Oddfellow's Orphanage

November 21, 2011
Martin’s poignant and gently humorous debut novel is set in an unusual orphanage. The story grew out of portraits of the characters Martin drew, which appear throughout, accompanied by pithy explanations of how each resident came to live at the orphanage. The headmaster is Oddfellow Bluebeard (“a distant relation of the more famous Bluebeard”), who is “as gentle and kind as the other Bluebeard was cruel.” The story centers on newcomer Delia, a silent albino girl whose fellow orphans include a kind girl with pet finches; a spunky tattooed girl; a ravenous hedgehog; and Ollie, an upbeat boy with an onion for a head. Their adventures (pictured in the book’s abundant spot art) balance fantasy and reality: they discover a lake monster, enjoy a sumptuous picnic, view a mermaid fossil, watch the orphanage’s resident bear family perform at a circus, and enjoy a traditional Christmas. The novel’s cheerful tenor is occasionally tempered by the orphans’ memories of their former families, yet the new, loving bonds they’ve formed shine through. Final art not seen by PW. Ages 7–10. Agent: Sanford J. Greenburger Associates.

October 15, 2011
An undeniably charming story about the characters, albeit one-dimensional, who form a family at Oddfellow's Orphanage. Headmaster Oddfellow Bluebeard, tame relation to the infamous Bluebeard, and Professor Stella dash off at night to rescue Delia. By morning, they have brought her back to Oddfellow's Orphanage, haven to peculiar children orphaned by events natural, unexplained or, in two cases, jarringly violent. Here, bears dance, cooks serve hot chocolate and staff call their charges "dear." The residents include Delia, who does not speak (readers never find out exactly why), tattooed Imogen, Hugo the hedgehog boy, "onion-headed" Ollie and several others, some of whom do not merit more than a mention. In her debut, Martin relies on third-person narration and uses adjectives such as "cozy," "twinkling" and "pretty" to set a scene of happy companionship. Although somewhat reminiscent of Hogwarts, with classes such as cryptozoology ("the study of mysterious and possibly imagined animals") and F.T. ("fairy tales and folktales") Studies, readers will find no bullies or evil at Oddfellow's. The rare time that one child misbehaves, all is forgiven. Small, safe adventures take place between March and New Year's, when a new babe appears on the doorstep. Pencil drawings appear throughout (final art not seen), adding to the feeling of warmth. An uneven effort; still, youngsters not ready for Harry Potter will find comfort here. (Fantasy. 7-10)

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

February 1, 2012

Gr 4-6-This debut novel chronicles a young orphan, Delia, and her arrival and life at Oddfellow's Orphanage. The institution seems to attract unique characters, including a tattooed girl, a young hedgehog, and a boy with an onion head. While the characters are unusual, the book lacks a plot and a true story line. Dialogue is limited, with readers learning about the residents through brief cameo pages that open each chapter. Even the story of how Delia comes to arrive at the orphanage isn't revealed until the blurb before the last chapter, which informs readers that she is an albino who was saved from a horrible attack in the sideshow where she worked by pretending to be a pile of laundry. The author has been a successful online artist, and this book appears to be a way to build a story around some of her prints, but the quaint illustrations will not be enough to keep readers interested.-Cheryl Ashton, Amherst Public Library, OH

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2012
Grades 2-4 Martin's debut features something unusual in children's books: an orphanage that is run by kind people. Headmaster Oddfellow Bluebeard takes in orphaned children as well as individuals of all stripes, which include a boy with an onion for a head, a hedgehog, and a family of bears. After Delia arrives at this curious place, she finds that instead of math, reading, and spelling, students take lessons in fairy tales and folktales, cryptozoology (the study of mysterious or imaginary animals), and astronomy. Special occasions at the school include excursions to search for the Green Monster and Haircut Day, which comes around twice a year. Facing each chapter opener is a portrait of a single character, along with a caption, which reveals interesting tidbits: for instance, Ollie is the kind of onion that makes you laugh rather than cry. With the book's quirky illustrations, satisfying attention to detail (pancakes come in the shapes of stars, hearts, and rabbits), and a loving family stitched together from the scraps of other families, early readers may find themselves drawn to this novel's strange charm.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2012
This illustrated tale of mute orphan Delia's acclimation to a strange orphanage peopled by an onion-headed boy, a copiously tattooed girl, and other eccentrics delivers the strangeness it promises. Pages with character profiles and portraits begin each chapter. The episodic plot is not very exciting and the prose is a little too old-fashioned-sounding, but the imaginative and quirky nature will appeal to some.

(Copyright 2012 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)