Status
Checked out
Due 3-01-2021
Call number
Series
Publication
Macmillan Children's Books (2017), Edition: Air Iri OME, 320 pages
Description
Once upon a time, two couples with Jamaican, Mohawk, Indian, and Scottish ethnic roots won the lottery and bought a big house where all of them, four adults and seven adopted and biological children, could live together in harmony--but change is inevitable, especially when a disagreeable grandfather comes to stay.
User reviews
LibraryThing member bucketofrhymes
Boy, I dunno.
On the one hand, I really appreciate what Donoghue does with this book -- crafts an incredibly diverse story for children. Middle grade can suffer from a lack of diversity, especially where sexuality is concerned, I've found. (I am currently trying to read all of the middle grade,
On the other hand... the entire first half of the book read in a disappointingly gimmicky way. Fleetings, the Uh-Oh, Spare Oom, so many things had these weird, cutesy, and almost baby-talk-y titles. It felt like everything had to have a pun, or a nickname made up by a little kid, or whatever. So not my thing to read.
I'm also not totally comfortable with how the character of Brian is treated. When a kid chooses the name Brian, gets furious when someone calls them a girl, and shaves their head... maybe their pronouns aren't she/her? Or, you know what, maybe they ARE she/her, and that's okay too. I just wish there had been SOME discussion of Brian's pronouns, because that just felt misgender-y.
So, I like the book on principle. I like a lot of the characters. The execution, less so.
On the one hand, I really appreciate what Donoghue does with this book -- crafts an incredibly diverse story for children. Middle grade can suffer from a lack of diversity, especially where sexuality is concerned, I've found. (I am currently trying to read all of the middle grade,
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Canadian, LGBTQ books I can get my hands on and... let's just say there isn't much.) So, cheers to Emma Donoghue for writing a book with four gay parents and a transgender child!On the other hand... the entire first half of the book read in a disappointingly gimmicky way. Fleetings, the Uh-Oh, Spare Oom, so many things had these weird, cutesy, and almost baby-talk-y titles. It felt like everything had to have a pun, or a nickname made up by a little kid, or whatever. So not my thing to read.
I'm also not totally comfortable with how the character of Brian is treated. When a kid chooses the name Brian, gets furious when someone calls them a girl, and shaves their head... maybe their pronouns aren't she/her? Or, you know what, maybe they ARE she/her, and that's okay too. I just wish there had been SOME discussion of Brian's pronouns, because that just felt misgender-y.
So, I like the book on principle. I like a lot of the characters. The execution, less so.
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LibraryThing member ashleytylerjohn
Did not like this one nearly as much as expected.
Have you seen You Can't Take It With You? That zany, madcap family is a delightful group to spend a few hours with. But the Lotterys have pushed madcap zaniness to 11. It's like they're all auditioning for the part of the Manic Pixie Dream Girl, no
Now, it's possible that out in the world somewhere there might be such a family, but I doubt it. It's just gone past the point of realism entirely--but the style of the book isn't fantasy, we're supposed to accept it as a done deal, an authentic portrait of a modern family. (I feel I'd better throw in just about now that I'm a gay musical theatre composer, so I'm comfortable with LGTB families, unconventional hobbies, etc. It simply doesn't work here).
Combine the unsettling wackiness of the characters with their insistence on being treated as normal, the lack of any kind of compelling plot (and what little plot there is mostly happens to the protagonist, she just goes through it rather than being an active agent for it save for about a twenty page section near the end).
She's obviously not a terrible writer, there were some worthwhile moments, and despite my disappointment her skill is enough for me to bump this up to 3 stars-ish-ness, but this really was a let down and a solid 2.5, no more.
(Note: 5 stars = amazing, wonderful, 4 = very good book, 3 = decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. I'm fairly good at picking for myself so end up with a lot of 4s).
