This book has my heart. Lowry has woven a tale of friendship, memories, and honest history, told through the eyes of a precocious and instantly lovable protagonist. A young girl’s friendship with an aging neighbor unlocks stories from her past that help the young girl understand her friend, her world, and herself. This is another instant Lowry classic.

Sophie Winslow, 11 years old, is best friends with 88 year old Sophie Gershowitz. The friendship is unconventional but it works. Both Sophies enjoy having tea time together and talking about life and laughing together. One day Sophie Winslow overheard her parents mention the word dementia referring to her best friend. Sophie W. researches, she loves to research, she finds out how to test for this dreaded disease and proceeds to perform a number of cognitive test in the form of questions to help prove her friend does not have dementia. She is aided by her other best friend/neighbor Ralphie and her quirky seven year old neighbor Oliver. As the questions advance Sophie shares a number of stories regarding her life that she has never told anyone. Even though her memory is fading her past is vivid and captivating. Sophie W. learns a number of valuable lessons about friendship and the surprises that come to life when all seems hopeless. This book is thought provoking and special at highlighting the relationship between multigenerational people. Friendship always stands the rest of time.

Thanks to netgalley for the ARC! 3.5 stars While this book did come together and share some lovely and heartbreaking memories from older Sophie to younger Sophie, I felt like it took a bit too long to come together. The beginning seemed kind of scattered, and I couldn’t figure out where the book was heading for a bit. Once I could see where the elder Sophie was heading in terms of her aging and memories, it felt like a good read. Before that, I just felt like it was a little all over the place with the younger Sophie sharing things that didn’t seem to mesh together. Overall, I did end up enjoying the book to an extent, but it’s definitely not one of my favorites from this author or for young people lately.

I loved reading Lowry's books when I was younger. I remember several being very profound and sticking with me. This one is no different. It was a heartwarming story that I have no issues recommending to all readers. Three words, simple, but so profound. Lowry did such a good job of making me feel like there was an eleven year old next to me telling me this story. I laughed often, cried, and just loved the story.

This would be a great if you have a kid who is struggling with an elderly friend or loved one who is suffering from memory loss.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children’s Books for this DRC.
Eleven-year-old Sophie is best friends with 88-year-old Sophie, her neighbor. Young Sophie overhears that Sophie has been struggling with memory issues. She borrows a Merck in order to help her pass a dementia test. Instead, she opens Sophie’s memories of being a young Jewish girl in Poland during WWII.

It’s about forgetting and remembering and loving, friendship and holding on and letting go. It was beautiful and soft and tender but also hard and sharp.
#TreeTableBook #NetGalley

Tree. Table. Book. was even more touching and quietly profound than I expected, which is saying something as I have long held a special place in my heart for Lois Lowry’s novels.

This story is more approachable than The Giver or Number the Stars, so it will work for younger MG readers or readers who are working on their comprehension and decoding (while still being meaningful!).

In short, this is the story of two Sophies separated by an age gap of over seventy years but bound by a fierce friendship. When the elder Sophie begins having memory problems, the younger Sophie decides to take things into her own hands. You’ll have to read to discover what beautiful stories come out of this special friendship.

What a sweet and poignant story! I love the friendship between Sophie Sophia. This is a good story to give kids a gentle introduction to the horrors of WWII. It would pique their curiosity and allow them to dig deeper on their own.

In another touching, thoughtful story by Lois Lowry, two Sophies help one another understand the passages life takes us through. Eleven year old Sophie is best friends with 88 year old Sophie Gershowitz. While trying to help her elderly friend, the younger Sophie asks questions that lead the older Sophie to recall some of the most touching memories of her childhood in Poland during World War II.
The stories of family ties and friendships lead the reader to examine the feelings we all have in common. This is Lois Lowry's unique mastery- weaving commonalities of feelings, compassion for others, and the power of kindness into her warm, bittersweet stories..

This was a really cute read and seemed to perfectly introduce a really hard topic for the age group. I enjoyed the inclusion of neuro-divergent characters; it really pushed the point of inclusivity. Even though the Holocaust isn't mentioned, this book would open up opportunities to talk about that time in history in a way that a young person might understand. The book left me wanting to know more about older Sophie's life after leaving her mother and sister, but I felt that the abrupt back and forth between the past and the present really helped to convey the older Sophie's state of mind.
This story is about forgetting, but also about intentionally remembering the things we shouldn't forget.

I adored Tree. Table. Book. As told through the eyes of an 11-year-old named Sophie. It's a beautiful unlikely story of a relationship between neighbors. Sophie, the narrator, best friend lives across the street is also named Sophie but she's 88 years old. It's a short and sweet story of a woman starting to suffer from dementia and Sophie's imaginative attempt to prove the adults wrong. Through Sophie's cognition test, her 88-year-old friend shares poignant memories from her past growing up in Poland as a Jewish girl during WWII.

