What a sweet story about 2 Sophie's. I loved young Sophie's empathy and thoughtfulness. Lois Lowry really hit the mark with this one in terms of characters and messaging.

This was sweet and the narrator’s voice sounded just like my young voice. I started it before it published last year and after making it halfway forgot to ever go back to it. Nothing wrong with it, just didn’t pull me in enough to finish.

I just love Lois Lowry and this book, while slightly different due to the nature of the theme, is still classic for her style. A little slow to get into the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC #sponsored

Loved this. I’ve really enjoyed everything by this author. She’s an autobuy author for me. I love how every one of her stories is completely different from the others but you can still feel she’s the author. A very strong voice - one I really enjoy.

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!

Tree. Table. Book. by Lois Lowry tells a story about the friendship between two Sophies: one who is eleven and one who is 88.

The title refers to the three items that young Sophie is trying to help her unlikely elderly friend remember for a dementia test. Sophie asks her friend to think of a story to go along with each item to help her remember them. The stories Sophie shared were quite unexpected.

This is a beautiful story of childhood experiences, compassion, and of course friendship. You should never pass on Lois Lowry novel and this one is no different!

Vintage Lois Lowry, can't go wrong. This woman is a national treasure. I hope she keeps writing forever!

Another important book from Lois Lowry. This one does require some previous knowledge of the Holocaust to understand what's going on, but I think the length of the book and the individual chapters make it an ideal pick for a classroom where students will receive that context.

"Tree. Table. Book." is a precious story about a young girl and an elderly woman-- both named Sophie. They live next to each other and share a friendship. Initially Young Sophie is in denial that Elder Sophie has memory problems. But when it becomes undeniable, she enacts a plan to help her.

Lois Lowry can do no wrong, and this book is no exception.

My Thoughts:
This is a elementary to middle grade book by the trustworthily fabulous author, Lois Lowry. She is the author of the OG of dystopian middle grade novels, The Giver as well as Number the Stars about the Danish Resistance smuggling Jews to Sweden. Both of these books are Newberry Award winners.

This book is about 11-year-old Sophie Henry Winslow and her very best friend and neighbor, 88-year old Sophie Gershowitz. The narrator, young Sophie, overhears adult conversation that Sophie Gershowitzʻ son Aaron will come and move the elder Sophie to a care facility. Young Sophie is determined to show her parents and Mr. Aaron that Sophie Gershowitz is just fine, even if the adults say she is in the early stages of dementia. The title of the book comes from one of the mental status exams she finds in the Merck Manual.

The stories around these three words are just heartbreaking and lovely. They should be read aloud for chapter Fridays in middle school, even if it is heartbreaking.

I had a teacher ask me for book advice and I was trying to figure out what specifically she wanted. At the end of the conversation she said, I just want my students to be kind.

This book is about kindness. It is about wanting the best for someone else even if it is not the best for you.
I think that kind of awareness from an 11 year old is the manifestation of kindness. So to my friend in Nebraska, try this for your 6th graders.

From the Publisher:
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.



Publication Information:

Author: Lois Lowry

Publisher: Clarion Books First Edition (April 23, 2024)

ISBN 13: 978-0063299504

Hardcover: 208 pages

Grade level: 3--7

A beautiful story of friendship that transcends age. The Sophie's are a beautiful found family that understand each other and their struggles more than their blood relations do. This is a book that emphasizes the importance of strong connection for both young and old alike, an dyow even with family around you can feel socially isolated if not understood and valued as a person.

First sentence: I am going to tell you three words. I'm choosing them at random. Listen carefully. This will be important. House. Umbrella. Apple. Remember those. I'll explain later.

My thoughts (preview): I kept this one waiting. I have absolutely loved Lois Lowry's work in the past. I have. Yet the title was odd--for me (though trust me, it works). The cover was not one that made me want to drop everything and read it. I wasn't quite sure what this one was about. I thought it would likely be worth reading...at some point. Lowry's books rarely disappoint me.

