which will allow Andrecia to continue to develop at its own pace. Elana becomes the "Enchantress"; she befriends two locals who are off to fight the "Dragon" (a massive rock-chewing machine), and helps them by awakening their own skills so that their quest will be successful. In the process, Elana finds herself falling for the local known as Georgyn, and in her inexperience, putting them both in grave danger.

This book moves seamlessly between points of view, which gives it a much more universal feel than had we only known Elana's side of the story. When Georyn's voice takes over, the story almost becomes a fairy tale; indeed, that is how he sees Elana and the invaders who have come to his world. Elana is, of course, young and inexperienced but desperate to do the right thing; and Jarel is the lone voice of the invaders, unsure of his world's plans but unable to do anything to stop them.

I enjoyed this novel but did feel that at times it was a bit on the fantastic side. I felt the plans Elana's father made to dupe the invaders weren't necessarily believable, but I was able to keep in mind that this is indeed a fantasy. Elana could be infuriating in her lack of knowledge and her headstrong ways, and her poor boyfriend Evrek is relegated to the background while Elana forges ahead with a relationship with Georyn. Overall, however, this is a well-written novel and Engdahl has a gift for telling a tale that will pull you in from the first pages. Over thirty years since its debut, this thought-provoking novel holds up well and is just as relevant today. Recommended for lovers of fantasy.

When Elana's mission gets put in jeopardy she faces a lifetime of torture and imprisonment. Will she be able to save herself and the mission? Elana, the Enchantress, and her father were agents of the Federations Anthropological Center and it was their assignment to stop the Imperials from taking over the planet Andrecia. They led Georyn, a woodcutter's son, to believe that a stone was the source of his new magical powers; however, the truth was that they had taught him telekinesis and he wasn't even aware of it. Georyn was supposed to use his "magic" to defeat the dragon (a mechanical weapon used the Imperials). Elana and Georyn were on their way to the Imperials camp when natives captured them. The natives took them to the Imperials camp where they were locked in barracks. The Imperials planned to send them to a research center to be studied. Elana persuaded one of the guards, Jarel, to help them and he let Georyn out of his cell when no one was paying attention. When it appeared that the dragon was going to defeat Georyn, Elana decided to sacrifice herself to try to end the whole ordeal. As she ran and laid in front of the dragon, a flood of courage surged through Georyn. He used his magic powers to save her, stop the dragon, and scare away the Imperials. Georyn went to the king to announce that the dragon had been killed and to get his reward. He decided to explore the rest of the planet he lived on while he had the chance. Elana left Andrecia after accomplishing her goal and traveled back to her own planet. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone and everyone who enjoys reading a great book.
This book is written with loads of details. Georyn was the youngest of four sons born to a poor woodcutter, who lived on the planet Andrecia. Elana was a young woman in the First Phase of her training to be an agent. Jarel was an Imperial medic who was determined to prove that his civilization was not right in trying to colonize Andrecia.
Even though this is a science fiction book some of the things in it are realistic to our own world. The cool, green, peaceful planet, Andrecia is the third planet of a medium sized yellow sun. The Federation tried to prevent weaker nations from being taken over by stronger nations. Some types of people tend to be better at some things than others.
This book will stretch the reader's imagination. The Imperials used a huge machine that resembled a dragon to clear an area on Andrecia for the colony they were planning to establish. Georyn was taught telekinesis on a subconscious level, therefore he didn't even know about it. The Federation was an organization meant to save weak planets from the more powerful ones trying to colonize.
I recommend this book to everyone. It is a great read. It is very imaginative but some of the elements of the book seem somewhat realistic. Even if you are not a big fan of science fiction books this is a story that everyone should read.
~V. Newberry

Please keep in mind that I really liked this book. "Enchantress" is well written and enjoyable. That being said, I could not entirely enjoy the story because I had a problem with the heroine. I know this probably says more about me than her but...

The heroine, as thoughtful and insightful as she is, is a bit of a hypocrite. She "suffers" enormously with guilt about even the smallest of lies she is forced to tell her "poor primitive" lover.

On the other hand she only feels a twinge of condescending pity for her fiancé whom she has been more-or-less betraying by concealing her "forbidden love" for the "primitive" for most the book.

