The Ogress and the Orphans
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- Create Date：2022-04-30 06:52:03
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Kelly Barnhill
- ISBN：1800783027
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
A fantasy about the power of generosity and love， and how a community suffers when they disappear。
Stone-in-the-Glen， once a lovely town， has fallen on hard times。 Fires， floods， and other calamities have caused the people to lose their library， their school， their park， and even their neighborliness。 The people put their faith in the Mayor， a dazzling fellow who promises he alone can help。 After all， he is a famous dragon slayer。 （At least， no one has seen a dragon in his presence。） Only the clever children of the Orphan House and the kindly Ogress at the edge of town can see how dire the town’s problems are。
Then one day a child goes missing from the Orphan House。 At the Mayor’s suggestion， all eyes turn to the Ogress。 The Orphans know this can’t be: the Ogress， along with a flock of excellent crows， secretly delivers gifts to the people of Stone-in-the-Glen。
But how can the Orphans tell the story of the Ogress’s goodness to people who refuse to listen？ And how can they make their deluded neighbors see the real villain in their midst？
Stone-in-the-Glen， once a lovely town， has fallen on hard times。 Fires， floods， and other calamities have caused the people to lose their library， their school， their park， and even their neighborliness。 The people put their faith in the Mayor， a dazzling fellow who promises he alone can help。 After all， he is a famous dragon slayer。 （At least， no one has seen a dragon in his presence。） Only the clever children of the Orphan House and the kindly Ogress at the edge of town can see how dire the town’s problems are。
Then one day a child goes missing from the Orphan House。 At the Mayor’s suggestion， all eyes turn to the Ogress。 The Orphans know this can’t be: the Ogress， along with a flock of excellent crows， secretly delivers gifts to the people of Stone-in-the-Glen。
But how can the Orphans tell the story of the Ogress’s goodness to people who refuse to listen？ And how can they make their deluded neighbors see the real villain in their midst？
Reviews
Molly Cluff
，
I loved all of the different storylines following several different characters in the town and how they all intertwined by the end。 Kelly Barnhill also writes animal voices super well （the crows！）。 An ogress moves in to the outskirts of a town where a dragon's magical influence has spread to the townspeople， making them more wary of each other and inhospitable。 This sort of gave me Rigoletto vibes in that it's about a misunderstood outcast who goes about secretly doing good even though people di I loved all of the different storylines following several different characters in the town and how they all intertwined by the end。 Kelly Barnhill also writes animal voices super well （the crows！）。 An ogress moves in to the outskirts of a town where a dragon's magical influence has spread to the townspeople， making them more wary of each other and inhospitable。 This sort of gave me Rigoletto vibes in that it's about a misunderstood outcast who goes about secretly doing good even though people distrust them。 Pretty writing， too！ 。。。more
Jillian
，
3。5 stars。
Julie
，
I love this book， and I really hope you read it。
Jen
，
Beautifully written and just a lovely read。 A fairy tale with so much compassion and imagination。 I loved the town of Stone in Glen， I love the orphans and the orgress。 So good。 Highly reccomend to everyone！！！
Casandria
，
Great story of the magic of kindness。
Emily
，
Excellent！ An engaging and delightful tale peppered with insights about human nature。 Ultimately asking “what is a neighbor？” And answering it so well。
Amanda Molloy
，
Listen。 I love Kelly Barnhill's books。 I love her voice and style and the magic in the stories she weaves。 I love the opportunities for older children to find similarities between the events in this story and the real-life events under the presidency of a certain dragonous imposter and results he had on the people。 I love the opportunities for younger children， who are too innocent for such philosophical conversations， to simply enjoy the magic and the storytelling。 I was hopeful that in reading Listen。 I love Kelly Barnhill's books。 I love her voice and style and the magic in the stories she weaves。 I love the opportunities for older children to find similarities between the events in this story and the real-life events under the presidency of a certain dragonous imposter and results he had on the people。 I love the opportunities for younger children， who are too innocent for such philosophical conversations， to simply enjoy the magic and the storytelling。 I was hopeful that in reading the book to my own children that they might be inspired by the behavior of the orphans， who never argue or make messes and work hard all day without being told--but so far， I haven't noticed any attempts to emulate such behavior。 （They loved the story， though。） Ms。 Barnhill， please keep writing books for children （and the adults who love them and teach them）。 。。。more
