The Ogress and the Orphans

After The Girl Who Drank the Moon won a Newbery Medal in 2017, Kelly Barnhill had given up on publishing new books due to impostor syndrome. Barnhill kept writing fairy tales privately in the following years, and, in 2020, one of these stories "didn't feel the same as everything else," so she decided to expand on it. Barnhill finished the manuscript for the book around the time George Floyd was murdered, and after seeing the community's response to this event, which included donation of basic items to people in need, she discussed with her editor about adding that aspect to the narrative of The Ogress and the Orphans. Barnhill also sought to explore in the book "the conflict and the generosity she was seeing in the world" during the COVID-19 pandemic. == Reception ==

The Ogress and the Orphans is a New York Times Best Seller. The book was generally well-received by critics, including starred reviewed from Booklist, Kirkus Reviews, School Library Journal, and Shelf Awareness. Booklist's Julia Smith wrote, "Barnhill’s gift for storytelling immediately draws readers into this character-driven tale where dragons lurk, crows prove great friends, and an unusual narrator relays events with a unique perspective. These fairy-tale trappings cloak modern lessons and timeless ideals that readers will do well to take to heart, no matter their age." A review published by The Horn Book Magazine called The Ogress and the Orphans'' "one of the more buoyant of the fictional responses to 'the Dark Days of a Certain Administration'." Kirkus included The Ogress and the Orphans'' on their lists of the best children's and young adult books of the year. Booklist included it in their top 10 lists for "SF/Fantasy & Horror for Youth" and "Middle-Grade Novels Where Kids Save the Day." == References ==