THE OGRESS AND THE ORPHANS

THE OGRESS AND THE ORPHANS by Kelly Barnhill

Sometimes you read a book and you know it's a fit for your "pass to your Jr. High to high school kids to read and then have a discussion" pile. (Probably be hitting my 12 and 15-year-olds' piles!) I always love to have those "what is the author trying to say to you" discussions! The Ogress and the Orphans is chock full of author Kelly Barnhill's message.

The Ogress is a very kind and generous character who just wants to belong. Since Ogres and Ogresses live for a very long time, she's lived in many places but has never been able to stay long due to not fitting in, growing bored, destruction, etc. Then she hears about a town called Stone-in-the-Glen that has suffered a great fire.

This town once was a happy and beautiful place, but since the fire everyone is suspicious of each other, holds grudges, etc. The Ogress believes she can be a help, so she moves to the outskirts of the town. So... what caused the fire? Enter the antagonist. A new mayor is on the scene, and we learn early on about dragons that can take on other living things' outer skins and become them. The mayor is a dragon who has taken on the skin of a shiny, sparkling savior/human. He will protect them from all dragons. After all, he himself is a great dragon hunter, or so he's convinced the town. He stirs up dissension between the people who hang on his every word. Yet he himself is none other than a dragon himself. (Do you have a guess who Barnhill is telling us the mayor is? Maybe a certain recent president?) When everyone in the town, minus a group of orphans, are under his spell and the town is convinced all the bad that is happening is the result of the kind Ogress, the orphans are going to have to act. They are the only ones who can still hear the "foundations" of the town try and remind the people who they once were. Obviously not to the same degree as Animal Farm, but it is clear that Barnhill has specifically made her characters represent different people or events in very recent history. It will be fun to hear my kids label what they think each symbolize. Ultimately Barnhill asks the questions what is a neighbor and who is my neighbor which are questions we all have to wrestle with. Can this be a read aloud for younger kids on kindness, deception, healing, etc? Absolutely. But for the child who is ready to read messages behind the words, this one is brimming with them!