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Reviewed by Emma Megan for Readers' Favorite
In Orphanland by Lauren Fischer, when Willa Johnson was seven years old, she moved to the Southern Ohio Children's Home, a special place for orphans. She, like most of the children there, moved to the orphanage because their parents died of an opioid overdose. Unfortunately, the old mansion, which already feels like home to Willa, currently faces a financial crisis. Shortly after Willa, now eleven, befriends the newest resident, a non-binary teen, they discover some hidden diaries together. They start reading them, hoping to learn more about the Midlands Christian Academy for Boys, the now-abandoned reformatory school rumored to have abused the boys who went there. Willa's caretaker plans to sell the property where the abandoned school is located to prevent the orphanage from closing. However, dark, buried secrets come to light, and everything changes, making her and the community determined to acknowledge and amend past wrongs.
Orphanland by Lauren Fischer is a gratifying, compelling, and unforgettable story of love, belonging, family, community crisis, and friendship, exploring themes of injustice, patriarchy, motherhood, taking responsibility, the consequences of addiction, privilege, gender identity, and broken systems in a thoughtful way. This middle-grade mystery delivers a powerful and heartfelt narrative, with enough depth and novelty to make a story about an orphanage appealing to both young and adult readers. Willa, the nonbinary teen, and their caretaker are inspiring examples of kindness, courage, perseverance, resilience, and moral uprightness. I highly recommend this finely written tale for its mystery, memorable characters, including kindhearted adults, and for its portrayal of the importance of remembering and acknowledging wrongdoing rather than forgetting or avoiding it.
