Stone-in-the-Glen “used to be a lovely town. Everyone said so.” It was full of all kinds of trees, and friendly, helpful neighbors. At its heart was the Library. But after the library burned down and then the school, after the trees died and the light became a “constant, searing whiteness,” the good people of Stone-in-the-Glen squinted angrily at each other and retreated inside their homes.
This suits the Mayor just fine.” With his “blinding shock of blond hair,” the Mayor, who “glitter[s] when he [speaks],” had once been a “World-Famous Dragon Hunter,” but now he simply lives in the Mayor’s mansion and dazzles the people of the town.
By the time the Ogress arrives, the town is a wretched place. No one helps anyone else, and the orphans—all fifteen of them—as well as Matron and her husband Myron, really do need some help. The Ogress decides to deliver gifts to everyone in the sad little town, excess bounty from her garden baked into sweet treats, lovingly placed on doorsteps by herself, the crows, and Dog. No one knows who brings these gifts, and the townspeople are all too miserable to care. But when a child from the orphanage goes missing, the Mayor is quick to stir up plenty of anger, and point the increasingly angry mob in the direction of the one villager who appears to be most different—the Ogress.
This is one of Barnhill’s best. Ogres, dragons, orphans, and books, all lovingly spun into a truly delightful and thought-provoking read. Like the Ogress’s treats, there should be plenty for young readers to chew on here.
--Lynn
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