Have you seen You Can't Take It With You? That zany, madcap family is a delightful group to spend a few hours with. But the Lotterys have pushed madcap zaniness to 11. It's like they're all auditioning for the part of the Manic Pixie Dream Girl, no
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matter their age, gender, or orientation. They talk in constant made-up slang, have unconventional hobbies and pets, of course they're home schooled, they have not one but two sets of LGTB parents, all different races, several of the children are adopted, and a few have special needs, everybody has a silly name (especially the parents), oh, and they won the lottery. And changed their name to Lottery, as a result. Now, it's possible that out in the world somewhere there might be such a family, but I doubt it. It's just gone past the point of realism entirely--but the style of the book isn't fantasy, we're supposed to accept it as a done deal, an authentic portrait of a modern family. (I feel I'd better throw in just about now that I'm a gay musical theatre composer, so I'm comfortable with LGTB families, unconventional hobbies, etc. It simply doesn't work here).
Combine the unsettling wackiness of the characters with their insistence on being treated as normal, the lack of any kind of compelling plot (and what little plot there is mostly happens to the protagonist, she just goes through it rather than being an active agent for it save for about a twenty page section near the end).
She's obviously not a terrible writer, there were some worthwhile moments, and despite my disappointment her skill is enough for me to bump this up to 3 stars-ish-ness, but this really was a let down and a solid 2.5, no more.
(Note: 5 stars = amazing, wonderful, 4 = very good book, 3 = decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. I'm fairly good at picking for myself so end up with a lot of 4s).
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LibraryThing member untitled841
This book is beautiful. A family that has everything adds another member. Emotions and reactions are not glossed over as every member of the family moves through this adjustment.
Beautifully written and a joy to read. Would recommend to any child with a growing family, epically one with an elder
Beautifully written and a joy to read. Would recommend to any child with a growing family, epically one with an elder
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with dementia entering their life. Show Less
LibraryThing member villemezbrown
Well, this book is certainly a conservative's worst nightmare: two diverse and gay married couples win the lottery and combine their households to co-parent and homeschool their seven multiracial and gender-diverse biological and adopted children. And that nightmare is inflicted upon Iain Miller,
Every single one of them is quirky! It's quirk overload!
Quirkageddon!!!
I might have survived the devastation, but I was driven to the end of my patience by the family's constant enshrinement of silly kiddytalk: Spare Oom, aspendents (accidents), A Dull Conversation (adult conversation), etc. UGH!
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the racist and homophobic father of one of the dads, who has started to exhibit signs of dementia and is forced to move into the big and bustling Lottery household while he is being medically assessed. "Grumps," as he is called, is hard to sympathize with, but the one thing I can agree with is that the sheer quirkiness of this family can really wear a person down. Every single one of them is quirky! It's quirk overload!
Quirkageddon!!!
I might have survived the devastation, but I was driven to the end of my patience by the family's constant enshrinement of silly kiddytalk: Spare Oom, aspendents (accidents), A Dull Conversation (adult conversation), etc. UGH!
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LibraryThing member beckyhaase
THE LOTTERYS PLUS ONE by Emma Donahue
Two couples (one gay and one lesbian, but it is not important or dwelt upon) win the lottery – hence the name – and form a family filled with love, diverse children and pets. They use their money for good and live a “perfect” life until one of the
Lots of life lessons engagingly presented in this charming tale of family in all its permutations. Well written with real and delightful characters and situations, this “children’s book” is for adults as well. Donahue, best known for her searing tale ROOM, finds a very different voice in this book filled love, laughter and acceptance.
5 of 5 stars
Two couples (one gay and one lesbian, but it is not important or dwelt upon) win the lottery – hence the name – and form a family filled with love, diverse children and pets. They use their money for good and live a “perfect” life until one of the
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parents’ parent needs a home. Grandpa just doesn’t fit – or does he?Lots of life lessons engagingly presented in this charming tale of family in all its permutations. Well written with real and delightful characters and situations, this “children’s book” is for adults as well. Donahue, best known for her searing tale ROOM, finds a very different voice in this book filled love, laughter and acceptance.
