Sophie is a precocious eleven year old whose best friend is 77 year older than she is. When Sophie learns that her elderly neighbor might be taken to a memory care unit, Sophie sets out to understand dementia and how she might be able to help. What she discovers is not a cure for memory loss but a way to make it meaningful.

Lois Lowry has always been good at saying a lot with only a few words. I'm a little over the precocious child gimmick, mostly because I think it goes over young readers' heads, but while I suspect some young readers will find this difficult, it's both short and meaningful. It's one of the more tasteful pictures of WWII that I've ever chanced to read and a beautiful reminder that history isn't about the facts; it's about the stories. And sometimes fixing someone isn't the answer when really it's the world that needs fixing.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

Lois Lowry has written a warm and resonant story of an unlikely friendship.

It’s common knowledge in town that the two Sophies are best friends. One is in elementary school, and the other is elderly. As life does in the aging process, things are changing for elder Sophie who doesn’t seem to be her usual self. Still, 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, forgetting she turned on the stove, 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, So she sets out to help elder Sophie’s memory, with the aid of her neighborhood friends Ralphie and Oliver. Her attempts open the floodgates of elder Sophie’s memories, as she shares long ago memories that illustrate just how much there is to know about her dear friend, stories of war, hunger, cruelty, and ultimately love.

This is a beautiful story but I don’t know how well middle grade readers will take to it. As a former care giver to my elderly mother, this book was beautifully touching to me.

I love Lois Lowry and have read all of her books. Each one I have found resonates with a young person in a different way and I think I have recommended them all to young readers over the years of teaching/being a librarian. However, I really can't think of young readers that I would recommend this to. It was interesting to me and the story resonated with me, but it was slow moving and I found the 11 year old protagonist old beyond her years, which sometimes is hard for young readers to connect with. She was able to understand almost intuitively the nuances of her friend's dementia, history as a child during WWII and perceive her young friend's social awkwardness. I think these things would be lost on most children. My own 12 year old certainly doesn't have the context for any of those things, and most kids her age wouldn't "get" the subtle story Sophie tells about her life in Poland as a child, While I think it was a beautiful story on the whole, and I can see adults really loving it, I just can't see children clamoring to read it. It also ended rather abruptly, which was disappointing. I give this 3.5 stars because the writing was so well done. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

TREE TABLE BOOK BY LOIS LOWRY publish April 2024. Lois Lowry does it again! This is a poignant story of two Sophia. One Sophia is a social struggling elementary girl. The other is a struggling elderly best friend. And a friendship that will last forever darling. This is a book which will become another Lois Lowry classic

Always a pleasure to read or listen to something from Lowry. We'll definitely purchase this one for our library.

I’ve been reading a lot of middle grade novels lately so I can find new and exciting books to add to my middle school classroom library. Many of these books are full of youths getting into trouble and finding a way out. This one went a little deeper though and had a more serious tone. I believe it could be somewhat of a classic, but not one of my favorites. I also don’t love the synthesized narrator’s voice so it is possible that made the book a little less appealing.

Publication Date: April 23, 2023

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I like the narrator of this book. I also like the audio book voice. For the most part, the story flows well , and I like the characters, but it has a pretty sad ending. It's kind of about life, in general, and different ages. Just overall not my favorite story, I guess.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance audio copy of this book. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.

A touching story by the famous author who brought us the award-winning “Number the Stars” and “The Giver” among others.
Sophie is in elementary school. She not really good at things like sports or music and doesn’t have many friends her age. Her best friend is the elderly woman also named Sophie who’s her neighbor. But elder Sophie seems to be having some issues with her memory and things like burning teakettles and forgetting her son is coming to visit seem to be happening often. The son who feels Sophie should leave her house next-door which both Sophies are upset about. One day while they are having tea, the old woman seems to drift back to a time decades before when she escaped her hometown to come to America and relays the heart wrenching story.