And when it comes to lying to her father and sneaking around behind his back; forget about it! She doesn't even hesitate a second and even takes a certain pleasure in it, even when, inevitably, her "disobedience" endangers entire civilizations.

There are only four main characters in this book. The heroine, her male father, her male fiancé, and her male lover. I found myself many times wishing she had a mother, sister, or best friend to whack her upside the head and tell her to stop acting so ridiculous.

The one woman who COULD and WOULD have set her straight was killed as the book opened. (Actually there WAS one other female in the book; a practically-unconscious sacrifice victim being "delivered to the dragon.")

Anyway enough about my problems. If you didn't even notice the things I had issues with, (and you probably didn't) "Enchantress" is a good read.

This was an entertaining story. It portrays these creatures that give dreams and their struggles to help people through their dreams and to help them fight off creatures that bring nightmares. It also tells the story of an 8 year old boy abused by his father who also abused her mother and has now gone off to live with an elderly lady. It was a very short book. Very easy to read and pretty interesting. It starts out a little slow for the 1st couple of chapters before you figure out what's going on. Then it's very interesting.

Gossamer was one of the best books that I have ever read! The best part about it was Littlest, the main character in the story. She was entergetic and "happy" from the beginning. Even so, that it also what makes this book not one of my most favorite books. I don't think that the main character changed very much in the book, and she stayed the same. It would be a better book if Littlest changed even a little bit in the book. She was not so dull, but not really that exciting in the book, because of that reason only. If it hadn't been for that reason, I think that Gossamer would be one of my most favorite books of all time.

This is a story by Lois Lowry about three different people living, changing, and their dreams. They experience relationships, hardships, and find ways to understand themselves and do better. In the beginning, they all are facing difficult problems without seeing any solution. In the middle everyone started to help each other and understand the other person's feelings and situation. The power of dreams, through Dream givers and Sinisteeds, start to affect the people. In the end, after much struggle, they all find ways to begin to solve their problems.
Gossamer was a fantastic book for a fifth grade class. This book makes you continue to think a lot, even when you are not reading it. It is well written and lets you understand and feel the emotion of each character. Great descriptions help you visualize the detail. Our discussions were filled with emotions and understanding our own selves. It made you think about your problems and how to solve them more easily. We realized that we get much hope from the power of our dreams and our minds. You cannot put down the book until you are finished. People who are into fantasy, realistic fiction, and basically people in the real world, can have the same feelings. The book that Lois Lowry wrote is heartwarming and everyone will love it.

Lowry grabs your attention immediately with one of the most precious story characters of all time, Littlest. This tiny one is a dream-giver in training who has the most gentle of touches - a gossamer touch - when she gathers memory information from the objects of her assigned human. The memories are mixed together to form dreams that are bestowed upon the human, bringing happiness and strength. Littlest and her faithful trainer, Thin Elderly, become especially concerned about an elderly woman and her new foster son who has faced terrible abuse. The dialogue from this wounded boy is so poignant and heart-wrenching. He has only a few good memory objects to choose from and the sinisteeds (nightmare givers) are descending upon him nightly. The boy's mother has a dream-giver, too, aiding her as she seeks to retake control of her life in a positive way in order to get her son back. The dream-givers sense the presence of an evil horde of sinisteeds preparing a group attack.

Personally, I think every child would benefit from reading this compassionate glimpse into the struggle of a single-mom, the inward pain of a foster child, and the loneliness of the elderly.

Captivating!

I know that this is classified as children's literature, or at least literature for young folks, and sort of feel that this a shame as the story is more that suitable for adults. Where do dreams come from? Why do we have bad dreams and why do we have good. This is the hook the author hangs her story upon. This is a touching story of a young, troubled boy, two ladies and a dog with some very strange little creatures thrown in. Lois Lowry is a natural story teller and her style, while at first glance is simple, is indeed, rather complex. Her story here is told with sensitivity, is touching and is just loaded with imagination. As one reviewer has pointed out, there is an aspect of violence to the story but this has been well done and is far from gratuitous, something you too often see now days. This aspect of the story is necessary. I have read this one to several classes of 4th and 5th graders and they have universally loved it (well, almost I suppose). When I first started reading this one, I must admit to having taken it home and finished it on my own the first evening as I simply could not put it down. This is one of those books you might want to think about adding to your library as it is one you will most likely want to give a reread. Recommend this work highly.

