The Ogress and the Orphans by Kelly Barnhill

In The Ogress and the Orphans, a winning fairytale, kindness and love overcome suspicion.

The Ogress and the Orphans by Kelly Barnhill. Algonquin, 2022, 390 pages.

Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 8-10

Recommended for: ages 6-12 as a read-aloud, 8-14 independent readers

Darkness in light?

This is a story about an ogress.

She is not who you might think she is.

(But really, is anyone?)

The village of Stone-in-the-Glen has seen better days. Older residents can remember the trees, the birds, and especially the library. But the library burned down, and much of the village’s spirit of neighborliness and generosity seemed to burn up with it. Now the land is bathed in light: not illuminating but harsh and blinding. Into this light stepped the Dragon-killer, a man of golden hair and shiny shoes who claims to be the village’s salvation. He’s so convincing that everyone believes him and begins to suspect their neighbors. Everyone, that is, except the Orphans of the Orphan House, a rough-and-tumble collection of children ranging in age from 14 to infancy.

Then a new neighbor takes up residence beyond the outskirts of Stone-in-the-Glen. She is shy but not insular. She can’t read but her gardening, baking, and painting skills are beyond compare. She has no friends except for a flock of crows, but she possesses a heart full of love. It’s a big heart because she’s a big person: an ogress, in fact. She has never met any of the villagers but all of them have received at least one gift from her: a pie, a round of cheese, or a hand-painted picture. But they don’t know where these gifts come from (she can’t write, either) and when a child goes missing from the orphanage all suspicion runs to the lone, large Other on the outside of town. 

Love casts out fear

The Mayor has a secret identity and a destiny that astute readers will quickly suspect. He also bears a resemblance to a certain controversial politician of the last six years, but the story isn’t a political satire or screed. It’s about how fear can smother love, but love casts out fear. The emphasis on books and stories as the best way to broaden our minds is by now a well-known theme, somewhat overdone. (The center of the village was the library; there is no church. On the other hand, a long philosophical meditation on Who is my neighbor? will bring the parable of the good Samaritan to mind.)

The theme might wear a little thin as it goes on; for me, The Ogress and the Orphans could have been 50 pages shorter. But the personalities, especially the children, are winning and well-defined. The writing style is both cozy and elegant—perfect for reading aloud. The grownups of the village also come into their own as they are challenged by kindness: “We can choose to be filled with suspicion or we can choose to accept grace, and then continue to extend kindness to others.” That’s a message anyone can get behind.

Overall Rating: 4.5

• Worldview/moral value: 4
• Artistic/literary value: 5

Read more about our ratings here.                 

Also at Redeemed Reader:

• Review: Kelly Barnhill won the Newbery Medal for The Girl Who Drank the Moon.
• Resource: Want more cozy reads and read-alouds? See our Love and Laughter booklist!

We are participants in the Amazon LLC affiliate program; purchases you make through affiliate links like the one below may earn us a commission. Read more here.