Lowry’s gift for amplifying a small detail and shining light on its many facets glows warmly in this book. For example, she has the Sophies living on Chocorua Street, yet doesn’t stop there. She brings in the legend of Chocorua and revisits the curse throughout the book. And the way she lovingly brings focus to the dilapidated house across the street, Sophie G.’s cat, and the teakettle, makes the story leap off the page with vibrancy. Lowry is always the truth teller and has an uncanny intuition about the way a child’s mind works. When Sophie comes up with a scheme to save her best-friend elderly neighbor from being moved to a memory care center near Sophie G.’s son in Ohio, there is the elation of a kid hatching a secret plan but also the sneaking suspicion that it won’t actually come to pass. The wartime stories that illuminate the title are powerful yet child-appropriate in their intensity, humor, and wording. (Though I appreciate the opportunity to listen to the synthesized voice galley through NetGalley, my review is not as thorough as I would like because I cannot thumb through the pages to recall specific examples and correct spellings.) All in all, Tree Table Book is a fantastic addition to Lowry’s stellar oeuvre and a middle-grade title I will highly recommend. There is nothing inconsequential in this book: everything somehow gets woven into the story in delightful, deep, or surprising ways.

Content Warnings:
- Mention of homosexuality
- Cursing
- Witchcraft/Vudoo Dolls

For a book with a target audience of young children, I was disappointed in this and would not allow my children to read this book due to these factors:

- mention of homosexuality
- cuss words
- talk of sticking pins in vudoo dolls

Apart from the above issues, I found the children to be unrealisticly mature for being 11 years old. There was also lots of medical talk along with the use of some pretty big medical terms, which went over my head at 36 so with a target audience of 8-12 year olds I don't see how they would understand. I was also turned off by a 11 year old talking about getting a UTI from bath salts. That's weird and completely unnecessary.

I wanted to like this book as the overall plot was really cute, but I think it would have been a better book if written for adults and from Sophie's POV.

Thank you, NetGalley and Clarion Books, for the opportunity to read and review this advanced copy.

This is a story of friendship; multigenerational, outcasts and misfits. It speaks about growing old and the things you remember or can never forget.

Lois Lowry is a storyteller to the core. And these stories both the modern day double Sophie story and the remembrances of old Sophie's childhood.

Name of Book: Tree Table Book
Author: Lois Lowry
Narrator: Voice Galley created only for early review
Publisher: Harper Collins Audio/ Clarion Books
Genre: Middle School, Historical Fiction
Pub Date: April 23, 2024
My Rating: 4
Pages: 208
House – Umbrella - Apple

There are two Sophies in the neighborhood who are best friends. One is eleven and will be in the sixth grade in elementary school, and the other is eighty-eight years old - this Sophie has been sharp but is now having memory problems, Young Sophie finds out that Sophie’s son is coming to town to take her the doctor for cognitive testing.
Young Sophie knows that elderly Sophie will have difficulty remembering three random words; she comes up with ways to help her friend remember the words. She asks her to take each word….in this case tree, table, and book….and think of a something that connects you to the word. Elderly Sophie begins to tell stories about her childhood in Poland during WWII.
She later tells young Sophie that she never told anyone these stories.

This story is so touching and not just for children. I am sure there are many adults who can remember when they were young they may have been a bit different at that age and may have been wore comfortable with adults than giggling girls. In my case it was getting away from three young brothers and would stop in to visit the grandma next door. She enjoyed the noontime soaps and I would join her...She would knit and I would sit on the floor and pet the cat.

I just loved this story.

I am not big fan of a digital narrator but have to admit this Voice Galley did sound like a little girl so I thought was good!

Want to thank NetGalley and Harper Audio- Clarion Books for this early audio.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for April 23 2024.

The fact is, I love stories that are told through the eyes of children. And this one is so thoughtful. Lois Lowry addresses friendship and dementia from a child’s perspective in this book, and it resonated with me so strongly.