Donna Marlatte
，
This lovely children’s book is by the woman who also wrote The Girl Who Drank the Moon， a Newberry Book Award winner。 It is a book about good and evil and about what it means to be a neighbour。
OneMamaReads
，
4。5 Stars****Stone-in-the-Glen was once a beautiful， bustling， good town; but then the Great Library burned down and the town slowly began to fall apart。 Now the town just squeaks by， people doing what they must to get by and no one caring for anyone else。 The Mayor is loved by all， promising to care for the town and its people， but he continues to demand more funds to help。 A lone agress moves into the village， with hopes of becoming a member of the community， secretly baking things for everyon 4。5 Stars****Stone-in-the-Glen was once a beautiful， bustling， good town; but then the Great Library burned down and the town slowly began to fall apart。 Now the town just squeaks by， people doing what they must to get by and no one caring for anyone else。 The Mayor is loved by all， promising to care for the town and its people， but he continues to demand more funds to help。 A lone agress moves into the village， with hopes of becoming a member of the community， secretly baking things for everyone in town。 There is also an orphan house， with fifteen children and very little for each of them。 The eldest three work tirelessly to help the elderly couple who run the orphanage and are also keen to see Stone-in-the-Glen return to its former glory。This was an excellently written morality tale。 There is philosophy， depth， compassion， weakness， and humanity。 Throughout the book the narrator continuously positions the reader as though they are a member of the community。 Forcing the reader to question， to really think about all that is happening and what can be done or what is done to make things better。 The book asks the reader to consider what a good neighbour is， who is a good member of the community， and how similar this book is to real life。 How easily society has forgotten what it means to be a community， caring for everyone， what it means to be a neighbour and have compassion for others。 It is a book about how easy it can be to be persuaded by a dazzling smile and pretty words。 How easily selfishness and greed can tear apart a town。This book is very much about the power of words。 The power of a story to change a point of view。 Books are a means of experiencing life from someone else's perspective， therefore creating empathy。 The library burning down is the start of collapse， because the town no longer has a refuge， a place to learn， a place where knowledge is free for everyone。 Instead， the community looks to their Mayor， a man with beauty and a booming voice， but little else。 Keeping books from people is never about keeping them safe， it is always about keeping them ignorant。 It is to stop people from asking questions and dreaming of something better。The ogress is the opposite of the Mayor。 She is shy， she is selfless， and all she wants is to be a part of something。 She makes friends easily with the crows， wild sheep， and a blind dog。 She does not boast about the food she leaves for her neighbours， for she needs no accolades or recognition。 Because of this， it is too easy for people to turn on her with just one whispered lie。 I loved that she uses food as connection， as well as her art。 These two things are the most honest forms of love and communication that we have。 Food is communal and necessary for life， to provide food for others is an act of compassion and care。 Art is used to portray emotion， and this is the best way for the ogress to show the town her dedication to it and its people， even the Mayor。The orphans are also loveable， each with their own unique quirks。 They are more open minded， because some of the books were saved from the fire and brought to the orphan house for safe keeping。 These treasured books teach the children independent thought， provide them with knowledge， and show them the power that stories hold。 The children only ever exhibit strange behaviours when the town seems to infringe on their safe zone， when someone whispers some of the insidious evil that has been permeating in the town into one of their ears。 This book is also about people never really listening to children， to what they have to say， even if it is the truth。This book was just honestly such an amazing journey and wholly unique。 You really must read it to appreciate the depth of the story and the intricacies of the message。 I loved reading it in the evenings with my eldest。Thank you to HarperCollins Sprout for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Jennifer S
，
