My Brother Louis Measures Worms

by Barbara Robinson

Book Overview

Eleven-year-old Mary Elizabeth tells about her family's quirks in this warm and funny chronicle by the author of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. Robinson's skill at pushing a plot line to the brink,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0590384627
• ISBN13: 9780590384629
• Release Date: January 1997
• Publisher: Scholastic
• Length: 131 Pages
• Weight: 0.25 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Wonderful Reading

This is a wonderful book, thoughtfully written. I love the perspective the author uses of family situations shared from a child's view. Although written for a young reader, I believe these stories will appeal to adults as well. I have purchased several copies to share with friends, especially those who are feeling discouraged, or are recovering from illness. A real pick me up. Barbara Robinson sure hit a home run with Louis and all his "kith and kin".

Hilarious! For Adutls, not kids, though!

I don't know why they only market Robinson's books to children! The first time I read one of her stories was in a woman's magazine. We were driving somewhere and my mom read it out loud and we all nearly died laughing. Her stories are for adults who remember what it was like to be young, IMHO. I love them all, though Louis's driving and the unexpected baby are my favorites.

Enchanting

This is one of the funniest--and sweet-hearted-- books I have ever read. The Best Christmas Pageant Ever is a better book, but My Brother Louis Measures Worms is the book that I own and have read over and over and over again. It takes place in the kind of timeless neighborhood that I grew up in where kids spend all day outside, coming in only at dusk. I don't know if neighborhoods exist like this anymore (I'm only 31 but still . . . ) so reading My Brother Louis Measures Worms may be a stroll down nostalgia lane. In many ways, it reminds me of the movie The Sandlot which captures to perfection my childhood memories of playing baseball with my brother (Daniel, not Louis).The book's family is eccentric but not unbelievable. Robinson has the ability to create likeable and realistic (and intact) nuclear families without crossing the line into syrupy cliches. The book is split into short stories (that follow a consecutive timeline) and every scenario conveys the positive--if sometimes bewildering--aura of a happy childhood. My favorite story is probably the mother getting lost by following the wrong cars to flower shows but the story about the dog who comes and stays forever reminds me of my dad (who has never cared for pets). Recommendation: It's not as classic as The Best Christmas Pageant Ever but is better than The Best School Year Ever. Buy it!

There is never a dull moment with the Lawsons.

The Lawsons are a family with a daughter Mary Elizabeth , and a son named Louis. Louis is an 8 year old boy that loves to drive his mother's car.Other things Louis likes to do with his friend Albert is to measure how long worms get before they die. Louis's third or fourth cousin Genevieve was over from her mothers side of the family.Louis asked why she was going to stay with them. He was told that Genevieve's mother, Ethel Fitch, was crazy.Genevieve was also going to have baby, but Louis and his sister didn't know that.At least not until she went into the hospital when she was ready to deliver.They just thought she was sick and fat. On the 4th of July , Aunt Mildred dressed up in a old-fashioned costume and drove a tandem bike in the parade. She was funny. Louis wanted to join his aunt in the parade,but he didn't know how to ride a bike only a car. When the Lawsons had a family reunion , all Louise's mom's nutty relatives came. Louella blew up her beer. Ralph left a baby on the bus. Blanche brought a convict home for supper. Janine and Willard are using the $3,000 Louis won in a magazine contest to get married! I like this book and would recommend it for other kids to read because it is really funny! I enjoyed the antics of Louis and his nutty family.