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.

I give this book a 5-star rating for its quality of writing and original storytelling. Originally, I didn't want to read this book but NetGalley kept asking me for my review...well, ok, I'll read it. And I am so thankful that I did and thankful that NetGallery kept asking me to get it done.
The author, Lois Lowry, took great pains to establish both the characters and the storyline. She needed to in order for the stories from Sophie Gershowitz to shine like the rising sun they were. Without the depth of development of both Sophies, the elder Sophie's stories would have been flat and without impact.
The themes of this novel are tough ones: demenia, acceptance of adults' decisions, and honest talk between non-related generational friends.

This is the story of 11 year old Sophie and her 88 year old neighbor and best friend Sophie. 11 year old Sophie is having the best summer with her neighbor and Ralphie. Then she finds out Sophie’s son is coming to move her to an assisted living facility near him. Young Sophie tries hard to prove that old Sophie is just fine and not starting to lose her memory. While doing so, older Sophie reveals things from her past that not even her son knows.

In the end I really enjoyed this story. It took a smidge to get into at first, but quickly I wanted to learn more. This is a sweet story of an inter generational friendship and is unlike one I have read before.

Lovely, poignant story of an intergenerational friendship. Sophie's best friend in the world is her neighbor Sophie Gershowitz, who also happens to be 77 years older. When Sophie Gershowitz's son becomes concerned about her growing dementia, Sophie "tests" her friends cognitive abilities, and learns more than she expected about her dear friend.
A simple summer story of friendship, acceptance, and nonconformity, and with an unforgettable voice, this will be a fantastic readaloud for middle grade classrooms and book clubs.
Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC.

This is the story of two Sophias. One is 11 and she is living her best summer visiting with her best friend and 88 year old neighbor, Sophia number two. When young Sophia learns her best friend’s son wants to move her to an assisted living home in Akron, young Sophia is heartbroken. When she learns it is just a simple test Sophia sets out to help her bf stay. Lois Lowry has amazing storytelling abilities. She transports you into the mind of her protagonist. This was a sweet, wholesome story about a truly beautiful friendship and what it means to have change happen.

Let me start by saying that I am a huge fan of Lois Lowry and have loved everything I have read from her, so it pains me to say that I couldn’t connect with this one. The narrator was all over the place and there were ideas that were left undeveloped. There was also one politically correct line that came out of nowhere and went nowhere, so it felt out of place. I really, really wanted to love this one!

Three simple, everyday words unearth the story of a woman’s life.

Eleven year old Sophie lives with her parents in a small New Hampshire town. She isn’t terribly popular at school…dorky glasses and a passion for good nutrition aren’t much help in that regard. But she does have a best friend whose name is also Sophie, and who just happens to be seventy seven years older than she is. The two Sophies are neighbors and enjoy spending time with one another, playing games and talking about things they both enjoy. When the younger Sophie overhears her parents talking about her friend’s mental condition (the elder Sophie’s son is coming to town to bring his mother to the doctor for cognitive testing), she is devastated at the thought of her best friend moving away to assisted living. She is not inclined to sit back passively, however; she delves into a Merck Manual to find out just what this testing might entail, and how well the elder Sophie might fare in taking it. It turns out that the one aspect of the testing with which the the elder Sophie has difficulty is in remembering three random words, given and then asked to be recalled later. Thinking of ways to help her friend remember the words, young Sophie asks her to take each word….in this case tree, table, and book….and think of a specific example of each to help hold on to the word. As one friend tries to help the other, stories of a childhood long forgotten come forth, and the friendship deepens even as it heads towards a major change.
In a gifted author like Lois Lowry, even simple words can have amazing power, and they certainly do in this tale of friendship and love. Young Sophie is a smart, awkward and endearing young girl who doesn’t want to lose her best friend to distance or memory loss. She searches for a way to change the course of events, and do it in a way that benefits both she and her friend. I’m sure that I am not the only person who remembers myself at that age being different than my peers, maybe more comfortable with adults than giggling girls. And i certainly am not the only person who has seen the aging process have an effect on people I love, and the worries and torn loyalties that can ensue. Reading “Tree. Table. Book.” reminds us that there are always things to learn from, and about, the people in our lives….and it is important to do so while those people are still around to share their stories with us. A simple but powerful story, told with humor and compassion, that I recommend most highly to readers young and old, teachers, librarians….really, to everyone. Many thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children’s Books/Clarion for allowing me access to an advanced reader’s copy of this wonderful story.

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.

This is an endearing book about an intergenerational friendship between an 11 year old and an 88 year old. The 11 year old, Sophie, claims 88 year old Sophie as her best friend, and tries to help improve her memory when her adult son decides to move her to an assisted living facility. We should all be so lucky as to have this kind of a friendship. Highly recommended. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you to Net Galley for providing an early copy of Tree. Table. Book by Lois Lowry
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I am a huge fan of Lois Lowry's writing and have a great deal of respect for her novels, particularly Number the Stars and The Giver which has been a staple in the 7th grade curriculum of our school district for many years, I read Tree. Table. Book the day it arrived on my dashboard.

This book was a disconnect for me. I had a difficult time with the unreliable narrator, 11-year-old Sophie, whose best friend is her elderly neighbor Sophie Gershowitz. Young Sophie bounces between jokes/humor and the very serious mission to administer tests for dementia on the elderly Sophie which she obtained in a medical book.