Stone-in-the-Glen is a town where everyone looks after one another until a mysterious fire destroys the central Library， and then additional fires destroy other parts of the town， and the populace starts losing their faith in one another。 All of this is stoked by the kind-and-benevolent Mayor who is not really kind and benevolent。 An ogress moves in to the outskirts of town and begins offering anonymous acts of kindness to the downtrodden townspeople - which， of course， threatens the Mayor's str Stone-in-the-Glen is a town where everyone looks after one another until a mysterious fire destroys the central Library， and then additional fires destroy other parts of the town， and the populace starts losing their faith in one another。 All of this is stoked by the kind-and-benevolent Mayor who is not really kind and benevolent。 An ogress moves in to the outskirts of town and begins offering anonymous acts of kindness to the downtrodden townspeople - which， of course， threatens the Mayor's stronghold on the town。 The Orphan House has 15 orphans of various ages， but the oldest few are very resourceful when it comes to trying to wake the sleeping town from its paralysis。A wonderful fable about the power of caring for one another， along with the inspiration of books and libraries。 And perhaps a little bit of allegory about these times we live in， when cloaked leaders are sowing distrust in the name of power。 4。5 stars， rounded up。 。。。more
Hannah // Book Nerd Native
，
100/10 stars
Therearenobadbooks
，
I am a fan of the author's lyrical style and I was quite excited to read this one。 I felt it was too long for younger readers， sometimes too repetitive， but isn't it a song also？ To me， Kelly Barnhill's books are like songs。 This song is quite sad， almost bitter， and disheartening until it is not and becomes a collection of solutions and hope focused on the community。 I never feel that I'm recognizing scenes and characters from other books in her stories。 She takes from the world and gives it a I am a fan of the author's lyrical style and I was quite excited to read this one。 I felt it was too long for younger readers， sometimes too repetitive， but isn't it a song also？ To me， Kelly Barnhill's books are like songs。 This song is quite sad， almost bitter， and disheartening until it is not and becomes a collection of solutions and hope focused on the community。 I never feel that I'm recognizing scenes and characters from other books in her stories。 She takes from the world and gives it a fairy tale twist。The story is almost second and emotions， and actions become the focus。The town's story is told as we learn more about its people and their lives and actions。 A library was burned， and the people became more suspicious and isolated over the years。 Then one child goes missing and the town's frustration results in horrible， wicked deeds。I can feel the tumultuous emotions and lack of logic from the recent past years infused in the mood of this town and its characters。 It doesn't spoil the story for young readers who will see ignorance and greed in these characters as only characters and not caricatures。 Also， it didn't spoil it for me as an adult who appreciates children's fantasy novels。 I welcome this story as we always welcomed fairy tales:they warn us， show us horrors， and teach us lessons。 The thing is that the horrible things are mostly inspired by real things。It was a very interesting "painting" of the emotions and actions that recently I have been remembering with nostalgia。 How many of us have second-guessed ourselves to act， intervene， help， and just mind our own business。 I want to be more like the Ogress and the orphans。Sense of community， helping each other， supporting each other， relying on knowledge。。。 No politics， just human kindness。Fav quote: "In real life， people are terrible because they are broken， or （。。。） lonely， or （。。。） they want or need something they can't have and they justify all sorts of crimes， to get it （。。。） sometimes， （。。。） because they are afraid。" 。。。more
Katy
，
Loved every minute。 I can see why some people think it's a bit heavy handed （it is）， and I am curious whether children will find it so。 But， I loved it。 I loved the focus on kindness begetting kindness and books being so important and special， especially in a year with record banning of books in schools。 I can't to read it with the big kid。 Loved every minute。 I can see why some people think it's a bit heavy handed （it is）， and I am curious whether children will find it so。 But， I loved it。 I loved the focus on kindness begetting kindness and books being so important and special， especially in a year with record banning of books in schools。 I can't to read it with the big kid。 。。。more
Lori Emilson
，
What an interesting book， and so unusual。 It is beautifully written。 The words are just lovely。 It is a fairy tale， an allegory， a warning。 As always， an adult reviewing a book created for children is a tricky thing- who am I to say what all children will or will not like？ I suspect that younger children who are strong readers will appreciate this the most （Gr。 2-4）。
Thomas Bell
，
