Tree. Table. Book.
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- USD 5.99
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- USD 5.99
Publisher Description
From two-time Newbery medalist Lois Lowry comes this warm and resonant story of an unlikely friendship, which unfolds as a revelation on how we hold on to—and pass on—what matters most.
The latest compelling work from the master storyteller.
When precocious eleven-year-old Sophie sets out to save her elderly neighbor (who is also her dearest friend), her journey will take her through their familiar suburban landscape and then, steadily yet unexpectedly, deeper into a landscape of history and shared stories.
Everyone knows the two Sophies are best friends. One is in elementary school, and one is . . . well . . . in a little trouble of late. She’s elderly, sure, but she’s always been on her game, the best friend any girl struggling to fit in could ever have. The Sophies drink tea, have strong opinions about pretty much everything, and love each other dearly. Now it seems the elder Sophie is having memory problems, burning teakettles, and forgetting just about everything. It looks like her son is going to come and get her and steal her away forever. Young Sophie isn’t having that. Not one bit. So she sets out to help elder Sophie’s memory, with the aid of her neighborhood friends Ralphie and Oliver. But when she opens the floodgates of elder Sophie’s memories, she winds up listening to stories that will illustrate just how much there is to know about her dear friend, stories of war, hunger, cruelty, and ultimately love.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Lowry (Gossamer) movingly explores the unusual, intergenerational friendship between two Sophies: widowed 88-year-old Polish-born Sophie Gershowitz and 11-year-old Sophie Winslow, next-door neighbors in a small New Hampshire town. The two enjoy what Sophie Winslow calls a "friendship of the heart," sharing a love for conducting Prokofiev recordings, the color mauve, and Sophie Gershowitz's elderly cat. Young Sophie narrates the friends' story in a direct, unembellished voice as a writing exercise and, following the advice of a visiting writer ("Begin on the day that is different"), zeroes in on the moment she overhears a disturbing conversation between her parents about her elderly friend's weakening cognitive abilities. Determined to prove this is untrue—even while experiencing events that steadily reveal the opposite—she guides older Sophie through Merck Manual–recommended cognitive tests, along the way learning poignant truths about her friend's past. Clear-eyed, sympathetic Sophie is an astute observer and straightforward protagonist, and her relationship with Sophie Gershowitz, as well as with her parents and other friends—including her seven-year-old autistic neighbor—radiate genuine warmth. The novel's spare language and matter-of-fact recounting enhance its rich emotional core. All characters present as white; Sophie Gershowitz is Jewish. Ages 8–12.
