The Ogress and the Orphans-trust, power & love

 

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. 

Lotería: free will or fate?

I have always been fascinated by the Lotería cards and their images, but have never learned about them.  When I heard about Karla Arenas Valenti and Dana Sanmar's middle grade chapter book, Lotería, I knew I had to read it.  Not only did I learn more about the cards and the game itself, but the story taught me about Mexican mythology, folklore, traditions, and beliefs.  This book will intrigue middle grade readers who like stories about family and high stakes adventures.

In Mexico, a young girl named Clara has no idea that she's the center of a Lotería game between the ultimate players, Life and Death. As they shuffle the cards and begin to play, Clara's life continues with the integration of the symbols from the cards, except they have life-altering consequences for her. When her cousin Estaban goes missing, she must go after him and against all odds, do everything she can to send him back home safely.  This story is full of powerful questions about fate, free will, and human determination. Sanmar's illustrations enhance the story and bring the events to life in the eyes of the reader. For example, at one point a character's hair turns silver and I couldn't believe it! The illustration helped reinforce this shocking twist in the story. 

Clara's choices will make readers think about deep philosophical questions long after they have finished the story.  

After reading the book, I found a dual-language picture book called, Playing Lotería (El juego de la Lotería) by René Colato Laínez and Jill Arena.  

The story is about a young boy who doesn't want to stay with his grandmother because his Spanish language skills are weak. When he arrives she whisks him away to a fair in the plaza where she leads a game of Lotería. He is mesmerized by the phrases she uses that match the images on the cards. This inspires him to learn them and later when they are in her home she teaches him and he even teaches her English.  The rules for the game are included in the end of the book.  

I would use both of these books with my students and daughter.  Children can explore the images, phrases and even make their own.  They can also play the game which is a lot of fun, too.  Even the Google Doodle was dedicated to the game one time! This game works for anyone because it's a visual game, the language component isn't as necessary.  The act of playing the came together in a community is what is most important.  

70 Favorite Middle Grade Fantasy Books

Click HERE for a Google Slides presentation from Spring 2021 that included books from our school library.  I have added many more since then and will update the slideshow with our newer books from this Fall. 

In August of 2021 I recommended these reads for our 5th graders. These include Realistic Fiction, Fantasy, Scary, Historical Fiction, and soon I will add Biography and Nonfiction.  

Do you have more that you recommend? Add the title or series name in the comments below!