Bartok, Mira. Wonderling.

Bartok, Mira. Wonderling. Candlewick Press    2017 450p $21.99   ISBN 978-0-7636-9121-9    ms/hs     Fantasy  VG-BN      

Number 13 is a groundling, part human, part animal, and an inhabitant of Miss Carbunkle’s Home for Wayward and Misbegotten Creatures, an orphanage that houses those who have nowhere else to live. The groundlings are forced to work in the classroom learning only what suits Miss Carbunkle, and then in the factory, making widgets for hours.  It is not until the fox-like Number 13 saves a newcomer, a bird named Trinket, that he gets what he desperately lacks, a friend and a name of his own. Now known as Arthur, he and Trinket manage to escape into the wider world and search for Arthur’s true gift, that of family and song. This book is a combination of the travails of David Copperfield and a tale of magic. It is an engaging suspenseful, well-written fantasy with excellent characterizations and a well-paced plot.  This solidly written fantasy will hold the reader's attention from beginning to end.
 
This solidly written fantasy will hold the reader's attention from beginning to end.

Summary: Number 13 is a groundling, part human, part animal, and an inhabitant of Miss Carbunkle’s Home for Wayward and Misbegotten Creatures, an orphanage that houses those poor beings who have nowhere else to live.  This book is a combination of David Copperfield and a tale of magic.

Orphans-Fiction                                                                                             --Susan Ogintz

Young, Moira. Road To Ever After.

Young, Moira. Road To Ever After. Macmillan/Feiwel & Friends  2018

215p $16.99  ISBN 978-1-250-11729-8  elem/ms  Fantasy  E-BN

This novel is beautifully written. Davy David is an orphan who has
artistic talent drawing angels in the dirt. He copies the pictures
from a book about Renaissance angels. Just before Christmas, a stray
dog he names George sets the events in motion. Davy meets old Miss
Flint, who hires him to drive her back to her childhood home by the
sea. Reluctantly he agrees. Along the way they steal a truck full of
turkeys. When the truck runs out of gas, they buy a decrepit
motorcycle with a sidecar and then they steal a police car and a
bicycle and finally walk the the last leg of their journey.

After the first night, Miss Flint grows younger every few hours until she is a little girl of ten who has left her house. Seeking an explanation for this, Davy comes across a Celtic theory that says it takes three days for a soul to get to heaven and it is guarded and protected during that time. Davy decides that he and George are the protectors who are meant to escort Miss Flint to the place where she will go to heaven. After her death, Davy finds out that the house has been left to him and he has a bright future for the first time in his life.


The use of words is absolutely beautiful in this novel. The way death
is viewed and treated is so gentle and serene that this title could be
of help to a student dealing with the death of a relative. While
growing younger by the hour is a fantasy, the author makes it seem
plausible. An excellent title for middle-school readers. Gentle and
beautifully written, this novel is excellent for middle-school
readers.

Summary: Beautifully written novel about an orphan boy and the elderly
lady he is taking back to her childhood home. She is going home to
die. Death is treated beautifully.  Grades 5-8.

Orphans-Fiction, Death-Fiction                         --Joan Theal

Smy, Pam. Thornhill.

Smy, Pam. Thornhill. Macmillan/Roaring Brook Press   2017   529p.  $19.99  ISBN 978-1-62672-654-3    ms      Graphic Novel            E-BN

Ella has just moved into a new home that overlooks the old, abandoned Thornhill Institute for orphans. Feeling lonely in a new environment, from her upper-floor bedroom window she sees a girl in the window of the institute and decides to explore the Thornhill property and home to find this new, mysterious, possible friend.

The story is told in alternating voices.  Mary, the girl in the window, tells her story, which takes place in a different time and is told through diary entries that  Ella finds. Ella’s story is told through eye-catching, wonderful illustrations. As the story unfolds, the girls’ lives are paralleled through different times. Mary is a lonely orphan in 1982 dealing with the fact that she has not been adopted as the institute closes and facing a bully.  Ella, living in 2017, is a lonely girl in a new town.

