“The world is filled with goodness, and our response should not be silence and suspicion. You have a responsibility to be grateful. You have a responsibility to do good as a result.”
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You know me, I love a good fairy tale with a nice moral. What I don’t love is a socialist tome with an entirely heavy-handed commentary on politics and the distribution of wealth. If this had been 250 pages and focused on the Ogress and the orphans and the message of “don’t judge a book by it’s cover” and the importance of kindness. I would have given it 4 stars. That book was in there, but it was buried in socialist rhetoric and a Trump-esque mayor creating problems just to solve them and look like a hero.
I loved the focus on literacy and the importance of books to build empathy and understanding. And the bond formed between the Ogress, all the animals and the children was beautiful and certainly something I think children could benefit from reading. The rest of it was heavy-handed, I think would generally bore most kids and it only served to frustrate me. I think this one will appeal to some but not all. Have a good read of the synopsis and decide for yourself.
Thanks to Algonquin for the gifted copy. All opinions above are my own.
What’s the last book you had high hopes for but just didn’t work for you?
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