Combines
realistic empathy with
fantastical elements; as
exquisite as it is
moving. * Kirkus, starred review *
We enjoyed
The Girl Who Drank The Moon and thought perhaps this might be just as good. Actually we enjoyed this MORE.
The story and the characters are a delight, the younger children enjoyed it , the older ones just as much and myself -
I loved it. Kelly Barnhill just keeps delivering great stories. -- Karen Hammond * NetGalley *
What
a truly delightful book this was! It was just so
heartwarming and
full of love and light and life...I couldn't put the book down, and read it pretty much in one sitting.
I loved it from start to finish. Highly recommended! -- Erica Cochrane * NetGalley *
I absolutely loved this book, I loved the narrative and the narration of the book. I absolutely loved this opening sentence as it made me chuckle She is not who you might think she is. (But really, is anyone?)
A beautiful written book with themes of friendship and acceptance. This book is absolutely pure magic.
-- Natalie Drury * NetGalley *
Generosity over greed, kindness over cruelty, unity over division, and the power of books, Kelly Barnhill's The Ogress and the Orphans is an exceptional allegorical adventure, with its guileful, all-knowing narrative voice (readers are instructed to Listen) and sparkling characters casting a captivating spell.
...
Alongside the thrilling, enchanting quest and message of kindness, the author shares messages about the power of books: The ideas and knowledge contained inside their pages have mass and velocity and gravity. They bend both space and time. They have minds of their own. There is a power in a book that surpasses even that of a dragon. What a wondrous, timely triumph - I adored every perfectly-placed word.
-- Joanne Owen * Love Reading 4 Kids *
Barnhill's
gift for storytelling immediately draws readers into this character-driven tale where dragons lurk, crows prove great friends, and an unusual narrator relays events with a
unique perspective. These fairy-tale trappings cloak
modern lessons and timeless ideals that readers will do well to take to heart, no matter their age. * Booklist, starred review *
I loved this book. This is a story where the library, the knowledge it contains and the stimulus it provides to the community is a reminder of how books enrich our lives. There is an element of fantasy with the ogre and the specialness of the books within the library and talk of dragons. But most of all, it is
a special reminder of how people's actions form the quality of the world we live in, be it for good and for bad. In a world full of misinformation, uneasy relationships and clashes over beliefs, this is a reminder of how seeds of goodness and kindness can win through.
Will appeal to fans of Kate DiCamilo. -- Julie Godfrey, Bookseller * NetGalley *
The reader is immediately tossed into this fantasy, relying on the narrator to explain how life used to be in the town to counter the grim description of how it is now. The Mayor is a fantastic (though loathsome) villain, oozing charisma and evil in equal measures, and in direct contrast is the ogress, who asks permission of the bees to take their honey and secretly shares her baking gifts with the town. While she and the orphans are perhaps just a bit too perfect, they are needed foils against the Mayor, and the good versus evil purity of the
story is effective in highlighting key points about the value of generosity and the perils of division. In a thoughtful and vulnerable author's note, Barnhill mentions she was so disheartened by the past handful of years she was uncertain if she would ever publish a book again. It is fortunate that her tinkering with fairy tales and fables helped open a path to this novel that
champions kindness in a very dark world. * BCCB, starred review *
