The Willoughbys is a book that’s been around for almost a decade, but I never read it even though it was written by Lois Lowry, author of The Giver and Number the Stars.  Why? Well, the cover just didn’t entice me.  Recently, Ms. Fields and I had a conversation about books that are great but have bad covers and that is when I resigned myself to read, The Willoughbys by Lois Lowry.

This book surprised me…it is unlike anything else I have read by Lois Lowry.  It reads more like a book by Roald Dahl, Lemony Snickett or David Walliams.  Four children are abandoned by their neglectful parents and are left in the care of a “Mary Poppins” kind of nanny.  Will the four Willoughby children, an abandoned baby, their nanny, a candy billionaire and his long-lost son live happily ever after? Don’t judge a book by its cover…this is a humorous read well worth your time and energy!