Heavy Medal Mock Newbery Finalist: THE OGRESS AND THE ORPHANS by Kelly Barnhill
Introduction by Heavy Medal Award Committee Member Kerrie Lattari
Listen.
THE OGRESS AND THE ORPHANS by Kelly Barnhill is the story of Stone-in-the-Glen, a once-thriving town that has essentially been burned to ashes, and its citizens, who are full of distrust and animosity for one another. We encounter a dazzling and deceitful Mayor who insists he is the only one who can fix their problems, a house of curious orphans who make the best of hard times, and a kind, lonely Ogress who just wants a place to belong. When an orphan goes missing, the blame is placed on the Ogress and the whole town rallies against her. The children work together to set things right and try to bring Stone-in-the-Glen back to its former glory.
Theme is a major player in THE OGRESS AND THE ORPHANS. Frequently throughout the story, readers are presented with variations on the importance of civic responsibility and the value in doing good for others. One quote in particular stood out to me, though there were many to choose from:
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One good person can inspire other people to do good things. Good is not a number. Good is more than that. With good, the more you give, the more you have. It is the best sort of magic. (page 314).
The significance of stories in creating community is also a prevalent theme. The emphasis on the town’s library, the magic of the Reading Room in the Orphan House, Elijah’s incessant storytelling, and the way the town comes together once they begin sharing books again illustrates the necessity of sharing ideas in order to open minds:
They remembered that a story, in the mind of the reader, is like music. And discussing stories among other minds and other hearts feels like a symphony. They remembered how ideas make their own light, and how words have their own mass and weight and being.
We also get a richly detailed sense of place in this book. The descriptions of Stone-in-the-Glen allow us to clearly see the stark contrast between the lush trees, vibrant library, and bustling streets of the past and the ashy desolation left in its place. Not only is an entire chapter dedicated to describing the town, but we are treated to additional information through the memories and the goings-on of the characters. The focus on setting is crucial to the development of the plot.
I could say so much more about this delightful and thought-provoking read, including the clever use of the Stone as the narrator, but I will leave it to the comments to continue the conversation!
Filed under: Book Discussion, Heavy Medal Mock
About Steven Engelfried
Steven Engelfried was the Library Services Manager at the Wilsonville Public Library in Oregon until he retired in 2022 after 35 years as a full-time librarian. He served on the 2010 Newbery committee, chaired the 2013 Newbery Committee, and also served on the 2002 Caldecott committee. You can reach him at sengelfried@yahoo.com.
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This book was one of my favorites last year. I know a common complaint was that the theme was a little too heavy-handed, but I truly believe that was intentional. The town people were kind of oblivious and it took a group of kids and ogress to realize that they were being hoodwinked. It makes sense when you think about what is going on in the world, younger people really are leading the way to change.
As you said, the setting is gorgeous and Barnhill makes it come alive.
Michelle, thank you for bringing up the heavy-handedness of the theme. This story certainly was message driven, but this didn’t bother me either. In fact, I think you could maybe make a case for this story having a lot of elements of a contemporary folk tale. The over-the-top characteristics of the characters and the elements of magic give this a traditional lit feel. With that in mind, a message-driven story seems to not only fit, but seems appropriate.
Thanks for the introduction Kerrie! Besides interpretation of the theme, I thought THE OGRESS AND THE ORPHANS was strong in delineation of characters, a well described setting, and an intriguing narrative voice. I liked how Barnhill addressed the reader directly and kept us wondering who the narrator was in this creative story. It really keeps the reader engaged. Barnhill used many chapters to develop the setting and the characters, so I felt like I knew the town fo Stone-in-the-Glen and was well invested in the large cast of characters before the conflict of the disappearance of Cass was introduced. I loved the theme of the power of generosity and love, the importance of sharing books, and what happens in a community when they disappear, This theme is definitely timely for society today.
