Tree. Table. Book. - Review

Tree. Table. Book.

By: Lois Lowry

Publication: April 1, 2024 by Clarion Books

208 pages

Genre: Middle Grade

Source: Publisher via NetGalley (Thank you!!)

( Goodreads | Amazon )

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Goodreads description--The latest compelling work from the master storyteller

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.

I've never read Lois Lowry before, but through the years I've seen a few of her books get some high ratings like The Giver and Number the Stars. Well might daughter is reading chapter books now and approaching that Middle Grade genre. So I knew I needed to start reading some books here and there to be able to recommend books to her as she gets older. Personally, I struggle with books in this age group. So I thought I'd give Lois Lowry a try.

Early on I realized that I would still likely struggle through this book so I would read a little at a time before allowing myself to read something I was actually interested in reading. And this worked. I was able to make progress and eventually finish Tree. Table. Book. using this method.

Sophie, the main character and narrator, is a little hard for me to connect to. She's a little rude/abrasive to her friends, Ralphie mostly. She seems to think she's smarter than others. She has her quirks, but mostly she was a sweet kid concerned about losing her best friend in the world. When Sophie's parents point out older Sophie's memory issues, young Sophie's sets out to prove everyone wrong by using the DSMR that Ralphie's dad has. She gives older Sophie's a series of tests that sparks her to share some of her life stories. Young Sophie has to come to grips with reality which isn't easy for her at all.

Overall, Tree. Table. Book. is a story about love and loss and moving forward even when we want to dig in our heels to stay right where we are. I can't say that I personally loved it as this isn't my preferred age range and young Sophie was a little grating for me. Tree. Table. Book. gets 3 Stars from me. Have you read Tree. Table. Book.? What did you think? Let me know!