Lois Lowry is a gifted writer of fiction who is passing on that gift to young readers with Gooney Bird Greene!

Children will learn the art of creating a story as they are enthralled by the tales told by Lowry's funny, pig-tailed heroine.

This book is tremendously entertaining and valuable as a teaching tool!

Another great children's book by Lowry! This book is absolutely hilarious and educational, too. Great to integrate into an English lesson(s) about writing stories. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves Lowry or anyone who loves the Ramona books by Beverly Cleary.... the books contain great energy & lots of humor.... all with some lessons learned along the way. :)

I teach second grade and love to use this book as a read aloud to inspire my students to write interesting stories. After we finish the book, we then write our own stories from our life, and use all of Gooney Bird's tips for writing. I also like to use it as a visualization lesson, where we draw the picture in our head before Gooney Bird tells a story, and then the picture in our head after she finishes her story. (very different)Gooney Bird also has some great characters to analyze, as we learn about the different classmates through their interaction with Gooney Bird as she tells each of her stories. It is a treasure!

I read this book to my fourth graders, and they loved it! Gooney Bird is an original thinker who always tells the truth! We had fun speculating exactly how her "wild" tales could be true, before we read on.

Gooney Bird also discusses the ways to make writing better, and kids can learn from that as well. The book would be good to use in writing classes. Plus, it's just plain fun!

My daughter checked this out of her school library to read. She started to read it to me one night before bed and we fell in love with it. The next night she read to her father. I had read what I missed on my own to catch up to her because I didn't want to miss out! Gooney Bird is a truly delightful character. Her stories have the kind of unexpected surprises that thrilled my daughter. My daughter and I loved this book so much we had to go out and buy it for ourselves. We also bought the sequel which is just as good. We are anticipating the third book that comes out this spring!

I was lucky enough to see Lois Lowry speak in Knoxville, TN over a year ago. Lowry is a phenomenal story teller--both in print and in person. She told the audience much about her family and growing up...indulged us with photgraphs, stories, and memories. I felt like I was listening to a member of my own family telling me stories; I was completely enthralled and really appreciated Lowry willing sharing her life with so many people. "Looking Back" gave me the same feeling.

The book is not a typical memoir: no linear narration. It is, as she states, "about moments, memories, fragments, falsehoods, and fantasies." Photographs (most taken by herself or her father) are dated and presented with short explanations, memories, or revelations. It brings together two of my very favorite things: pictures and stories. I especially love the story of how she met her second husband, Martin, and her quest for the ideal dog. Fans of Lowry's books (especially of the Anastasia books, Autumn Street, and The Giver) will enjoy quotes from novels which relate to Lowry's life. While reading this book, readers will revel in the extent to which Lowry has placed her own experiences, memories, and stories into her fiction. It's all about stories; how we become ourselves and the importance of remembering.

I believe that I, as a child or teen, probably would not have been entirely interested in "Looking Back." I believe it takes a more mature reader to realize/appreiciate the intimacy and life experiences and milestones expressed in the book. But young fans of Lowry could enjoy learning more about a favorite author and where her stories came from.

How do writers create the characters for their books? Writer Lois Lowry answers this question in this beautiful book of memories. Each individual memory with accompanying black and white photograph illustrates an important event in the author's life. Together they weave a story that is impossible to put down and leaves the reader wanting more. There is humor reminiscent of Erma Bombeck and sadness that makes you want to weep. Lois Lowry includes quotes from characters in her books echoing experiences that are provided in the memories. The death of her sister is found in Number The Stars, her grandparent's house is in Autumn Street, and her son and his horse in The Giver, and she herself in books like Anastasia Krupnik and The One Hundredth Thing about Caroline. Read this book to learn more about a new friend or to find a new one.

How do writers create the characters for their books? Writer Lois Lowry answers this question in this beautiful book of memories. Each individual memory with accompanying black and white photograph illustrates an important event in the author's life. Together they weave a story that is impossible to put down and leaves the reader wanting more. There is humor reminiscent of Erma Bombeck and sadness that makes you want to weep. Lois Lowry includes quotes from characters in her books echoing experiences that are provided in the memories. The death of her sister is found in Number The Stars, her grandparent's house is in Autumn Street, and her son and his horse in The Giver, and she herself in books like Anastasia Krupnik and The One Hundredth Thing about Caroline. Read this book to learn more about a new friend or to find a new one.