I loved this one. I marked the same quote as you did, Kerrie. There were many times that I thought the prose was beautiful. The setting was clear and present in my mind, I felt like the characters were complete and loveable/detestable when they were meant to be, and the plot moved along as it should. I can’t wait to get it to my Harry Potter fans, or girls, or fantasy fans. I can see it appealing to kids older than my 5th graders due to the traditional fairy tale elements. I also think older kids will be intrigued by the weird time bending aspect of the ogress’ life, and then particularly as it’s mentioned in Chapter 53 where Barnhill talks about the story beginning and ending in a place in time but the place was there before and after the story.
Kids will love The Stone narrator and how clever is that on Barnhill’s part?
I loved the themes: we totally need more empathy. I can see how one could say that it was heavy-handed but I had just finished ATTACK OF THE BLACK RECTANGLES when I picked this up. Enough said.
Also loved that the Acknowledgement proved me right: it was all strangely familiar…
Great write-up Kelly. I agree that the setting and the theme are what make this book a classic. Barhill develops the classic theme of good versus evil in a wonderful fantasy that highlights the importance of libraries and storytelling. The book felt all too familiar to me and I recognized the character of the Mayor. Was that intentional? Yes, I am sure that it was. While it certainly paralleled the current political state in the United States when the book was written, it also leaves me wondering if this book was read in another time period, people may identify the Mayor as someone different. Is it just our recent history that casts this character as mirroring our former President? For example in the time period of I Must Betray You, would the mayor be perceived as Nicolae Ceaușescu? Throughout history there will be leaders who really do not lead but divide and create an atmosphere of distrust and for that reason this book will be timeless. In the end goodness triumphed so it leaves the reader hopeful that change is possible and kindness and community will stand up over injustice.
I am still in the middle of my reading of this book but I am so enjoying it. It’s left its mark on me. As others have stated it is the theme that really fits Newbery criteria for me. And frankly, it is so indicative of the time we are living in right now. (I am in a state where we have had protests at board meetings and our Read Banned Books shirt went viral. Crazy). To Maura’s point, I also have just read ATTACK OF THE BLACK RECTANGLES. That one feels more in your face than OGRESS does. I mean, yeah, can I guess and picture who the Mayor is? Of course. But is that necessarily a bad thing?
The many quotable lines are what will cause me to recommend this book to my patrons. It has fantasy, borders on allegorical, but it’s also realistic. Which I appreciate.
Thank you for this introduction, Kerrie!
I agree this one is really hits the nail on the head with the theme. I am definitely torn on whether or not it is too heavy-handed. I do think the repetition of the theme and its obviousness is intentional.
I will say that I think the writing in this book is very beautiful and descriptive which really makes this book feel as if you are reading a fairy tale. I think the writing style combined with the intentionally pervasive thematic elements work well here if we read this story as allegorical or even as a “fairy tale” — like something meant to be passed along in an oral storytelling tradition.
Kerrie, great intro! I am always on alert when a story (or blog post) begins with “Listen.”
I am a huge Kelly Barnhill fan, and read this as soon as it was available, and then listened to the audiobook (beautifully done) in the car with my 7yo daughter, who, weeks later, paraphrased one of the themes back to me. I mention this to say that what may seem heavy-handed or obvious to adult readers might, for newer readers, seem novel or even revelatory. There is always a first time to encounter an idea. I also liked that there were different levels of guess-ability: for example, I thought it was pretty obvious early on that the mayor was the dragon, but I didn’t guess that the Stone was the narrator.
Looking back at my notes, it’s striking how perfect both epigraphs are: “Ignorance is the cause of fear” (Seneca) and “No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted” (Aesop). Anthea’s struggle throughout the book is to battle ignorance with truth and “verifiable facts” (268); other characters, like Myron, the Ogress, and Bartleby and Cass, show by their words and actions that goodness and kindness are “the best sort of magic” (314).
Relevance to the political climate in which it was written aside, I believe OGRESS functions beautifully as a story on its own, though Kate, this was so on point: “Throughout history there will be leaders who really do not lead but divide and create an atmosphere of distrust and for that reason this book will be timeless.” To me, it does have the same quality as THE GIRL WHO DRANK THE MOON, a sort of fairytale permanence that makes it seem as though it has always existed. Top three for me in the batch we’re considering.
I’m not quite sure how to articulate my thoughts on this one. I agree with what others have said about the strength of character and setting – though one or two of the orphans were not distinct in my memory and I struggled to place them later on in the story.
