Product DescriptionAbandoned by their ill-humored parents to the care of an odious nanny, Tim, the twins, Barnaby A and Barnaby B, and their sister, Jane, attempt to fulfill their roles as good oldfashioned children. Following the models set in lauded tales from A Christmas Carol to Mary Poppins, the four Willoughbys hope to attain their proscribed happy ending too, or at least a satisfyingly maudlin one. However, it is an unquestionably ruthless act that sets in motion the transformations that lead to their salvation and to happy endings for not only the four children, but their nanny, an abandoned baby, a candy magnate, and his long-lost son too. Replete with a tongue-in-cheek glossary and bibliography, this hilarious and decidedly old-fashioned parody pays playful homage to classic works of children's literature.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: - Funny parody of classic tales
The Willoughby children, Tim, Barnaby A & B, and Jane, live in an old-fashioned type of family. But not all is as it seems. The parents are either so busy or indifferent to them that one day one of the Willoughby children asks, "Shouldn't we be orphans?"
Then one day a baby shows up on their porch, which sets some things into motion which are similar to some classic works of literature. Only hopefully this tale will end with a happily ever after. Or will it?
Rating: - I enjoyed reading this very much, I wish it hadn't been so short.
The book starts off with four children finding an abandoned infant on their front step. These are the Willoughby children: Tim, Barnaby A, Barnaby B, and the youngest, the only girl, Jane. Although at least Jane wants to keep the abandoned baby, the rest of the family, especially their mother, does not. In fact, we soon learn that their mother and their father often how disapprove of the children's thoughts along with their actions and their general existence. Bleak as that might sound, it's quite amusing ... Read More
Rating: - Cheap
The writing was really not up to Lois Lowry's usual standards, the characters were not enjoyable to follow, and the jokes are played for cheap laughs. Lowry can write better humor than this.
Rating: - Clever, quick read
Read this enjoyable little book this summer and knew I had to share it with my middle school class. We have enough time to read a couple of chapters every few days during our "silent" reading time and I love Lowry's tongue-in-cheek delivery. The vocabulary is great too and I branched out to show them more of the "old fashioned" stories the Willoughby's are obsessed with. Does my heart good when I see kids pick up Heidi or Pollyanna.
Rating: - I quirky fun story!
I throughly enjoyed this little book. I thought it was quite charming. It kind of reminded me of the series of unfortunate events. Mainly because of the way it's written. I'm glad it ended happily and thought it was whimsical and silly. I think this would be a great story to read as a family.
- Funny parody of classic tales
- Cheap
- Clever, quick read
