Shreevaani Dhungel - Jul 12 2024 Introduction:
“The Willoughbys Return” was written by Lois Lowry who was awarded the New York Times Best Selling Author and Newbery Medal. It was published in Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Boston,New York. It was originally published in the year 2020.
The story begins with two couples who had gone on a mountain trek at a minor alp in Switzerland where they get frozen for thirty years and later on thaw out because of global warming. They go back to America to meet their children but they have no idea about this new modern world. Meanwhile, their eldest son Tim is all grown up with children and owns a candy company but unfortunately because of the dentist candy has been banned!
Plot:
It all started on a Thursday in June,
The New York Times Front Page in bold capital letters it was written that the congress party of America voted for candy to be banned. Same day in a Zurich newspaper it was written that an American couple, frozen in swiss mountain, suddenly thaw and are alive without a single scratch.
In the Swiss mountain an ice glistered shape began to move then a hand started to come out of it and then another hand until a whole man came out of the ice next to it was another one the same thing happened to it except this time it was a woman. They both come out and start complaining that their clothes were all wet and their money too. They walk to a nearby restaurant and give the soggy wet money but the waiter refuses to take the money. The husband proceeds to give the credit card but it has already expired. The waiter messes up their name as swiss people pronounce their W’s as V and V’s as W and the waiter pronounces their names as Villoughby and the husband complains about it which makes the couple very rude as described in the book.
During that time at the mansion Tim Willoughby was reading the newspaper, he wasn’t focused on the part where it said that the american couple thawed out, the american couple were his parents. I mean he’d be happy that his parents thawed out but his eyes were on something else. The candy ban news (Tim owns a candy making company) ,his company was going to be in ruins. He was called for breakfast which may be his last breakfast. Commander Melanoff ; his adoptive father, also heard the news and they talked about it. Riche, Tim’s son is not engaged in their conversation so he doesn’t really think much about it and plays with his new online ordered basketball out in the garden. Tim bought Riche everything he wanted because they were successful. As he was playing across the road someone was staring at him playing with his new ball.
Across the street lived the Poores, their situation was the same as the name (not my comment the same thing was written in the book), Ben Poore their only breadwinner sold out-dated encyclopaedias which no one really bought. He went to various places to sell his encyclopaedias but could never. The Poores had 2 children Winifred Poore and Winston Poore, Winifred who is a girl was named that so The Poores could have a win-win situation (get it? win-win??).
The Poores were the exact opposite of the Willoughbys, they had a small broken down house with 6 windows while the Willoughbys mansion had 35 windows. Winifred and Winston always complained about their family situation but their mother told them that they should be grateful that they atleast have this much when some people don’t even have what they have. Winifred tells her mother that she was “Marming” (In Little Women written by Louisa May Alcott (1868) there is a character named Marmee; the mother of all the sisters who also tells them to be grateful of what they have) whenever that came up. Winifred was the smart one who liked reading books, Winston was also smart but he didn’t like reading that much. Winifred liked Geology (the study of rocks). Winifred and Winston see Richie playing all alone so they think of being his friend so they go to Tim and say they’ll be Richie’s friends but they need to get paid and Tim agrees no matter their financial situation. Then, Richie sees Winston's toy car (which was made by his father) and says that he never had a special handmade car like that then Tim gets sad and says sorry to Richie for not being a better father. Winston’s car's wheels were broken so they ordered some wheels and mend the car. Meanwhile Mrs.Poore starts a B&B (Bedroom and Breakfast, basically like a hotel).
Henry and Frances Willoughbys get confused in this new world where they don’t understand anything. They get to the place where their old house was but it was already sold to some other family. That family tells them someone named Willughby lived in the same colony and they need to get a bit farther. Then Frances leg hurts so they go to the B&B and Mrs.Poore charges them $25. They get a creaky room with a toilet but really no bathroom and a used bandage. During dinner Mrs.Poore gives them stew that was 3 days old. Henry and Frances eat it but vomit all over the place and then faint. Mrs.Poore goes to the mansion and tells Tim to call the ambulance. Then they take the couple to the hospital while Mrs. Poore sees that her kids are having dinner in The Willoughby Mansion and Mrs.Poore gets strawberry cake that calms her down. At the hospital the doctors are shocked that they look so young despite that they are supposed to be in their sixties then soon find out that they were thawed out and tell Tim on the telephone. Tim realises the couple were his missing parents and he was happy.
Later in the book, Mrs.Poore suggests that they all gather up for dinner since that same day Ben Poore was going to come back home including the couple too. So they have dinner together in which they become sad because it might be their last meal together. Suddenly, Winston suggests Tim to make Lickety Toothpaste, where it tastes like candy but cleans your teeth. Tim thinks it's a wonderful idea. Ben Poore comes back with rocks for Winifred and apparently the rock he bright turned out to be gold. Then Henry and Frances come and say sorry to their kids for their bad behaviour toward them and then they all live happily ever after.
Critical Analysis:
Overall, I liked the events that happened. The event that cracked me up most was when Ben Poore had sent a letter to Mrs.Poore asking her to knit a scarf for him but she couldn’t because they didn’t have yarn and they wouldn’t be able to afford it anyways. But this book could make it even better by adding more jokes to it. I see that the writer tried to make it funny and it was but towards the end there were barely any jokes to crack me up.
Recommendation:
I would recommend this book to all because it's appropriate for all kinds of ages. Also, this book has good humour and has an interesting plot because who thinks of a couple thawing out of a glacier these days? It is a good story so I would love it if more people are able to read it.
Conclusion:
To conclude, the couple thawed out and successfully reunited with their family and concluded a satisfactory resolution.
Name: Shreevaani Dhungel
Grade: VII, Gaurishankar
Roll no.: 29044
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