Although this book is written for middle grades, I would love it if Lowry expanded the story for an older reader. I found myself wanting to know more. For the dialogue to continue into greater depth between the two characters, as Sophie talks for the first time about her childhood in Poland. How did she get to the US? What happened to her family?

"I had told Sophie Gershowitz that I always got the dates right, on history tests, always got As. That was true. But I had never really got it, never understood history, how things fit together, because I needed someone to tell me the stories not of politics and dictators, but of berries and bunnies and books. Of how things are lost, and what that means and how it hurts."

This new story from Lois Lowry talks about two unlikely best friends, both named Sophie but born 77 years about. Young Sophie is a bit of an outsider - she awkward and knows it. Her two friends that are closer to her age are also quite quirky. While they both add to the plot it really is 88 year old Sophie Gershowitz that is the star in this story. The two Sophies are neighbors and unfortunately Sophie G is starting to show signs of dementia. While Sophia Henry Winslow (young Sophie) administers a medical test to determine mental fitness of Sophie G we come to learn three important tales that involve a tree, a table, and a book. Through those three words and stories we learn small pieces of Sophie's story as a Jewish child in Poland during the holocaust.

This story is simple, yet stunning. The above quote captures the distinct differences between learning history and understanding it. It's the difference between first hand accounts and information that has been filtered through various sources. This story, although about the past, is perhaps arriving at the perfect time. That those that read this will learn to listen to the people who are experiencing/living the story and not just from a secondary source.

I'll be adding this to my classroom library when it is published in April 2024.

Thank you to netgalley and Harper Collins Children's Book for proving me access to an ebook ARC.

A wonderful story about an eleven-year old girl and her friendship with her eighty-eight year old neighbor. The two Sophies who serve as the main characters show readers what different generations can learn from each other through stories and memories.

This was a sweet story about friendship that transcends age. Young Sophie is struggling with her best friend needing to move into an assisted living home near her son. As she tries to keep her friend close, Sophie learns more about who elderly Sophie is and where she came from. Young Sophie learns to accept the aging of her friend as the story progresses. The stories of Sophie’s childhood are so important and a window into a significant part of history. The growth that Sophie shows during the story is a great part of the story. I also enjoyed the myriad of other friends that Sophie has.

This story is absolutely beautiful. I was completely unprepared for how deep it was going to be. I should have known- Lowry is, of course, a master storyteller. This story is powerfully told. I can see it being a great touch point for adults to start conversations with middle grade kids. But even if not, this is a great story to help kids and adults think deeply and reflect.

As an avid reader, I will always be grateful for Lois Lowry and her works of art. The Giver has left an impression on my life that has guided me many of my days. Tree. Table. Book. will now hold another endearing spot in the bookshelf of my heart.

Do you know how much a young readers book can impact YOUR life? I certainly do and that is why when I saw the latest novel by Lois Lowry, I practically begged to get an advanced reader copy. It was worth the begging 😊

This book paints a beautiful picture of an average family, with your normal neighbors and with their everyday lives. The difference is the powerful relationship between two neighbors. A young girl and her elderly neighbor develop the most heartfelt relationship and they both share and learn so much from each other. And true to classic Lois Lowry style, there is so very much to learn from our fellow neighbors.

I really, truly couldn’t put this book down. After finishing the book, I felt like I was a shadow in the room, joining the characters on their experience. Change is always a difficult challenge in life to learn to manage, but with good friends it becomes a journey to enjoy!

Highly recommending this book! A great addition to every school reading list.


Grateful to have received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley & HarperCollins Children's Books, Clarion Books

This is a heartfelt story of 11 year old Sophie with her 88 year old friend also named Sophie. The older Sophie is struggling with dementia, and this story is a good introduction to the topic for young readers.

I was given a free copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved reading Lois Lowry growing up and was excited to see a new book from her. The title is intriguing and I love the cover with the juxtaposition of a young girl and an elderly woman. Stories that cross generations are always ones I enjoy and this one is the same.
Sophie is determined to help Sophie pass a cognizance test so she won't have to move away. Lowry captures the fear of change.
One of the things I enjoyed most in this book was the writing style. Sophie is writing her story, and at the beginning the writing is very choppy, straightforward and as then smoothes out and becomes more fluid as the book and story is told.

I received a dARC from the publisher via Netgalley; this is my honest review.

This book was such a fun read. The story was great, and it was fun to get to know the characters. There were moments where I felt strong emotions for the characters and wanted the best for them through the tough situations.

Lois Lowry is a genius storyteller. She is able to tell a beautiful story without putting all the words on the page. This book leaves the reader richer for having read it. She is able to weave historical fiction and realistic fiction together masterfully, and teach meaningful lessons without being preachy. Never overdone or lacking; Lowry’s books are always just right.

It starts off slow but I liked the middle grade character's perspective of writing a story. Good introduction to aging and dementia. I really enjoyed the unspoken depths of her older friend Sophie's story, told through the three words of the title. Very moving.