The town of Stone-in-the-Glen was once a thriving little community - not perfect - but certainly a happy place to live, with most people in good jobs and enough money to support their children and important town amenities such as a school and a library filled with hundreds of wonderful books. Even better their town library was a place loved and used by the community. People liked to read books and they liked to discuss them.
But as is the way with stories (and books) things are not destined to stay so idyllic. The library, had been at the heart of life in this village, but then it burned down and everything changed. A new Mayor arrived. He claimed to have slayed the dragon who caused the fire. He claimed to be the only one who could save the people. He set up new rules - rules which led to suspicion - pitting neighbour against neighbour. Crops failed, other buildings burned down, the school was lost and no one had enough to eat.
The poorest of the poor in this town were the orphans (fifteen of them) living in Orphan House. In past times the people of the town had supported the orphans and their beautiful Matron and her gentle husband Myron, with food and other supplies but over time this has dwindled down to nothing.
Then as chance would have it an Ogress sets up her home near this little village. She has lived for hundreds of years and in many different places but Stone-in-the-Glen feels like home. The Ogress is a very kind soul. The only thing missing in her life is the companionship of friends and neighbours. She does have the crows, her blind dog and some lost sheep but she is sure the people in the community will befriend her if she shows them kindness so she sets about baking and harvesting. Each evening, very very late at night, she makes deliveries of her cooked treats to the doorsteps of people in the village. She also places boxes of vegetables at the gate of the orphanage - not every day - but often enough to keep the children from starving. The Ogress does not know things are especially hard at the orphanage she just wants the children to be happy.
Publisher blurb: Stone-in-the-Glen, once a lovely town, has fallen on hard times. Fires, floods, and other calamities have caused the townsfolk to lose their library, their school, their park, and all sense of what it means to be generous, and kind. 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 orphans of the Orphan House and the kindly Ogress at the edge of town can see how dire the town's problems are. When one of the orphans goes missing from the Orphan House, all eyes turn to the Ogress. The orphans, though, 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 neighbours see the real villain in their midst? The orphans have heard a whisper that they will 'save the day', but just how, they will have to find out ...
The other part of this story is about dragons but to say any more would be a spoiler.
"As for dragons in particular, they are as diverse in their dispositions as any other creature. I myself have encountered dragons of very personality type - shy, gregarious, lazy, fastidious, self-centred, bighearted, enthusiastic, and brave."
There is so much to love about this book:
The food: "As her garden grew, the Ogress kept baking. Pies and breads and cakes and cookies. Muffins and turnovers and hand pies and rolls. She fire clay pots with tight-fitting lids and filled them with soup. She built boxes and filled them with vegetables. She built a handcart to help her make more deliveries. She delivered to as many people as she could, as many days as she could."
"A tart for the woman who used to light the lamps. ... A box of cupcakes for the former teacher - who the Ogress knew missed her classroom and missed her students so much it was like a needle in her heart. ... Acorn bread for the former street sweepers. Walnut pies for the day labourers. ... A jar of honey for the organ master."
The Ogress - you are sure to love her: "Like all ogres, the Ogress was quite tall - even sizable adults would have to crane their necks and squint a bit to say hello. She had feet the size of tortoises, hands the size of heron's wings, and a broad, broad brow that cracked and creased when she concentrated. Her skin was like granite, and her eyes looked like brand new pennies. Her hair sprouted and waved from her head like prairie grass ... sometimes spangled with daisies or dandelions or creeping ivy. Like all ogres, she spoke little and thought much. She was careful and considerate. Her heavy feet trod lightly on the ground."
The way Kelly Barnhill gives each of the orphans very distinct personalities: Althea is a logical girl who believes in evidence; Bartleby is a philosopher; Cass is a quiet hard working and very practical girl; and Elijah is a storyteller. I also love Myron - in fact this whole book is worth reading just so you can meet gentle Myron.
The constant gasp moments where things are interpreted unkindly: "That terrible Ogress who has been ruining our lovely town for a generation ... Now she is no longer content with destroying out property and causing our crops to fail and our milk to sour and our buildings to dilapidate but now, now she is stealing children." And there are also dreadful propaganda speeches by the Mayor.
The "message" that books and libraries and reading are all important ways to unite a community.
I also loved the way Kelly Barnhill treats time in her book. This is not a linear narrative and the changes of time feel like the gentle motion of ocean waves. I also loved the narrator whose identity may surprise you. Read more here. The author’s voice is descriptive and philosophical, and it’s shared in the manner of a storyteller YA Books Central
You might like to think about the role of light and heat in this story and compare this with a story like The Snow Queen which used ice and snow to control citizens.
This is now my book of the year (so far). It is nearly 400 pages so reading this book is a marathon not a sprint but boy oh boy it is well worth every reading minute. I knew I was safe with Kelly Barnhill and I was sure she would give me that all important happy (and satisfying) ending but there were times in this story of greed, power and manipulation that I just had to stop reading and take a breath in the real world for a while. The awful mind games and propaganda metered out by the corrupt mayor were, at times, very hard to read.
The two covers above are from the hardcover edition (top) and the paperback. I prefer the hardcover one and I do wish the publisher had not made this change.
Here are some companion reads:
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