Browsing at my local library, I stumbled upon this book. "HMMMM, this looks interesting," I thought to myself. Little did I know that I had found a book that would bring me to my knees crying and give me one of the biggest "book hangovers" ever. This book followed me through my weekend, and inspired me as a writer ( who wishes she could write with even 1/100th of Lowry's talent) a teacher (who thought of about a zillion really cool writing and reading lessons I could spring from this book) and as a mother (who realized the joy of life, and exactly how fragile and tenacious it really is).

You must read this book. It is easy, and unfolds into a love story, a story of loss, and a story of absolutely LIVING life with as much passion as the moment allows. I don't want to give this book away, because the suprise of it, the thing that made most of the essays connect, is what left me gasping and delighted on snowy Sunday here in Denver.

Absolutely appropriate for children, but I would guess that the essays would appeal more to girls. And if you are a teacher, you will discover a hidden treasure in the book by and about one of the most talented childrens authors of our day!

Enjoy. Have the kleenex handy.

The memoir I read is called "Looking Back a Book of Memories" by Lois Lowry. The book is a collection of Lois Lowry's memories throughout her life. Lois Lowry is a prize winning writer of fiction novels. Each chapter is separate memory. She begins each chapter with a quote from one of her many novels. In this memoir she relates different quotes from her novels back to life experiences. The memories that she describes seem to be used throughout her novels. Writers will draw on memories and events from their own life as part of their story telling.

Lois Lowry noted that she has a lot of babies as characters in her books. For example, in the novel "The Giver" one of the characters was the baby Gabriel. In the novel "Rabble Starkey" there was a baby named Gunter Bigelow. Lois Lowry thinks that she likes to use baby characters because she likes newborn babies. Her fondness for newborn babies was started by a picture her father took of her when she was born in 1937. Fathers weren't normally allowed in the hospital ward but he worked for the hospital and he was a photographer. Her memoir also includes pictures of grandchildren as babies.

In the book, "Find a Stranger, Say Goodbye", she describes a girl looking up as she is standing in thick forest. She describes the emotions as fearful, humorous, and warmth all wrapped together. When Lois was two years old her father took a picture of her standing in a thick "tropical growth" near her house in Hawaii. She is looking up at her father's camera in the same way that she describes the girl in the book. She comments that her life had challenges but was mostly filled with warmth and humor. She says most of the time she remembers she laughed a lot.

In the book, "Anastasia at Your Service", she describes a scene where a young boy is trying to prove to another young girl that he can read. In this scene it is very important for the young boy to be able to read and prove it. She relates this to her need to want to read. When she was 3 years old and her sister was 6 they would play school. Her sister was the teacher because she could read. Lois wanted to read so that she could be the teacher.

In her book of memories, Lois Lowry describes her life using quotes from her fictional books. She discovered that most of the scenes in her books came from her own experiences. She used her own life as an inspiration for her writing. It would be easy to find scenes inspired by her own life in her books because so much of her own life is in her books. She documented many of these in her book of memories.

I think Lois Lowry is an amazing writer. My favorite book of all time is The Giver.

All three of these are wonderful children's books! Having the three in a set together makes a great gift also.
I suggest them for advanced 4th graders up to around 7th grade.

The Giver has always been one of my favorite books. I had to read it again more recently for one of my college courses. Then again for a 15 page research paper on it. I got this set because I wanted to know for sure what happened to Jonas and Gabe at the end of The Giver (and find out if my speculations were correct or not (and they were)). I got my fiance to start reading them and he loves it so far. Definately great for all ages. A must-have in any library.

Great trilogy. Haven't read the 2nd 2 yet, so this review is just for The Giver. I bought it for myself and my 9 year old. We both really liked it. It is written in such a way, that you envision a black and white world devoid of emotion and color which is what the author wants. It really was a great book for discussion with my child as it explores having personal choice, love/nuturing/emotions, and individuality. The back of the book has questions that help explore these areas even more. It was interesting to see a child's perspective vs. an adults. This book makes us all think about how society is and how it can be. Recommended.