In a way, I'm glad I waited to read it. Now I can tell EVERYONE go read this book and it will actually be available at libraries and bookstores.

Premise/plot: What is this one about? Friendship. Friendship. Friendship. Friendship can be complex, nuanced, wonderful, perplexing. Young Sophie (our heroine) is VERY dear friends with a much older Sophie. The two have a wonderful, sparkling friendship--vibrant and delightful. Yet the older Sophie is beginning to 'show' her age, if you will. No matter how much young Sophie does NOT want to admit it, acknowledge it, accept it, things can't stay the same forever. This Sophie is not Sophie's only friend. There are others in her life that are DIFFERENT yet special. There is only ONE Sophie--irreplaceable.

My thoughts: I purposefully kept the premise/plot on the VAGUE side. Because the JOY of this one is in the unfolding. The less you know about the specifics of the plot, the more you will enjoy the journey. You should know it is character-driven. This isn't an action-packed novel with twists and turns. Nor is it a thriller. But for readers who LOVE character-driven novels that are ALL heart, ALL soul, written with care and beauty, this one is a must. It breaks you, in a way, but it also mends.

I received this book in exchange for a honest review from NetGalley

Lois Lowry has done it again, She made me cry. I have been reading Lois Lowry's books since I was a child and never has one of her books failed to speak to me. This book is a beautiful example of a relationship between a young girl and her older friend and how aging effects us all. It is also a beautiful example of how sometime there is a special person that we can share a part of ourselves with that we have never shared before. I loved this book!

This was a sweet story but the main character was not believable as a child. The references used were very outdated and this would've been more apt if it had been published maybe in 2005 but it wasn't quite relevant to today.

The sweetest story of the friendship between an eleven-year-old, named Sophie, and her 88-year-old neighbor, also named Sophie. While trying to prove that 88-year-old Sophie is cognitive enough to stay in her home, eleven-year-old Sophie learns stories of the elders childhood. Reading this made me wish I could sit down with my grandparents and hear more of their stories. I highly recommend and will be sending this to my nieces and nephews to read.

Loved this book. A unique friendship between Sophies of two generations. The young Sophie is trying to help older Sophie study for tests. The characters are great in the book and the history and struggles are real. All middle graders should read this short, quick book.

Tree Table Book is a new middle grade release from author Lois Lowry and it packs a punch like only her books can do. It tells the story of eleven year old Sophie Henry Winslow and her best friend and neighbor eighty-eight Sophia Gershowitz. These two characters have a close friendship even with their obvious age difference. It is such a well crafted friendship that is filled with heart.

Younger Sophie learns that older Sophie's son is coming into town and having her evaluated for possible dementia. If it turns out that she does have dementia, she will be moved into an assisted living center closer to where her son lives. Sophia Henry Winslow cannot lose her best friend and quickly gets to work trying to find another solution. She begins testing Sophie using part of a mental ability to test where she gives her three words and has to try to recall them later in their conversation. At first, Sophie struggles remembering all the words so the words are chosen are words that she should be able to relate to in some way. This reveals a whole new side to her that she has never spoken about.

Younger Sophie is the narrator of our story and it broke my heart as she is forced to face some hard realities in life. These realities include what happened to her best friend when she was younger; and what is happening to her now that she is older. As she is young, she still has the innocent logic that she can fix whatever problem is put in front of her, and through this experience with her older best friend, she realizes that is not always the case. Lois Lowry has this way of creating her younger characters to be believable and to be able to take you on a journey.

Tree Table Book does such a good job at creating a tense environment in regards to the testing of someone's memory. It was heart wrenching but realistic. Ultimately, the reality of our future is that there are going to be more and more people with memory issues. This story is a wonderful introduction to the topic of memory loss and the strengths and difficulties that come along with it.

This was a beautiful story of friendship and loss in a different sort of way. I think dementia is a difficult topic for kids to understand and I think this was a great way of explaining it. This was a quick read with a big impact.

