About the Book
The Ogress and the Orphans by Kelly Barnhill
Genre: Fantasy
Release Date: March 8, 2021
Book Review
This book charms its way right into the hardest of hearts. Both the ogress and the orphans are an absolute delight, and the dragon is a perfect villain.
Fifteen children live in the orphan house in Stone-in-Glen, being cared for by a pair of aging former orphans who found love with each other. But the town has been failing since the burning of its library (possibly by a dragon), with everyone getting meaner and less neighborly. The only thing holding it together is the Mayor and his dazzling personality. On the outskirts of town, a lonely ogress plants her garden, bakes, and watches over the town. She doesn’t know the orphans’ names, but she knows their personalities from what she can see from her telescope. But the orphan house is running out of food and money, and the offerings the ogress leaves in secret aren’t enough to tide them over. When one of the orphans runs away so there will be more food to go around, the ogress finds her sick in the forest. The ogress’s lonely life collides with that of the children, the villagers, and the Mayor, and none of them will never be the same again.
This story is narrated by a mysterious, all-seeing character, who engagingly shares the history of the town and the Ogress interspersed with delightful scenes showing the big hearts of the children and the Ogress. You’re rooting for their inevitable meeting. You’re also hoping for the children to be believed, as they know much more than any of the adult characters about what’s really going on in the town.
Barnhill’s lyrical prose brings the story to life, as evidenced by this description of the library fire:
“Books flew out the melting windows like panicked birds, their wings bright and phosphorescent. They were beautiful for a moment, the town remembers, the way a heart is beautiful in the moment before it breaks.”
She also brings the orphans to life, from mom figure Anthea who believes in logic and science and making sure all the babies are taken care of, to head in the clouds Bartleby who doesn’t notice changes until it’s too late, to Cass, who doesn’t talk much but her actions speak louder than her words.
This touching story shows what can happen when characters set their misconceptions aside and open their hearts to each other.
Thank you to Netgalley and Algonquin Young Readers for the advance review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Check out more of my reviews of fantasy books!
About the Author
Kelly Barnhill writes books. It is a strange job, but, to be fair, she is a strange woman, so perhaps it makes sense. She is a former teacher, former bartender, former waitress, former activist, former park ranger, former secretary, former janitor and former church-guitar-player. The sum of these experiences have prepared her for exactly nothing – save for the telling of stories, which she has been doing quite happily for some time now.
She received the Newbery Medal in 2017, as well as fellowships from the Jerome Foundation and the Minnesota State Arts Board, and the McKnight Foundation. She is the winner of the World Fantasy Award, the Parents Choice Gold Award, the Texas Library Association Bluebonnet, and a Charlotte Huck Honor. She also was a finalist for the Minnesota Book Award, the Andre Norton Award and the PEN/USA literary prize. She has been on the New York Times bestseller list for a bunch of weeks now, as well as the Indie Besteller list. She is the author of the novels The Girl Who Drank the Moon, The Witch’s Boy, Iron Hearted Violet and The Mostly True Story of Jack.
Connect with the author!
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.