The story is delivered beautifully in contrasting formats that lead to the mystery, excitement, and poignancy of the plot. While the novel could be considered haunting, the manner in which it is written makes it more suspenseful and intriguing than horrifying. The writing is fanatstic and the illustrations are exquisite.

Summary: Lonely Ella has just moved into a new home that overlooks the old, abandoned Thornhill Institute for orphans, where she sees a girl in the window and explores the Thornhill property and institute to find the link between herself and the girl she seeks to befriend.                           

Orphans and Family Life-Fiction             --Virginia McGarvey

Smy, Pam Thornhill

Smy, Pam       Thornhill        Macmillan/ Roaring Brook Press     2017   529p   19.99  978-1-62672-654-3            ms       Graphic novel            E-BN            

Lonely Ella has just moved into a new home that overlooks the old, abandoned Thornhill Institute for orphans where she sees a girl in the window and explores the Thornhill property and institute to find the link between herself and the girl she seeks to befriend.       Ella has just moved into a new home that overlooks the old, abandoned Thornhill Institute for orphans. Feeling lonely in a new environment, from her upper floor bedroom window she sees a girl in the window of the institute and decides to explore the Thornhill property and home to find this new, mysterious, possible friend.

     Told in alternating voice, Mary, the girl in the window, tells her story which takes place in a different time and is told through diary entries that  Ella finds. Ella’s story is told through eye-catching, wonderful illustrations. As the story unfolds, the girls’ lives are paralleled through different times. Mary is a lonely orphan in 1982 dealing with not being adopted as the institute closes and facing a bully, and Ella living in 2017, is a lonely girl in a new town.

     The story is delivered beautifully in contrasting formats that lead to the mystery, excitement, and poignancy of the plot. While the novel could be considered haunting, the manner in which it is written makes it more suspenseful and intriguing than horrifying. The writing is fanatstic and the illustrations are exquisite.                                 McGarvey, Virginia          Orphans and family life- fiction

Xu, Ru. Newsprints.

Xu, Ru. Newsprints. Scholastic/Graphix    2017  198p  $12.99  ISBN 978-0-545-80312-0      ms/hs   Graphic novel  VG-BN 

Blue is an orphan who has a secret. She is a girl. Blue works as a newsboy for the Bugle in the port city of Nautilene. If her secret comes out, she will lose everything. She meets a boy named Crow, and together they try to work things out in a strange world.   

This graphic novel tells the story of an orphan who struggles to survive as a newsboy in a wartorn world. The story will engage graphic-novel fans and reluctant readers alike. The illustrations are vibrantly done, and the dynamic action and illustratons keep moving the story forward. It is a good starting point for introducing young readers to graphic-style literature.                  

Summary: This graphic novel tells the story of an orphan girl who struggles to survive as a newsboy in a wartorn world.

Orphans-Fiction                                                                                                         --Linda McNeil

Bayard, Louis. Lucky Strikes.

Bayard, Louis.  Lucky Strikes.  Macmillan/Henry Holt  2016  313p  $16.99  ISBN 978-1-62779-390-2         ms       Realistic fiction  VG-BN     

In 1929, during the Great Depression, Amelia and her younger brother and sister suffer a heart-wrenching loss when their mother passes away unexpectedly. But Amelia is a very resourceful young girl. Somehow the three siblings must come up with a way to stay together. Amelia’s idea is to talk a hobo who dropped off a passing truck into posing as their long-lost father. Together they run the small local gas station and try to eke out a living.

The so-called hobo turns out to be an asset when Amelia starts dreaming up marketing ideas for ensuring the survival of the gas station. It is not easy, because a local businessman owns all of the other stations in the area, and he wants theirs because it is on a heavily accessed trucking route. The novel provides readers with insight into the fears and tensions of being an orphan and presents Amelia as a strong and resourceful young girl.
    

Summary: Amelia, the big sister, must find a way to keep her brother and sister out of foster care after their mother dies unexpectedly. Readers will enjoy the family interactions and the dynamics of running a gas station while fighting a local bully.          

Poverty-Fiction, Family life-Fiction, Orphans-Fiction, Great Depression-Fiction          —Linda McNeil