This box-set is one of the most enduring trilogies I have ever read. The first book is an instant classic, The Giver. I actually read this book back in 1994, when I was in the 4th grade. I read it now again, and I am still just as enamored with it. I didn't even know there were two other books that followed until I did some research. The next two books are just as good, and the best part is that are not carbon-copies. One could actually read them by themselves, but it's so much better when you know the stories before them.

This is one of those books that should win a Newbury Award Medal because of the character development. The friendship that Anastasia develops with the neighbor lady is wonderful, as well as Sam, but I will save that surprise for when you read the book. It has another one of Lois Lowry's beloved twists of plot that surprises you. Plus, it has all these great jokes about what suburbs are supposedly like. If you like Anastasia, you MUST pick up this one.

Anastasia Again is the sequel to Anastasia Krupnik, and the prequel to Anastasia, at this address, Anastasia at your service, etc. Anastasia Krupnik is upset when she learns she has to move with her parents to the suburbs. The only way she will accept the move is if she can live in a tower. When her parents FIND a house with a tower, she has no choice but to accept the move. With her faithful goldfish Frank, this book makes you want to run out and buy the next book. I give it 4 stars.

Anastasia Again is about a girl that is in the 6th grade and moves to the suburbs. She moves because her apartment is getting too small since her mom is a painter and needs a studio and her dad is a writer and needs bookshelves. Anastasia is 12 and her brother Sam is still a baby. Her father Mr. Krupnik asks what everybody wants in their new house. Anastasia said, "how about a tower for my bedroom". She thought if she asked for something so outrageous she would not have to leave her home and her friends. To Anastasia's surprise, one day they went out to look at the new house and there was a tower on it where Anastasia's room was going to be. They moved in and Sam saw a lady next door and said that she looks like a witch. Anastasia is curious of what Sam saw because she did not believe him. She goes over to the neighbor's house to see if she really does look like a witch. Sam wants to go so they go over there with the excuse to get a pitcher cause their mom wants to make ice tea. So they go over but Sam hid behind a bush at the front door. You'll have to read the book to see what happens next.

Lois Lowry wrote a lot of exciting books, but the three books I read were Number the Stars, The Giver, and Anastasia Again. They all were great books, but I liked Anastasia Again the best. It is an inspiring book for all ages. If you read this book you will think the same thing. It is an awesome book to read on a vacation or road trip. It's also a great book on which to do a book report. So read the book, you will not be able to stop reading because it's a fantastic book.

Anastasia Again is about a girl that is in the 6th grade and moves to the suburbs. She moves because her apartment is getting too small since her mom is a painter and needs a studio and her dad is a writer and needs bookshelves. Anastasia is 12 and her brother Sam is still a baby. Her father Mr. Krupnik asks what everybody wants in their new house. Anastasia said, "how about a tower for my bedroom". She thought if she asked for something so outrageous she would not have to leave her home and her friends. To Anastasia's surprise, one day they went out to look at the new house and there was a tower on it where Anastasia's room was going to be. They moved in and Sam saw a lady next door and said that she looks like a witch. Anastasia is curious of what Sam saw because she did not believe him. She goes over to the neighbor's house to see if she really does look like a witch. Sam wants to go so they go over there with the excuse to get a pitcher cause their mom wants to make ice tea. So they go over but Sam hid behind a bush at the front door. You'll have to read the book to see what happens next.

After listening to the CD edition of this book, I realized I would have to get the hard copy to really absorb the wealth of commentary. I love Ms. Lowry's satirical references to the classics and her Glossary is one of the best parts of the book. The book itself is complete with all the vintage characters: the abandoned infant, the lonely benefactor, the capable nanny, the malevolent parents, and the four idiosyncratic children. Plotting is equally "vintage" as all the subplots come together for the mandatory "happy ending." A total delight to read and a book that will be enjoyed by all ages!

I ordered this book as an afterthought while I was picking up The Giver box set. I am so glad that I did. While at first, it felt like a rip off of Lemony Snicket. I soon found myself laughing out loud and no longer cared where she found her inspiration. This book is downright funny and truly fun to read.

