• The Ogress and the Orphans

  • By: Kelly Barnhill
  • Narrated by: Suzanne Toren
  • Length: 13 hrs and 4 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (149 ratings)

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The Ogress and the Orphans  By  cover art

The Ogress and the Orphans

By: Kelly Barnhill
Narrated by: Suzanne Toren
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Publisher's summary

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?

©2022 Kelly Barnhill (P)2022 Algonquin Young Readers

Critic reviews

“An exquisite fantasy tale … Whether you’ve been counting the months, weeks and days or are brand-new to Barnhill’s sharp, word-perfect prose and classical yet fresh storytelling, you’re going to love this standalone fantasy.BookPage, “2022 Preview: Most Anticipated Children’s Books”

“As exquisite as it is moving.”Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“The reader is immediately tossed into this fantasy … The Mayor is a fantastic (though loathsome) villain, oozing charisma and evil in equal measures … . It is fortunate that her tinkering with fairy tales and fables helped open a path to this novel that champions kindness in a very dark world.”Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books (starred review)

What listeners say about The Ogress and the Orphans

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Wonderful book!

My kids and I all really enjoyed this book. It is an excellent story with good morals.

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Beautiful

This is a well told and sweet tale that is full of lessons for our time.

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New favorite books

This book goes on my favorite books list! It is like a hug made of words

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Great for kids *and* adults!

I loved this story. Kelly Barnhill is climbing up my "favorite authors" list. She teaches gentleness, love, and neighborliness.
I laughed out loud with some of the obvious parallels to our reality of today's world.
The narrator was perfect! What a wonderful performance!
Highly recommend.

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Loved it!

I love her books and this is no exception. It is wonderful and magical and whimsical.

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What a beautiful story

This story was initially meant for the YA reader, but I truly believe that any age could read it and completely enjoy it. Lessons of trust, teamwork and the moods of humanity of those that are different than they are. It showed that community cannot exist without friends, love and the strength of each neighbor. Ms Barnhill did an exemplary job of creating an environment and characters that could easily be any one of us at one point or another in life. From evil and greedy, to curious and naive. A great read for any age!

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Good story

I enjoyed this story and found the themes of kindness, community and deception presented well.
A little long.

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An Absolute Gem!

Such an incredible story about the blindness of greed and selfishness that can be changed with kindness and neighborliness.

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Excellent moral tale

This story has it all, dragons, crows, cats, orphans and an ogress all come together to weave an engaging tale that teaches lessons on what it is to be a good neighbor.

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Delightful and Powerful

Such an engaging story that is a comforting bedtime fairytale. A true delight! Narration is wonderful as well.

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