Sophie is a bright, young protagonist, and her approach to friendship and hardship is earnest. As she learns the history of her elderly best friend, also named Sophie, we glimpse the stories of Jews in Poland during WWII. We feel the heartache of a real piece of history, often unspoken, because of pain and loss. We empathize along with young Sophie as she longs to protect her friend.

What a simple, yet powerful piece of literature. It has the quirkiness of an 11-year-old’s storytelling, but that’s what packs such a punch.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Audio, and Lois Lowry for an audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Expected pub date April 2024.
3.5 Stars
Lowry tackles the difficult subject of dementia and aging in a loving and sweet way. Sophie 11, and her best friend Sophie Gershowitz, 88 -connect as the younger Sophie tries to jog her friends memory and in so doing learns about her past.

Another classic Lowry story. It moved a bit slowly as an audiobook but a good story that was enjoyable.

This is a lovely middle-school book that, with guidance, could be used with younger children to broach the topic of Alzheimers/Dementia/Dealing with an aging grandparent/parent/friend. Either way, it should definitely be part of a larger discussion, not something that a child just picks up and reads but doesn't discuss. It's sad. It's heartbreaking. It's hard.

The book itself is a short read although a middle school student will probably need to look up some of the words, but would be able to intellectually (but maybe not emotionally) comprehend.

I love that not only does this open the door for discussions about aging, and changes children may see in beloved older people in their lives, but it also touches on subjects like the Holocaust and the very personal meanings of "friend" and "chosen family."

I'm dealing with a parent with dementia, and the effect is devastating. If I had had this book when I was younger, perhaps I could have been better prepared - or at least more knowledgeable, which certainly would have helped.

The story is b no means comprehensive. As I stated, it should be used as a stepping stone for discussion, more research, additional reading. The topics are not analyzed or presented with any depth or breadth - just a soft introduction to topics that are very difficult for even an adult to comprehend.

Thank you to NetGalley and Clarion Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

The title is very catchy, with the periods in between the words. But listening to the book, you will understand why. The cover of the book is also colorful and also goes along with the story. The story shows that you can have friends of any age. Young can learn from old and old can. Learn from the young. Everyone is different and the differences make us who we are. Very enjoyable book!

Excellent middle grade plus contemporary fiction. Lois Lowry does not disappoint with her newest release. Told through the eyes of an endearing narrator, we get to know Sophie and her elderly best friend, of the same name (Sophie). I enjoyed the title thoroughly and there were so many nuggets of wisdom sprinkled throughout. One line of political correctness that I could have done without, otherwise outstanding!

""...I get As in history always. I memorize the dates and the names of the battles, but..." I didn't complete the sentence and finally in silence, she asked, "But what, my darling?" "Those things aren't enough," I whispered. "You can't feel them. You need the stories."

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for the chance to preview this book.

Three everyday words—tree, table, book—unlock a floodgate of memories for 88-year-old Sophie Gershowitz, who is the best friend of Sophie, age 11. Even though the elderly Sophie struggles to recall recent tasks or retain words she has just been asked to repeat, her bond with the younger Sophie remains steadfast.

The two Sophies have cultivated a profound friendship over the years. It all began when the older Sophie provided solace to the younger during a family misunderstanding, and their connection has flourished ever since, with the roles gradually reversing as the younger Sophie comforts her elder friend. The immense compassion they share and their evident love for one another is undeniable.

Motivated by her desire to assist her friend in preparing for the tests her family wants her to undergo for potential dementia, young Sophie takes it upon herself to help Sophie Gershowitz practice. In the process, simple words transform into vivid tales of the past, illuminating Sophie's experiences during World War II and the sacrifices her Jewish family made during those dark and difficult times.

Through the power of these three unassuming words—tree, table, book—Lois Lowry once again showcases her remarkable storytelling prowess, underscoring how love, compassion, and friendship can transcend age and time, enriching the lives of two individuals.