“Tree. Table. Book” by Lois Lowery - 5 (Pub Date: Out Now!) is a must read for every middle grade student (and all adults). Lowery is an absolute master of children’s literature and she delivers again with this sweet, sad, direct story about a girl, her elderly best friend, and how lived experiences become memories and those memories become stories we share with our children. The two Sophies are a reminder to pay attention to our kids perceptions of their world, as well as to stop and listen to the stories of our old folks. For the child in your life, this story is a expertly paced narrative about a little girl who tells us in her own words, the experiences she has as a friend, daughter, and individual as she navigates her imperfect but valuable peer friendships, her interactions with her parents, and the sweet and wonderful friendship with her octogenarian neighbor who shares her name and who has snippets of wispy and diminishing memory to share of her childhood in Poland at the end of her world as she knew it.

Good Things: Everything. This is an excellent read (where I did actually ugly cry at the end) for adults. It was like cracking the door on a child’s daily life, or like having an earnest conversation with a girl who feels safe to tell you how and what she really thinks. For children, the best part of this book is that it doesn’t condescend to the age group. This is the perfect example of how children’s literature can tackle real life, historical perspectives, and complex emotions in an age appropriate way, but with grade-appropriate style and syntax. It’s what children’s literature should strive for. The former reading teacher/librarian dream comes out of my archives when I read this book. I’ve already messaged all my librarian friends to command the addition to their catalogs. The key thing for parents to know is that the difficult pieces of history are not glossed over, but are alluded to, leaving the additional exploration and the more difficult details of the holocaust to be discovered and discussed at whatever level is age appropriate. This is an accessible read to all ages 8 to adult.

Opportunities: I’m usually pretty good about finding SOMETHING to pick at with a book, but I'm struggling here to find anything that I don’t already consider peak. The only piece that I could pick at is that there are lots of other threads of stories in this book. The parents and their small business is a story. The neighbor boy and his large Catholic family and doctor dad is a story. The empty house across the road is a story. And finally the friend who’s single mom works diligently to provide for him, as she navigates his apparent spectrum / neurodivergence alongside his peers, who are friends who are also caregivers. These subplots are so seamlessly included that there’s no gap or loss to the primary story, and it never feels like ‘too much’ … these details and narratives feel naturally integrated as part of Sophie’s full life and fit right in to her observant character. But I would like for Ms. Lowery to spin off a new series of similar books with Sophie and her friends, teasing out more stories from this ‘universe’ So no improvement opportunities, just more great books, please!

Final Thoughts: It’s on order for my collection, it’s on my short list of go-to-gifts for my 8-14yo list of friends, my recommendations have been sent to 3 librarians, and finally I will be notifying the dozens of elementary and middle school teacher friends that there’s a brand new book to include in their curriculum because this one hits a lot of marks for personal relationships, historical context, WWII, antisemitism, holocaust, dementia/alzheimer, and autism. My former education / curriculum brain is just a-bubbling.

I appreciate the opportunity afforded me to have an early read of this story by netgalley and HarperCollins Children's Books | Clarion Books. The opinions in this review are expressly those of ButIDigressBookClub and are intended for use by my followers and friends when choosing their next book. #butidigress #butidigressbookclub #treetablebook #loislowery #holocaust #WWII #dementia #childrenslit #antisemitism #neurodivergence #autism #netgalleyreviewer #arc #arcs

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Review Shared on Goodreads - www.goodreads.com/leah_cyphert_butidigressbookclub
Publishing Review 6/7/2024

Friendship can be between you and anyone else. In this novel Friendship happens between a young Sophie and an older woman also named Sophie. It is told from the young Sophie’s point of view. She loves her best friend and will do what she can to help her friend stay. The problem is that old Sophie is forgetting things and little Sophie is convinced she can help her remember. This novel shows the importance of being there for a friend. The importance of listening to stories that sometimes are kept in the quiet but that once they are out in the light, they can help someone heal.