Amazing。Unlike some reviews I have read， I actually liked the first 3/4 of the book more than the end。 By the end it felt like the maturity of the desired audience was downgraded a little bit。Anyway， I loved the stories coming from the Stone， the crows， the oak beams in the house， etc。 I loved the personalities the author gave each of her characters， and we got to know a good dozen of them pretty good by the end。 Very impressive。But if anyone wants to read a book about how a few people can make Amazing。Unlike some reviews I have read， I actually liked the first 3/4 of the book more than the end。 By the end it felt like the maturity of the desired audience was downgraded a little bit。Anyway， I loved the stories coming from the Stone， the crows， the oak beams in the house， etc。 I loved the personalities the author gave each of her characters， and we got to know a good dozen of them pretty good by the end。 Very impressive。But if anyone wants to read a book about how a few people can make big yet realistic changes， this is a great book for it。 One of my top hopefuls for a 2023 Newbery medal or honor。 We'll see！ 。。。more
Katey Thompson
，
Come， get lost in this brilliant book。 I certainly did。 So many characters to love， villains to despise， a gripping plot… plus baking and ravens！
Katy
，
“He closed his milky eye and saw the cats in sharp detail， from their mottled noses to their careful paws to the rhythmic rippling of their fur。 He closed his hazel eye and saw them as permutations of light and shadow， moving in and out of view。 Both ways of seeing， he knew， were correct。 It was a great pleasure， he thought， being able to see in multitudes。 Everything is details。 Everything is light。 Both at the same time。”This lovely， careful book is full of many truths， along with joy and sorr “He closed his milky eye and saw the cats in sharp detail， from their mottled noses to their careful paws to the rhythmic rippling of their fur。 He closed his hazel eye and saw them as permutations of light and shadow， moving in and out of view。 Both ways of seeing， he knew， were correct。 It was a great pleasure， he thought， being able to see in multitudes。 Everything is details。 Everything is light。 Both at the same time。”This lovely， careful book is full of many truths， along with joy and sorrow。 I am rather tender and raw these days and read it in small increments。 I often struggle to make sense of the world’s hurt and while The Ogress and the Orphans takes place in a fantasy world， the problems facing the characters therein are intimately familiar。 Painfully so， at times。 But at the core of this story is a hopeful optimism， an unwavering belief in good and the power of kindness and mutual aid。 I adore the ogress and the rest of the merry crew and I am grateful for this tender hearted offering。 Truly wonderful。 。。。more
Mimi
，
Told by an unnamed （but strongly hinted at） narrator， The Ogress and the Orphans goes back and forth in time as we learn the history of the town Stone-in-the-Glen， the fire that destroyed the library， the Ogress' backstory， the dragon in his past and current manifestations; the crows; Dog; the sheep; Myron and Matron; and， most importantly， the fifteen orphans。 The plot develops slowly， with lots of subtle （and not so subtle） clues provided by the narrator。 It's the story of how a town goes from Told by an unnamed （but strongly hinted at） narrator， The Ogress and the Orphans goes back and forth in time as we learn the history of the town Stone-in-the-Glen， the fire that destroyed the library， the Ogress' backstory， the dragon in his past and current manifestations; the crows; Dog; the sheep; Myron and Matron; and， most importantly， the fifteen orphans。 The plot develops slowly， with lots of subtle （and not so subtle） clues provided by the narrator。 It's the story of how a town goes from a warm， friendly， and lovely community to a miserly， acrimonious place。 It addresses the concept of "What is a neighbor？" and tells of the confluence of events that brings the town back to its original warmth。 A delightful， creative tale that， according to the author， has some of its origins inthe Dark Days of a Certain Administration， when 。 。 。 we didn't yet know the kind of upheaval and devastation that was about to descend on our dear nation 。 。 。 about generosity 。 。 。 the purpose of kindness; about neighborliness， and what might make a broken community beloved again 。 。 。 While this is recommended for Grades 4-8， it can be appreciated by all ages。 。。。more
Jen Nishi
，
Great book。 It’s not an action packed story full of drama and suspense。 This is a quiet book full of heart and soul。 It reads like an old fairytale but has messages that are extremely relevant to today’s world。 Vocabulary is a bit high for middle grade but I think it would make a great bedtime story read aloud。 It’s a quiet book but drew me in and didn’t let me go until the end where I closed the book with a smile on my face and a warm heart。
Bridget
，
Adults will love the gentle satire in this and it is simply a beautiful little tale -- her specialty。
