An inspiring tale of hardship, heartbreak, hope (yes, even when there's 3 babies named Hope from an overzealous nun), growth, and healing.

Orphanland, told from the perspective of 11-year-old Willa, not only depicts the hardships of being an orphan in many different regards, but also has a captivating mystery surrounding the now abandoned Midlands Christian School. Orphanland touches on troubling topics such as familial deaths, gender acceptance and identity, abuse, the opioid epidemic, and general coming-of-age struggles with care.

Each of the characters within the novel feel fully fleshed out and their own personalities are portrayed excellently, regardless of how often they are discussed within the text. It genuinely makes the operation that is Southern Ohio Children's Home feel as if it's its own character, living, breathing, and molding as the story progresses.

The overarching plot is genuinely captivating, and while being categorized as a "middle grade" novel, this is a novel that anyone of any age can enjoy, understand, and potentially resonate with.

The ending does leave you with a few questions, especially in regards to the Midlands Christian School, however I feel as though it ends exactly where it needs to. I would love to see a prequel that covers exactly what happens at Midlands.

This is the kind of novel I wish I had when I was Willa's age, a novel in which I could find myself. While I'm not an orphan in the traditional sense, I found myself relating to many of the characters within this novel. Kacey, however I found myself relating to the most.

A powerful read. I thought it was beautifully written. It opened up my eyes to what other children may experience. It showed different sides to ‘befores’ and was a simple reminder of how lucky I am in my life to have what I have.

I believe it would be an enriching read for children to explore what life is like outside of their ‘bubble’ or it could be a reassuring read that they aren’t alone with their ‘troubles’. Including the fact that this is my first read that encounters non-binary characters. I feel like more of this is definitely needed because it wasn’t just thrown in, it was explained so well throughout - a well needed educational factor for our current and future generation of readers.

"You think your pain and your heartbreak are unprecedented in the history of the world, but then you read."

I’d like to start by thanking Netgalley, Mission Point Press for giving me the opportunity to read and review this ARC. All opinions are my own.

Our narrator is Willa, an 11 year old orphaned child, victim of the crisis within the community, and utterly loveable trouble-maker. It’s so lovely to see this story shared through the innocent and honest eyes that you can only get with a child.

"“Mercy’s always running out of money,” I said. “That’s the way it goes, running a home for kids during an opioid crisis.”"

Lauren Fischer lets Willa truly come to life, giving her that lovely staccato, authentic way of speaking. So insightful, clever, but genuine and true to her age, and experiences.

"There was no sad-happiness, or happy-sadness. Just sad-sadness."

Finally, I’d like to touch on the acknowledgement and representation in this book. This didn’t feel like an afterthought - we had characters who explicitly had Down Syndrome and another who used headphones to cope with the world. Then we had LGBTQ+ individuals recognised, in a main character spot, acknowledging they/them pronouns.

We also saw difficult topics such as class divide, addiction, family breakdowns, indigenous peoples and land, and more. These weren’t shied away from, but approached sensitively, through Willa’s innocent yet all-seeing eyes, in a way that would be appropriate for middle-grade readers.

A lovely read overall that had my heart sinking and soaring in equal measure, with a healthy dose of hope and love for the characters throughout.

Warning: This Book May Cause Sudden Outbreaks of Feelings

Well, well, well. Lauren Fischer has gone and done something truly diabolical with Orphanland—she's written a book about an 11-year-old orphan that somehow doesn't make you want to adopt every sad-eyed kid you see on the street. Instead, she's crafted something far more dangerous: a story that treats its young protagonist like an actual human being with agency. Revolutionary stuff, really.

Our hero Willa navigates the Southern Ohio Children's Home with the kind of wisdom that makes you wonder if maybe kids aren't just tiny drunk adults after all. Fischer tackles everything from family trauma to gender identity to the opioid crisis, which sounds about as fun as a root canal performed by caffeinated squirrels, but somehow she pulls it off without turning the whole thing into an after-school special.

The mystery of the abandoned Midlands Christian School lurks in the background like that weird smell in your fridge—you know something's not quite right, but you're compelled to keep investigating anyway. Fischer uses this intrigue as the perfect vehicle to explore deeper themes, proving that you can indeed have your narrative cake and eat your character development too.
What's particularly impressive is how Fischer manages to make every character feel real, even the ones who barely get a paragraph. It's like she's some kind of literary magician, pulling fully-formed personalities out of thin air. The children's home itself practically becomes a character, which is either brilliant storytelling or Fischer has some very concerning feelings about institutional buildings. (I'm going with brilliant storytelling.)

The book handles heavy topics with the kind of care usually reserved for transporting nitroglycerin or your grandmother's china. Fischer never talks down to her readers—a refreshing change in a world where many authors seem to think young people's brains are made of cotton candy and good intentions.

Orphanland is that rare beast: a book that respects both its characters and its readers enough to tell the truth, even when the truth is complicated, messy, and doesn't tie up with a neat little bow. It's engaging, thoughtful, and only occasionally makes you question your life choices (in a good way).

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Half a star deducted for making me care about fictional people again. Rude.