The Willoughbys

Movie Tie-in Edition

By: Lois Lowry

Narrated by: Arte Johnson

Length: 2 hrs and 56 mins

Publisher's summary

Soon to be a Netflix animated film starring Will Forte, Maya Rudolph, Alessia Cara, Terry Crews, Martin Short, Jane Krakowski, Séan Cullen, and Ricky Gervais!

Convinced they'd be better off raising themselves, the Willoughby children hatch a sneaky plan to send their selfish parents on vacation. The siblings then embark on their own high-flying adventure to find the true meaning of family.

The Willoughbys is a turn to the hilarious from the award-winning author of The Giver and Number the Stars that will have children and parents laughing.

©2008 Lois Lowry (P)2008 Random House, Inc.

Critic reviews

"This delightful story pulls in children and their parents for a great family listen." ( AudioFile)

Unexpectedly delightful! A treasured keeper!

I didn't expect this book to be so incredibly funny and sardonically dark at the same time. Parody is an understatement of the way Lois Lowry takes some horrid element of almost every scary children's story and makes it just another thing the Willoughby children have to deal with in their everyday life. They beg their father to read to them. He reads from Hansel and Gretel and the children are sent to bed with the appalling feeling he has just gotten a good idea of how to get rid of them. The children find a travel agency that specializes in trips seemingly designed to kill off their clientele and make sure their parents get the brochure. When their parents take off on vacation, they put the house on sale and tell the children to hide in the coal bin when prospective buyers appear. Only the odious nanny the parents hires before they leave could possibly make a difference. And she does.
Since this is ostensibly a children's book, it is the right length to be re-listened to regularly, when you need a good laugh, a mental gear-switch, or an uplift of spirit.

Absolutely Darling

Delightful read for grade schoolers... who will expand vocabulary to include a wide variety of despicable words. Nice use of orphans from other fictional works starting with Anne of Green Gables, Heidi and Huck Finn that would provide a topic driven stream of books for a summer of reading. I nearly turned it off when it came to the dictionary of words at the end... glad I didn't as it is as fun to read as the book itself. Has Lemony Snicket feel but is a little less dark.

Fun and humorous book for pre-teens (and parents!)

What made the experience of listening to The Willoughbys the most enjoyable?

The narration was very good and the story was entertaining and had ample humor - especially 'inside jokes' for readers of classic children's literature. The glossary at the end was a very nice and funny touch.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Willoughbys?

The entire development of a nameless candy bar to potentially be named after the baby, Ruth. Additionally the nods to classic books and the characters and traits found therein. I also found the glossary at the end quite fun for us and my eight year old.

Which character – as performed by Arte Johnson – was your favorite?

Hmm.. this book doesn't have any 'stand out' characters in my mind. Nanny was quite good and Jane - but none really are spotlighted. The book is more a story-driven story (?) Anyway - it's a mix of tales we all know with a dose of humor.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Well I found the entire book fun and amusing - it's a short one after all!

Any additional comments?

Great short listen for children 8 and up I'd say.

Delightful and Wonderful!!

Would you listen to The Willoughbys again? Why?

Yes, I will listen to The Willoughbys again! The story was fun and lighthearted. The narration couldn't have been more perfect for the story!!

Who was your favorite character and why?

If I had to choose a favorite, it would be Nanny. She was the string that tied it all together.

Have you listened to any of Arte Johnson’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have never heard any other of Arte Johnson's performances but I sure love the way he narrated this story!!

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I laughed and am telling everyone that will listen about how wonderful it is!

an amazing story and a amazing athour!

I loved it I listen to it every time I go to bed and its amazing!👍

Love this book but not like the movie

I absolutely loved this book very funny and old fashioned Lois Lowry is an amazing writer and this is one of her funnier books but I will admit I actually saw the movie before listening to this book and the book is better. I came across the movie on Netflix then found out it was written by Lois Lowry so I had to give it a try! I have listen to this book 3 times but the movie all though it is funny I don’t think it represent the book enough other then that definitely listen to it!

Very enjoyable for all ages

Our family listened together and we all enjoyed it. The book and the performance were laugh-out-loud funny at times, especially the glossary at the end. Highly recommended!

Felt a bit Dr. Seusy

I LOVE Lois Lowry. The Giver is my favorite book ever. But this one felt different. Maybe because I read the other books and listened to this one. Just didn't give me the same good feelings as her other books.

cool

WHO declares Santa Claus is greatness of all doctors reap the cat knock knock joke

Much more than a children's book

The author has a gift for writing that.is rare. She takes.on plots.from the fanciful to the.deadly serious and though she is a children's author can grab and hold the attention of readers of all ages. This book is just plain funny. I have listened to it often when I d not want to read my usual genre of millitary.history and it still makes me laugh.