Sonu
，
No doubt I want this copy on my shelves 😍。 Such a rich writing。 This was second book from this author I read and yes I would like to read them all。
JV Austen
，
Kelly Barnhill delivers again！
Mary
，
Barnhill has written a scrumptiously magical fairytale about a greedy dragon who swindles a town and burns down a library and the brave orphans who figure out what is happening。 There is also a wonderful ogress， lots of helpful crows， a stone， and lots and lots of books。 This is a beautiful story about being a good neighbor， the transformational power of books and reading， and boundless， unconditional， timeless love。 A feel good book for all ages and all occasions。
Elley Shin
，
For some reason， I couldn't really get into it in the beginning。 I think it may be because I wasn't really in the mood for that genre at that moment。 I thought the world-building was really great， though it felt slow in the first half of the book。 I liked the voice of the stone， right from the beginning， it interested me。 I liked the thought that it was a long fairy tale-esque story。 It read like I was reading a bedtime story， which I loved。 I thought that by the end， it really picked up and gav For some reason， I couldn't really get into it in the beginning。 I think it may be because I wasn't really in the mood for that genre at that moment。 I thought the world-building was really great， though it felt slow in the first half of the book。 I liked the voice of the stone， right from the beginning， it interested me。 I liked the thought that it was a long fairy tale-esque story。 It read like I was reading a bedtime story， which I loved。 I thought that by the end， it really picked up and gave some good take-home messages for the readers。 Those villagers and 'adults' really irked me， like， listen to those kids！！！ 。。。more
Ktbird
，
A very sweet fable / fairy tale about what it means to be a neighbor and why you should not trust a dragon。
Leah
，
Once again， in my search for fantasy stories for my children， I’ve fallen in love with an author and her stories。 This book is beautifully written and full of all the parts that make for a wonderfully magical story。
Lina AN
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I rated it 4 stars。 I'd say more 3。8 though。 This is a tale about an ogress a village called Stone-In-The-Glen。 Its not the most unoriginal tale， but was different then other "Dragons threaten the town" sort of books。 There is an ogress who lives in a crooked little self-built house on the edge of the not-so lovely town。 She apparently speaks crow yet she makes many mistakes in the heavily pronounced parts of the language。 Ogres have a knack of growing vegetables/ fruits and and the ogress ha I rated it 4 stars。 I'd say more 3。8 though。 This is a tale about an ogress a village called Stone-In-The-Glen。 Its not the most unoriginal tale， but was different then other "Dragons threaten the town" sort of books。 There is an ogress who lives in a crooked little self-built house on the edge of the not-so lovely town。 She apparently speaks crow yet she makes many mistakes in the heavily pronounced parts of the language。 Ogres have a knack of growing vegetables/ fruits and and the ogress has a bountiful garden。 Her only hope is to be a good neighbor。 She anonymously gives people cookies， tarts， pies， cakes and all manor of treats in the middle of the night。 They find the treats on their doorsteps almost every day。 The orphan house gets vegetables/fruits and cheeses instead of treats though。 The main focus is on the orphan house too（I'm not spoiling any events there）。 The town used to be lovely but after a dragon burnt their school and library（not to mention houses） it went from generous and kindred to mean and selfish。 Yet everyone（men and women） admires the mayor。 His dazzling smile clouds peoples minds when he's near。 They hang on to his every word and listen to each one too。 But there mayor is a dragon， masking his true form。 On my end， it was a bit childish。 I still liked it and it was very obvious that the mayor was a dragon（There are a few hints）。 The narrator puts in a few notes about dragons and the once upon a time lovely town。 And the narrator is a rock/stone（Spoiler）。 If you like lots of magic and fantasy then you should read this book。 。。。more
DaNae
，
There is a lot to like about this Fable showcasing the power of community， fellowship and compassion。 My friend Leonard compares Barnhill to DiCamillo， on which I can agree in regards to themes and world-building。 But where DiCamillo is economical in word count and subtle in delivery， Barnhill is bloated and subtle as a bag of hammers。Popsugar #28: A book featuring a party（I adored the gatherings in the town square）
Amy Hanks
，
I can’t figure out if this book is a charming fairy tale about truth， goodness and beauty， or didactic propaganda。 Can it be both？ Depending on where I land after a few days of thinking about it， I’ll update my star rating。
Alicia
，