The Ogress and the Orphans
Book by Kelly Barnhill
DETAILS
Publisher : Algonquin Young Readers (March 8, 2022) Language : English Hardcover : 400 pages ISBN-10 : 1643750747 ISBN-13 : 978-1643750743 Reading age : 10+ years, from customers Grade level : 5 and up Item Weight : 1 pounds , A new instant-classic fantasy about the power of generosity and love, and how a community suffers when they disappear, by Kelly Barnhill, winner of the Newbery Medal for The Girl Who Drank the Moon , a New York Times bestseller. 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? Read more
REVIEW
I just finished reading this book, which felt better than yoga & a massage & an hour of meditation & a hot bath all together. And now I have crows cawing on my roof. (I mean, that maybe has something to do with all the peanuts I left outside by the feeders, but I'm choosing to interpret their presence as a benediction.) Anyway. I loved this book. I used to take real umbrage with the George Bernard Shaw quote "The man who writes about himself and his own time is the only man who writes about all people and about all time." I read it as being anti-fantasy, anti-SF, anti-historical fiction, as if you can only write about your lived reality. And if that's how he meant it, I do object. But I think I was mistaken. This is, indisputably, a fantasy book that takes place in a world and time that's not my current lived reality. It is also, indisputably, an extremely timely and pertinent book that speaks directly, courageously, and strongly to the current political, social, and cultural moment. (It was published on March 8, 2022.) It is a long meditation on the parable of the good Samaritan without being, in any way, Christian. It's about humanity and what we owe each other. It's about our culture and what our role is in a changing and evolving society. It is the exact thing that people are talking about when we talk about fantasy not being "fake." It's about racism and the importance of education and empty, hungry, small people using big talk and shiny gold to brainwash otherwise-decent people to behave appallingly and torpedo communities. It's about the good that's in all (most) of us. It's important to read and will be an excellent way to talk about current events with kids.
DOWNLOAD PAGE
留言列表