5 of 5 stars
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LibraryThing member iBeth
I loved this book. A wildly unconventional family takes in an estranged grandfather when he starts to suffer from dementia. He disapproves of them, they don't much like him, but somehow they all learn to expand their idea of family to include each other. This story is nothing like Room, yet it is
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still a page-turner. Show Less
LibraryThing member brangwinn
Gosh, its’ been a while since I so enjoyed a book that I finished it in a day, but that was the case with this book by Emma Donoghue (Room). Aimed at upper elementary, it is the story of a modern family, perhaps to modern for some parents who will complain because their children are reading a
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book in which two same-sex couples are co-parenting a “mongrel” multiracial family. The humor is great. It’s narrated by 9-year-old Sumac, who is pitch perfect in this homeschooled loving family. But when a Grandfather with dementia comes to live with the family, she declares war. He doesn’t want to be there and she doesn’t want him to be there. It reminds me of a very modern War with Grandpa (Robert Kimmel Smith). Popcorn’s (one of the dad’s) comparing dementia to Swiss cheese is right on target. Everything around the holes is solid. Show Less
LibraryThing member theoutspokenyam
The Lotterys Plus One is one of the most delightful books I’ve encountered in quite some time. Within a few pages I was openly grinning and giggling out loud. Aimed at 8-12 year-olds, I have to say I can think of some adults who could benefit from reading it as well.
This is the story of a big
The characters are further brought to life with vibrant illustrations that have the feeling of modern folk art.
The book focuses on nine-year-old Sumac Lottery, who prides herself on being the most level-headed member of the clan. That is, until her idyllic world is invaded by an unfamiliar, aging grandparent suffering from dementia. He is the father of one of the Lottery dads, long estranged due to the older man’s intolerance of his son’s identity. As the story unfolds, Sumac and the rest of the family learn that sometimes the people who seem the most contrary and sometimes downright mean, are the ones who require love the most.
I’ve often heard the argument from anti-LGBTQ proponents that children shouldn’t be raised by gay or transgender parents because it will be too confusing for them to understand. I’ve always thought this was silly at best. Kids are not born with prejudice, they have to be taught. If they are never told that being gay is wrong, they will never develop bigoted views or suffer any confusion. Yes, they’ll notice the differences in other families, but having two mommies or two daddies becomes just another fact, like having an older brother or a three-legged dog.
Donoghue makes it seem effortless, incorporating the personalities and quirks of eleven people, celebrating their individuality while delving into what it means to be family. She handles some pretty weighty topics without ever insulting the intelligence of young readers.
I love the way she highlights the secret language of families, the little words and phrases that once mispronounced or heard incorrectly, stick to us and become loving in-jokes over time. My own family does this, for instance my niece fully believed that deviled eggs were called doubled eggs- which, if you think about it, is kind of genius. The author has an attentive ear to the brilliant way kids interpret the world.
And the Lotterys embrace these viewpoints, folding them into the familial lore seamlessly and with sweet humor. Everyone is allowed space to grow in any direction they choose, as long as each of them both learn and help in some way every day.
In my ideal world, this is how all families- and society itself- would operate. I wanted to crawl inside this family and have them adopt me. I can’t help hoping for a series here, because I was sad for the book to end. I know if I’d owned this as a kid, I would have read it again and again until the pages were grimy and the cover had to be taped back in place.
This is the story of a big
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messy, modern day, multi-cultural, multi-everything family. The base of the family began with two gay couples, a man from Yukon and one from Dehli plus a woman from Jamaica and a Mohawk woman. They all became best friends and decided to have a baby together. While in labor, one of the moms finds a winning lottery ticket, which allows them to buy a big house (later dubbed Camelottery!) and fill it with six more kids and five pets.The characters are further brought to life with vibrant illustrations that have the feeling of modern folk art.