But the theme…it’s not subtle, is it? 🙂 That plus the predictability of the plot puts this title lower on my list.
I appreciate the discussion about a theme being too obvious, but then maybe just what is needed. At first, I thought it was to obvious but then as I kept reading I just really loved how the characters were developed. I admit to skipping ahead to making sure the Ogress was ok-I just really thought she was the best with her food gifts!
I’ve gone back and forth with this book on the question of the themes being obvious/heavy-handed/not subtle. I wonder sometimes about having too high expectations for subtlety when it comes to children’s fiction. As adult reader we pick up on themes pretty quickly because we’ve been reading stuff like this all our lives. For a child reader, this could be the first time they read a fantasy that seems to connect pretty clearly to the current, real world. In which case, it could make sense for the author to make extra sure her message hits home, even if it’s not needed for her older, more experienced readers.
In this case it seems pretty important to tie the “interpretation of theme or concept” (from the Newbery Criteria) with the direction to “display[s] respect for children’s understandings, abilities, and appreciations.” Here’s where it can be really useful to get feedback from kids….
I am reading this aloud to a group of sixth graders right now, and they are enjoying it. They picked up on the mayor as “sus” and “shady” immediately, but not one has made a direct comparison to our current political climate or any specific public figures.
This is exactly what I had hoped will happen. As a public librarian, I can put the books into hands, but can’t always follow-up with the reader to hear what they thought. I suspect, though, that few young readers will connect the Mayor with the previous administration, without adult interpretation…after all, two years have already passed. The Mayor figure is a great character study of narcissism, and that is a character type that we could find in many areas of our lives. If young readers can recognize the “shady” parts of the character in the book, hopefully they can recognize it in the people around them, or on the public stage, as well.
I think the universality of these characters are what will keep this book in circulation, and I’m a sucker for any book that reminds us that, often, children will have the answers, if we’re just smart enough to listen.
Thanks for sharing your experiences, I appreciate hearing them.
I feel like the layered feel of this book gives each reader the access point they need to the underlying themes. There were times when I felt we were revisiting something pretty hashed out that my six year old would pause and exclaim at. He’s usually a more passive reader and I’ve never had him stop so often to comment or predict. Also one that clearly sat with him for a long time…he’s brought up connections to it months later.
I had high hopes for this book as I enjoyed Girl Who Drank the Moon. I must admit though it fell flat for me. I felt the first half was solow and I had trouble getting through it. I persevered though and did end up finishing it I rarely give up on a book. I would say the second half is much better. I do really like the message of being kind and loving your neighbor and I think it has a sweet touching ending. That being said I did not connect with the characters and don’t think the world is as inventive as her other works. The mayor was very predictable but I didn’t pick up on him as being an allegory for Trump untill I was reading some reviews that mentioned it. I just saw him as a corrupt polotition. While I see why many liked this book it just didn’t do it for me and I think there are better choices for Newbery.
Thanks for the great intro! This book hits so many Newbery characteristics and is a beautiful story. I fell in love with all of the characters and they all came alive through Barnhill’s imaginative writing. Plus, who doesn’t love a book that stressed the necessity for stories and sharing them. I think kids will empathize with the children in the story and will be able to see the Ogress for the treasure that she is. This is definitely one of those novels that is destined to become a modern classic.
I loved loved loved this title. The delineation of characters was also lovely, for me, as well as the previous statements on theme. I felt this setting, even charicature-esque as it was, come to life so clearly before me on the page.
I think I am in the minority on this one. I found this book to be an absolute slog to get through. It takes 194 for the titular Ogress to meet one of the titular Orphans and nearly everything to that point feels like world building and info dumping.
The language and descriptions are lovely but I didn’t find the book engaging until about halfway through. I don’t know many children who will wade through that much to get to the meat of the story.
To add to the discussion on the parallels between the mayor and specific political figures…I didn’t read it as a direct Trump parody. The crooked politician is a well established trope that has been around for years. (My favorite shifty mayor is Rhett Tyle in Trial By Journal–props to anyone familiar) I don’t think that will date the story in any way.