The Willoughbys (by Lois Lowry)

Siblings Tim, twins Barnaby A and Barnaby B, and Jane despise their parents so much they want to be orphans, and they convince their parents to go on a vacation where, the children hope, their parents will die. The feeling is mutual, and their odious parents are inspired by Hansel and Gretel to try to lose their children by going on the vacation, leaving the children behind with a nanny, and then selling the house while they are gone. Includes humorous glossary and bibliography of other children's books referenced in the story.

Clearly inspired by both Roald Dahl and Lemony Snicket, veteran author Lois Lowry has her tongue so firmly planted in her cheek here that it seems to have obscured her vision of what made their work so successful. While deaths and other horrible events may have swirled around them, both Dahl's and Snicket's heroes and heroines (Charlie, James, the Baudelaire children) were always lovable and engaged the reader's affection. Tim Willoughby, on the other hand, though described by the author as bossy but with a heart of gold, is nothing but a tin-pot dictator, self-aggrandizing and awful to his siblings, who are timid followers.

Though Dahl may have appeared subversive, his books actually promoted the most traditional of values. Even Matilda's horrible parents in the end do the right thing and leave her with someone who will understand her better than they. Here the moral seems to be: if you don't like your parents, you can get rid of them and be adopted by a nice rich man. There's no doubt that many kids will find this delightfully hilarious, and there's no harm in it. But some adults may find it leaves a bad taste that's hard to shake.

Author: Lois Lowry
Illustrator: Lois Lowry
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Children's Books
Publication date: March 1, 2008
Number of pages: 174
Hardcover price: $16.00
Read Aloud: 8
Read Alone: 9