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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.
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 date
April 23, 2024
Genre
Fiction
Page Count
208
ISBN-13
9780063299511
Publisher
Clarion Books
BISAC categories
JUV039060 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Friendship JUV015020 - Juvenile Fiction | Health & Daily Living | Diseases, Illnesses & Injuries JUV014000 - Juvenile Fiction | Girls & Women JUV016060 - Juvenile Fiction | Historical | Holocaust
Library of Congress categories
Friendship Polish Americans Best friends Dementia
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. (Apr.)
Copyright 2024 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission
Kirkus
A tale of intergenerational bonding that may resonate with adult readers but will leave youngsters cold.
Whether she’s writing comedy, adventure, or poignant, powerful drama—from Attaboy, Sam! and Anastasia Krupnik to Number the Stars and The Giver—Lois Lowry’s appeal is as broad as her subject matter and as deep as her desire to affect an eager generation of readers. An author who is “fast becoming the Beverly Cleary for the upper middle grades” (The Horn Book Magazine), Lois Lowry has written more than 50 books for children and young adults and is a two-time Newbery Medal winner.
Lowry was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, and attended junior high school in Tokyo, Japan. At the age of 17, she attended Brown University and majored in writing. She left school at 19, got married, and had four children before her 25th birthday. After some time, she returned to college and received her undergraduate degree from the University of Maine.
Lowry didn’t start writing professionally until she was in her mid-30s. Now she spends time writing every single day. When she’s not writing, Lowry enjoys gardening during the spring and summer and knitting during the winter. One of her other hobbies is photography, and her own photos grace the covers of Number the Stars, The Giver, and Gathering Blue. Lois Lowry has four children and two grandchildren. She lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Ya sea que escriba comedia, aventuras o dramas conmovedores y poderosos, desde ¡Attaboy, Sam! y Anastasia Krupnik hasta ¿Quién cuenta las estrellas? y El dador, el atractivo de Lois Lowry es tan amplio como su temática y tan profundo como su deseo de conmover a una generación entusiasta de lectores. Una autora que se está convirtiendo rápidamente en la Beverly Cleary para los grados intermedios superiores (The Horn Book Magazine), Lois Lowry ha escrito más de 50 libros para niños y jóvenes y ha ganado dos veces la Medalla Newbery.
Lowry nació en Honolulu, Hawái, y asistió a la escuela secundaria en Tokio, Japón. A los 17 años, asistió a la Universidad de Brown y se especializó en escritura. Dejó la escuela a los 19 años, se casó y tuvo cuatro hijos antes de cumplir los 25. Tiempo después, regresó a la universidad y recibió su licenciatura de la Universidad de Maine.
Lowry no empezó a escribir profesionalmente hasta mediados de los 30 años. Ahora dedica tiempo a escribir todos los días. Cuando no está escribiendo, Lowry disfruta de la jardinería durante la primavera y el verano y del tejido durante el invierno. Otra de sus aficiones es la fotografía, y sus propias fotos adornan las portadas de ¿Quién cuenta las estrellas?, El dador y En busca del azul. Lois Lowry tiene cuatro hijos y dos nietos. Vive en Cambridge, Massachusetts.
