The Ogress and the Orphans, a middle grade chapter book by Kelly Barnhill, reads like a fairy tale: a town dominated by an evil, glowing, greedy man, an orphanage full of sweet children who only hope of a better life ahead, and an outsider, the Ogress, who lurks nearby and leaves the community members gifts in order to alleviate their suffering. It is no surprise that this book was a National Book Award Finalist.
From the first page the reader knows that all of the characters will come to a head at one point and the journey to that climax is well worth the wait. I loved how skillfully Barnhill describes the relationships of the children towards one another and their caregivers. The mystery of the community's fire lingers over the whole story as they are told to hate the Ogress by their greedy, orange leader. The Ogress is my favorite character of the entire story. She has a gentleness that many can envision in a friend and the way she is treated is just heart-breaking. Children who read this will root for her and there will be discussions of the choices the characters make that drive the story forward.
This book is similar to Barnhill's other fantasy novel, The Girl Who Drank the Moon, a Newbery Medal winner. They both feature a misunderstood magical creature who is portrayed as the villain by power-hungry forces. Readers will delight in both of these stories as the action-packed scenes, humor, and heart over-ride any reminder that they are indeed, fantasy stories. Both of these lend themselves well to read-aloud books for teachers, parents, and caregivers. Every reader will want to discuss these rich stories that are sure to be classics.
.jpg)
.jpg)
I can't get readers to check out The Girl Who Drank the Moon, so I didn't purchase this one. I thought teachers might ask for it, but so far no one has. Certainly interesting, though.
ReplyDelete