My daughters, ages 9 and 7-1/2, enjoyed this book a lot. It's a pretty quick read and is completely tongue-in-cheek. If your kids have a fair sense of reality versus falsehood, then the fact that the kids in this story are actually *trying* to become orphans will not be lost of them. The story's definitely a satire and will be over the heads of some young ones, but I had a great time dressing up the dialogue with specific voices for each character.

The characters of the children in the story are very sheltered and have their basis for reality in the books they've read, most of which are recognizable literary works that even some young ones will pick up on. As the book lays out a bit of foreshadowing, I found it a great opportunity to ask my kids what they predicted would happen later in the book and therefore force them to draw conclusions (Yeah...I have to make it more than just fun but educational, too). There were some parts that I had to read multiple times due to my children's laughter. Keep in mind that the humor can be dark at times; after all, the children are attempting to see to their parent's demise while they are off on a vacation.

The book was supplemented with a glossary at the end of words the author thought kids might ask about. In all, this wasn't like the typical book we read at night about wizards, little houses on the prairies, or kids in school. However, it was a delightful departure from those.

Lois Lowry has done it again. In a very different approach to story-telling...that being parody, which she handles with tongue very firmly embedded in cheek...Lois has created a book that kids are going to love reading. Very different in approach to, say, her two Newberry winners, she uses her sense of humor, her sarcasm, her take on "children in peril" stories of long ago, and simply delights with a story that's a pleasure to read.

My first contact with Lois Lowry was way back in l986 when, on first sharing several of her books with my fifth grade class, I wrote to her, expressing my good fortune in discovering her books and the fun I had reading them to my kids. She responded to my letter and has done likewise over the years as I established a rapport with not only an author of increasing note (her Newberry Awards were not too distant in the future) but with a friend.

Lois has always provided the children for whom she writes the opportunity for a most worthwhile reading experience. It's obvious, in books from the "Anastasia" series to books in the vein of "The Giver" or "Number the Stars," that she has great respect for the youngsters who become her audience. The release of a new book is something, then, for them to eagerly anticipate...and "The Willouby's" is no exception. From start to finish, readers delight in what is not only a "parody" but a story that will have readers eager to read to book's end to see just how this parody will be handled and story resolved. Kids, parody aside, will be anxious to read to book's end to see just what becomes of these children, abandoned by their parents, left in the care of a nanny, making their way into the care of a recluse candy maker, he whose life is radically altered by actions taken by the original four children, eager to dispose of a baby they find on their own doorstep. Parody of stories of old? Yes. But also a story that one eagerly reads for its "happy ending." And might there be any youngster who won't feel that the wonderful glossary at the end of the book is "icing on the cake?" And might readers not fully familiar with the stories and authors of old mentioned through Lois' book be prompted to perhaps pick up "Little Women," "The Secret Garden," and the like and enjoy stories of other children who have been part of "children's literature" for years and years? Yes, Lois' book is a parody, but children love reading of other children, and it will be the lucky youngster who chooses to make him or herself familiar with these characters from "stories of old." Hence, Lois' "bibliography" of sorts at book's end, where these classic stories are all listed, along with a brief description of each book's content, author, date published.

Whether you're a teacher anxious to see Lois' new book as part of your school's library of books or added to a classroom's reading list for both enjoyment of reading but, just as important, discussion of the book's elements; whether you're a parent, anxious to find just the perfect book for a youngster as a gift, Lois, as well as so many other fine writers of books for younger readers, will not disappoint. Move from her latest offering to the other books she's written...especially if this is a first introduction of the author to you and your child or the children in your classroom. I always told my kids, when I taught and read, over the years, oh, so many books to them (for their enjoyment AND mine), some of the best literature created over these many years has been written for THEM. Kids can be quite discerning; it's the fortunate parent or teacher who can guide them into an appreciation of just what's out there to be read and enjoyed. There's a veritable treasure to be found!

