Orphanland by Lauren Fischer

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. 

My Thoughts

Spoilers Below

Orphanland is easily going to be within my top novels for 2025. It's rare that I'm able to sit down and read a book in almost one sitting, but that's exactly what I did with Orphanland. Except for the few times I got up to make food or grab a drink, I read Orphanland pretty much cover to cover in one sitting (metaphorically of course, because this was a digital ARC). 

There were even points in which I was making food and still wasn't able to put my phone down because I was so captivated by the tale surrounding Midlands Christian School, Southern Ohio Children's Home, and the characters. It's a story that felt realistic, that you can relate to, and I think that's what kept me so intrigued, aside from figuring out about the issues that happened within the Midlands Christian School (which unfortunately are never found within this novel, but there is redemption for the abandoned school).

The ending leaves you with so many questions surround what exactly happened with the Midlands Christian School, as well as if there's anything that comes of Mercy and her mother due to the large donation. However, the ending does tie the novel off in a fantastic spot, allowing for closure regarding the majority of the issues, struggles, and characters discussed within the novel. 

This is a novel that I feel would be perfect to gift to someone who many be struggling similarly to the orphans withing the novel, have lost family due to the opioid epidemic, or are even LGBTQIAP+ and struggling with their identity. 

I received Orphanland as an ARC through NetGalley