The book focuses on nine-year-old Sumac Lottery, who prides herself on being the most level-headed member of the clan. That is, until her idyllic world is invaded by an unfamiliar, aging grandparent suffering from dementia. He is the father of one of the Lottery dads, long estranged due to the older man’s intolerance of his son’s identity. As the story unfolds, Sumac and the rest of the family learn that sometimes the people who seem the most contrary and sometimes downright mean, are the ones who require love the most.
I’ve often heard the argument from anti-LGBTQ proponents that children shouldn’t be raised by gay or transgender parents because it will be too confusing for them to understand. I’ve always thought this was silly at best. Kids are not born with prejudice, they have to be taught. If they are never told that being gay is wrong, they will never develop bigoted views or suffer any confusion. Yes, they’ll notice the differences in other families, but having two mommies or two daddies becomes just another fact, like having an older brother or a three-legged dog.
Donoghue makes it seem effortless, incorporating the personalities and quirks of eleven people, celebrating their individuality while delving into what it means to be family. She handles some pretty weighty topics without ever insulting the intelligence of young readers.
I love the way she highlights the secret language of families, the little words and phrases that once mispronounced or heard incorrectly, stick to us and become loving in-jokes over time. My own family does this, for instance my niece fully believed that deviled eggs were called doubled eggs- which, if you think about it, is kind of genius. The author has an attentive ear to the brilliant way kids interpret the world.
And the Lotterys embrace these viewpoints, folding them into the familial lore seamlessly and with sweet humor. Everyone is allowed space to grow in any direction they choose, as long as each of them both learn and help in some way every day.
In my ideal world, this is how all families- and society itself- would operate. I wanted to crawl inside this family and have them adopt me. I can’t help hoping for a series here, because I was sad for the book to end. I know if I’d owned this as a kid, I would have read it again and again until the pages were grimy and the cover had to be taped back in place.
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LibraryThing member MrsDruffel
The Lotterys are not your typical family. It is like the Brady Bunch on steroids. With two moms and two dads, nine-year-old Sumac loves her unique family. But when the “plus one” comes to live with them, Sumac is forced to make changes she is not too excited about.
I loved reading about the
I loved reading about the
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dynamics of this happy family. I felt the story started out slow and did not get engaging until the last fourth of the book. That being said, I have the stamina to work through knowing the end would be great, but I am not sure a majority of children in would stick with the book. I can see another child who is in a family situation like Sumac reading this book and loving it. This would be a great addition to a classroom or school library waiting for the right child to read it. Show Less
LibraryThing member sweetiegherkin
The Lotterys, a large multi-cultural family whose lottery winnings not only changed their name but finance their unusual lifestyle, are thrown for a loop with a grandfather with dementia is introduced into their household.
I very much wanted to like this book; previously I had read with alacrity
In some respects, this portrait felt more like a caricature than a realistic look at family life. For instance, the parents (and then the family at large) are involved in every single sort of progressive/hipster lifestyle thing -- they homeschool/unschool, they're vegetarian (except for when they're not), they won't own a car because of environmental concerns, they don't flush the toilet for urine only, they work in the community garden, etc etc etc etc. It almost feels like there's a gentle mocking here at times.
As I knew this book spawned a sequel, I started to worry I had picked up the sequel because I often felt like I was missing something. For instance, Donoghue does try to make things unique the way a family does (e.g., common "in" jokes and names) but there was just sooo much going on within this book that it felt like too much to keep a handle on all of these as well. All of these descriptors (along with introducing a family with 12 members living in one household) took up so much space that the main storyline is really reduced to a sparse treatment in terms of actually exploring it. Somehow all of the issues with "Grumps" coming to live with the family are miraculously tidied up in a page or two.
And where Room had a writing style that made it difficult to put down, this book I found difficult to pick up. The writing seemed clunky at times and it didn't flow smoothly or quickly. The grayscale sketches that serve as illustrations really don't add anything that isn't expressly said in the text.
