The Willoughbys by Lois Lowry

This book is a bit like Matilda by Roald Dahl, the parents are horrible and there is a mean older sibling. Unfortunately, this book didn't catch my fancy but if you like stories set in the 1800s like the Railway Children and the Treasure Seekers, then this is the book for you.

Mr and Mrs Willoughby are cruel parents and the Willoughby children have to put up with them. Mr and Mrs Willoughby believe that children shouldn't have existed and that they were a curse sent from the depths of hell! Mr and Mrs Willoughby have 4 children, the oldest being Timothy, he's twelve, Barnaby A and Barnaby B, they're both ten and then there's little Jane and she is 6 and a half. Tim, being the oldest devises a point system, the person with the least points would end up in the coal bunker. Tim would deduct points for no apparent reason from his other siblings and give himself bonus points so he would always win. The Willoughby children absolutely loathe their parents and when they decide to go on a spontaneous holiday and hire a nanny the children are overjoyed.

It's Barnaby A's turn in the coal bunker when he notices something, a FOR SALE sign hanging on the house! Mr and Mrs Willoughby have gone off to buy a new house! Nanny and the children have to disguise themselves from the realtors or else they won't be able to stay in their house for long! 

I didn't really like this book because I thought that everything happened too fast and it was all so sudden, I almost couldn't keep up! The upside to this book is that it is very engaging and the vocabulary used in the book is really funny.

I rate this book 6/10!