"Their mother, frowning, opened the door at the end of the long hall. She emerged from the kitchen. 'Whatever is that noise?' she asked. 'I am trying to remember the ingredients for meat loaf and I cannot hear myself think.'
"'Oh, someone has left a beastly baby on our front steps,' Tim told her.
"'My goodness, we don't want a baby!' their mother said, coming forward to take a look. 'I don't like the feel of this at all.'
"'I'd like to keep it,' Jane said in a small voice. 'I think it's cute.'
"'No, it's not cute,' Barnaby A said, looking down at it.
"'Not cute at all,' Barnaby B agreed.
"'It has curls,' Jane pointed out.
"Their mother peered at the baby and then reached toward the basket of beige knitting that she kept on a hall table. She removed a small pair of gold-plated scissors and snipped them open and closed several times, thoughtfully. Then she leaned over the basket and used the scissors.
"'Now it doesn't have curls,' she pointed out, and put the scissors away.
"Jane stared at the baby. Suddenly it stopped crying and stared back at her with wide eyes. 'Oh dear, it isn't cute without curls,' Jane said. 'I guess I don't want it anymore.'"

At the conclusion of THE WILLOUGHBYS, author Lois Lowry provides an annotated bibliography of thirteen "books of the past that are heavy on piteous but appealing orphans, ill-tempered and stingy relatives, magnanimous benefactors, and transformations wrought by winsome children." These thirteen books possess an average publication date of 1913. Lowry aludes to and parodies them to great effect in this mischievous tale of four parentally-challenged siblings who seek to become orphans and end up in the care of a nanny when they succeed in their scheme to hook up their parents with an extended and danger-filled itinerary from the Reprehensible Travel Agency. A second story line that repeatedly merges with the first involves the wealthy benefactor on whose rotted front porch the four Willoughby children have deposited the basket containing that now curl-less baby who had been first dumped on their own front steps:

"Squalor has nothing to do with money. Squalor happens when people are sad. And Commander Melanoff was very sad.
"He had made a vast fortune by manufacturing candy bars. His factory still existed, and the money kept coming in because people bought his hugely successful confections by the millions. But Commander Melanoff never went to his office anymore. He stayed in his squalorous mansion, where he moped and sulked.
"He scowled as he ate his stale toast each morning, and he whimpered into his unheated canned soup at lunch. Each evening he dropped tears onto the pizza that was delivered to his porch by prearrangement, and each night he went to bed between his unwashed sheets and sobbed into his stained pillow. His mustache, once bristly and important-looking, was now dingy from grime and stiff from dried-up nose drippings."

After finishing THE WILLOUGHBYS, I found myself contemplating why it might be that I was not in the least bit hampered in thoroughly enjoying Lowry's twisted and darkly comedic send-up of classic children's orphan/pull-yourself-up-by-the-bootstraps/big 'ol mansion literature, by the fact that I had only ever read two of the thirteen books included in Lowry's annotated bibliography.

The answer became clearer for me when I began thinking about the Firesign Theater. Lowry's use of a pun at the conclusion of the first chapter had me recalling one of the troupe's memorable radio plays which I was turned on to back in high school. It begins like this:

ANNOUNCER: Los Angeles...He walks again by night.
NICK: (whistles)
ANNOUNCER: Out of the fog, into the smog...
NICK: (cough, cough)
ANNOUNCER: Relentlessly...ruthlessly
NICK: I wonder where Ruth is.

The reality is that just as I did not grow up reading classic children's literature, I similarly did not grow up listening to radio serials, and yet I took utter and lasting delight in hearing that genre being lampooned by the Firesign Theater on the record albums that had evolved from their Sixties radio shows in LA. (As a matter of fact, the recordings still hold up quite well -- you younger folk can check out Firesign Theater's Nick Danger on YouTube.)

Affable, auspicious, bilious, diabolical, ignominious, odious... Lowry also provides an entertaining and enlightening glossary filled with the wonderful words she uses in her tale.

"'Oh,' said Jane in an imploring voice, 'do let's wish for a helicopter-and-volcano disaster!'"

THE WILLOUGHBYS is a total blast: an exceptionally fun and quirky yarn that wildly succeeds in its parodying of children's old-fashioned literary characters from a century ago.

the book is very interesting ; because the book have a wolrd different i like the book because is very ; very diferent the people whatn life deer is very weirds ;the people is very different and i like the people different
and my opinion is this book have 5 stars VERY GOOD!!!

This book is great! Very hard to put it down. Lowry has made some really great books, but this one is the best! This is a 10 star book!