While I wanted to like this book, I'm afraid it treats serious issues a bit too flippantly and I'm not sure from whom exactly I would recommend it.
I very much wanted to like this book; previously I had read with alacrity
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Donoghue's book for adults Room and I heard good things about this book. But when I finally got around to reading it, I was disappointed. It feels like the book was trying to tick off a box for every diverse element (gay parents, lesbian parents, immigrant grandparents, transgender child, adopted children, child with special needs, etc. etc.) but doesn't do a great job of actually addressing all those elements. For instance, one child insists on a name change from Briar to Brian, cuts their hair short, and won't tolerate being called a girl. However, the narration (and the family) continues to refer to this child as a "she" and "her." If this child is indeed transgender (or even nonbinary), this pronoun selection is simply wrong.In some respects, this portrait felt more like a caricature than a realistic look at family life. For instance, the parents (and then the family at large) are involved in every single sort of progressive/hipster lifestyle thing -- they homeschool/unschool, they're vegetarian (except for when they're not), they won't own a car because of environmental concerns, they don't flush the toilet for urine only, they work in the community garden, etc etc etc etc. It almost feels like there's a gentle mocking here at times.
As I knew this book spawned a sequel, I started to worry I had picked up the sequel because I often felt like I was missing something. For instance, Donoghue does try to make things unique the way a family does (e.g., common "in" jokes and names) but there was just sooo much going on within this book that it felt like too much to keep a handle on all of these as well. All of these descriptors (along with introducing a family with 12 members living in one household) took up so much space that the main storyline is really reduced to a sparse treatment in terms of actually exploring it. Somehow all of the issues with "Grumps" coming to live with the family are miraculously tidied up in a page or two.
And where Room had a writing style that made it difficult to put down, this book I found difficult to pick up. The writing seemed clunky at times and it didn't flow smoothly or quickly. The grayscale sketches that serve as illustrations really don't add anything that isn't expressly said in the text.
While I wanted to like this book, I'm afraid it treats serious issues a bit too flippantly and I'm not sure from whom exactly I would recommend it.
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LibraryThing member foggidawn
Sumac is the middle child in a big, nontraditional family (two moms and two dads who decided to have kids together, then won the lottery, hence their unconventional surname). Life is great in their loving if chaotic household, until an estranged grandfather comes to live with them because he is
I enjoyed this story, though I did find it a little precious at times -- "crunchy twee" was the term I mentally coined. There are a lot of family in-jokes (all four parents have punny nicknames) and a lot of borderline preachy sentiments. I think young readers who are drawn to realistic stories about large families will enjoy this book, though adults (like me) may find it just a bit much.
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developing dementia and can't get by on his own any more. Grumps, as the kids secretly call him, disapproves of many aspects of their family, and Sumac can't help but think that he might be more comfortable somewhere else -- anywhere else!I enjoyed this story, though I did find it a little precious at times -- "crunchy twee" was the term I mentally coined. There are a lot of family in-jokes (all four parents have punny nicknames) and a lot of borderline preachy sentiments. I think young readers who are drawn to realistic stories about large families will enjoy this book, though adults (like me) may find it just a bit much.
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LibraryThing member ssperson
Parents like this always strike me as mythical. Do people with this much patience exist in real life?
This is a very nice book. It's great in showing a non-traditional family dealing with something that many families have to deal with -- taking care of an elderly relative. Seeing it through the
This is a very nice book. It's great in showing a non-traditional family dealing with something that many families have to deal with -- taking care of an elderly relative. Seeing it through the
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eyes of a precocious 9-year-old is a different take, and one that I think would be great for kids to read. Show Less
Awards
Yoto Carnegie Medal for Writing (Nominee — 2018)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2017-04
Physical description
320 p.; 5.31 inches
ISBN
1509852514 / 9781509852512
Other editions
The Lotterys Plus One by Emma Donoghue (Paperback)