The Ogress and the Orphans

Written by Kelly Barnhill

A missing child, a mysterious Ogress, and a town's misplaced trust threaten to unravel Stone in the Glen.

4.3 Goodreads · 9,739 ratings

392 pages· 99,555 words· Est. 14 hour read· ~640L

$19.95Save 5%

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Bookroo's summary

In the troubled town of Stone in the Glen, a child vanishes, and suspicion falls on the reclusive Ogress. Only the Orphan House children know her true kindness. As the town blindly trusts a charismatic Mayor, they must reveal the real threat before it's too late. Can they save their home from its own misguided fears and uncover the truth behind the town's decline?

From the publisher

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?