This book is so mysterious. It brings out a different you. the ending is confusing. you have to ask a librarian or teacher about the ening to know the TRUE ENDING

I liked it. But not the ending

this book is a fabulous tool for teaching students about theattempt to perfect society, to take out the human factor fromrelationships. I find the ending, which leaves it up to the reader to decide what happens to Jonas and Gabriel to be an invaluable way to engage students in the critical thinking process. When my students are finished with this book they are drained emotionally. So am I. Ms. Lowry has written a modern classic that is for all ages, not just children.

I thought The Giver was a very creative book. The story is very interesting,and makes you want to read more. It is easy to follow,and hard to put down. The Giver is very well written,and I hope there will be a sequel!

This book was the best book are grade 7 class read all year. I thnk everyone enjoyed it. Our teacher picked avery good book for our science fiction unit. I recommened this book tho teachers and all students!Ü

This book is an exciting, and suspense thrilling book. I may only be 13, but I people think i don't uynderstand the meaning of a book. Lois Lowry did a very good job telling my eighth grade class about this new mysterious world. She expressed the feelings of each character very nicely. If anyone would say otherwise, I would wonder why they think that.
It is true that it is a sad book, but it kept me in suspense and I like that in my reading. My class was very surprised about the ending and about how they released people, in fact I was deeply saddened by the way they release. I was touched by the thought that Jonas, the young Six, Gabriel, and The Giver were the only ones with pale eyes.
If anyone would like to know more aboiut this book,I recomend reading it. I will read it again even though I have just finished today. It was a great book, Lois Lowry if you are reading this review, I will tell you right now that it was a painful, joyful, hateful, great book. I have to admit, while I was reading this book in class, my teacher would stop reading at the best parts, so I was little upset about that, but I finally got to the end and it was wonderful. All my thanks to Lois Lowry for her book.
Dear Lois Lowry,
If you are reading this please consider writing a sequel to this book. I would be greatful to find out what happens next to Jona and little Gabe. If you decide not to write a sequel please contact me somehow, I would be greatful to hear from you too. well that is all for now.
From,
Elizabeth Johnson

I think this book is one of the best books I've ever read. I liked how Jonas was so innocent and unaware in the beginning of the book and by the end was breaking all the rules to do what he felt was right. The book is a great for giving the little guys courage to do whatever they want.

Have you ever had to spend the summer doing things you hated? If you want to know what happens you should read the book Switcharound. Its about a brother and sister that makes up a baseball team so they do not have to g o to there dad’s. They went last year and thought it was boring. They hated it. The siblings tried to explain to their mom that the reason they couldn’t go was because they had a baseball team and would rather stay and play then go to their dad’s. There was one problem. Their plan didn’t work. Their mom made them go to their dad’s anyway. It didn’t matter how much they begged, there was no way to get out of it. Was their summer ruined? Was it as boring as they expected? To find out, you’ll have to read Switcharound by Lois Lowry.

If you liked The One-Hundredth Thing About Caroline, you'll love this book. Caroline and her brother J.P. go to Des Moines, Iowa to spend the summer with their father. Everything gets switched around!

The words are hard and sometimes exasperating, but the book brings a lot of humer. Lowry did a great job on making everyhing seem so lively. It must have took a lot of contemplation to write that book. Lowry's a great auther, and I'm glad the amount of her books aren't meager.

Switcharound
By Lois Lowry
This book is about two siblings named Caroline and J.P. who do not agree on anything and who's parents are divorced and live in different parts of the country. They have to go and visit their father, his wife, Lillian, Their son, David(Poochie) and their twins Holly and Ivy. They hate their father and are prepared for a terrible summer with him. But in the end their summer is very fun and eventful and they want to go back to their fathers again as soon as possible. Also their visit breaks up their war and they have a summer without any fighting.
I liked this book a lot and there are many things I like about it. One thing I liked about it was that it was very eventful. Like when they are on the plain going to their dads house. Also I like how there is a lot of detail. For example when it explains what the twins look like it explains every little mark on their bodies including the mole on the back of Ivy's shoulder.
I would recommend this book to someone who likes realistic fiction. I would also recommend this book to people who are at an medium to fast level of reading.