Sophie Gershowitz's son Aaron has plans to sell the Gershowitz home, take his mother back to Akron with him and place her in an elderly facility. This part of the story is not developed. For example, the reader knows almost nothing about what the Gershowitz family may have discussed and agreed to, and Aaron does not appear to be a villain in all of this. Oddly, young Sophie and her friend Ralphie enter an abandoned house on their block and imagine the elderly Sophie living there. Nothing happens with this idea, so it seems to be something else young Sophie conjures up that goes nowhere.

More than once the book dwells on the idea of Catholics having large families. This is a stereotype as I know many, many Catholic families with two or three children.

I will continue to read everything Lois Lowry

This book pulled me in from the first page. I love how Sophie sees the world and writes about it. I love her friendship with Sophie G and how much they love each other.
This book touched me in many ways: one being that my grandmother had Alzheimer’s and I know how difficult that is on the people who love them and another being how Sophie G was able to open up to little Sophie about the harder parts of her life during WW2 through storytelling.
Overall, this book was super sweet and touching and I loved every minute of it.

Master storyteller Lois Lowry never babies her young readers. Topics in the spotlight in "Tree, Table, Book." include dementia and antisemitism.

Eleven year-old Sophie tells the story. Her best friend, also named Sophie, age 88, has become very forgetful. Refusing to believe it, the younger Sophie searches for a way to keep her friend out of a memory care unit.

While testing her old friend for signs of the condition, young Sophie stimulates sad memories of the Polish woman's history.

Young Sophie tells a good story, balancing the sad parts with funny stories about her friendship with Ralphie. Kind parents cushion the inevitable outcome of the story.

Lowry improves with age.

This is a very sweet book about the friendship between 11 year old Sophie and her 88 year old neighbor Sophie, a Polish World War II survivor. When elderly Sophie begins to lose her short term memory, young Sophie tries to figure out ways to improve her memory and keep her adult son from moving her to an assisted living home. Along the way, elderly Sophie tells her young friend three stories from her childhood Tree.Table.Book. which makes an impression on her.

Sophie age 11 has one best friend an 88 year old neighbor named Sophie. They have the same likes and dislikes. She truly values their friendship.
Young Sophie learns that her elderly friend is having memory problems and will probably need to leave her home.
With three words she unlocks her memories . This is a precious story which I truly enjoyed.

First, Lois Lowry. Now, then this book is precious in almost every single way.

The younger Sophie's best friend is a much older lady also named Sophie. Younger Sophie attempt to "test" the older woman's memory. In doing so, she gives her the three word test. This simple three word test of tree, table, book shows the younger girl exactly who the older woman really is. Those three simple words unlock memories that the older woman has long suppressed from her time as a child during WW2. As a teacher, here is what I love---it was about the war--but not the basic facts that kids have been taught over and over. It was three little stories involving the three words--everyday stories that would have occurred during such a horrific time.

I red this book in one sitting. Every character is precious.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

Sophie is eleven. Her neighbor and best friend, also Sophie, is eighty-eight. When the younger Sophie hears that the elderly woman’s son wants to move her away due to dementia, she borrows a Merck Manual and tries to administer the memory testing herself. After several failed attempts, young Sophie chooses the words tree, table, and book. She asks her friend to come up with a story about each word so that she will remember it. The old woman tells about living in Europe before and during World War II. Lowry has combined stories from the 1940s with present day thoughts on memory loss in seniors. There are also two young boys who provide both comic relief and a glance into life on the spectrum. This will be a great addition to school libraries. It would be a great summer reading choice for a middle schooler and a wonderful read aloud for an upper elementary library or classroom. I thank NetGalley and Harper Collins Children’s books for the opportunity to read this ARC. It was thoroughly enjoyable and I highly recommend it to children, parents, and grandparents alike.

Another heartwarming book by Lowry, we find Sophie, 11, trying to figure out how she can keep her best friend also named Sophie, 88, from leaving when she finds out Sophie’s son wants her to move to Akron to be near him. Sophie decides to ask Sophie questions she finds in a Merck Manual that one asks if they suspect dementia. As she asks Sophie questions, Sophie hears about the older woman’s past dealing with wartime and remembers “learning from each other is one of the most important parts of friendship.” Does Sophie end up staying?

Tree. Table. Book. Three simple words, or so they seem. In this lovely story, Ms Lowry brings to life both Sophie, the elementary school girl and Sophie her friend who is considerably older. I loved that young Sophie had older Sophie as her best friend. As a child, I had much older friends also. Now as an adult, I have friends of all ages, young and old. This book teaches the value of friends who are "different" in some way.

The characters came alive for me in the story to the point that I may have shed a few tears. But don't think that this means it has a sad ending. It doesn't have a sad ending. I just get emotional because I become one with the protagonist while I am reading. The ending is one that is inevitable, but it teaches us about life and acceptance of changes in our lives.

This is a book that I would have loved in middle school as much as I love it now. Ms. Lowry ranks with some of the finest writers of books for this age group. However, older readers will enjoy it also.

Thanks to NetGalley, Lois Lowry, and Harper Collins Children's Books for the opportunity to read and review this book.