Bravo Linus Baker! He is depicted as such an unlikely hero but you know it is coming. I like it whenever he tells himself that 'you can do it' and he did it. This gives us encouragement for us all who are in situations when we can't but have to do it. He gave the management such a lecture that readers were left applauding and salivating. He is a very likable character. He is funny and with a direct way of talking, and he sees the kids for who they are, not what they are. One thing I felt the author could do better or do without, is the descriptions of Baker's feelings for Arthur, which were rather cheesy. ( )

What a wonderful book! Such fabulous characters. So original, completely refreshing. I look forward to more by this fine author. It really inspired me. ( )

Trigger warnings: Fat shaming, abuse

6/10, I picked this up after not enjoying Glass Sword and swearing to never read from that author again so I picked this one up and I didn't know what to expect considering I've never read from this author before and I enjoyed this one, but there were some issues with the book itself that forced me to lower the rating of it so where do I even begin? I didn't understand why Arthur kept the orphanage, considering that he was abused in an orphanage in the past. The six kids had one gimmicky characteristic apiece, but other than that, they aren't fleshed-out characters. The writing style is too sweet, and there is no tension at all, and if there was tension, I didn't feel it due to the writing style, and the book drags its plot at times. I couldn't connect to Linus, and all I remember was that he was criticised for his size, and he made a speech trying to persuade the Department in Charge of Magical Youth to stop the orphanages, and taking the orphaned kids (why were they orphaned in the first place, were they disowned, did their parents die?) to the hardware store, and that was it? I recommend the Harry Potter series if you want a better fantasy book. ( )

This story is set in a world of watercolors and pastels. The characters and settings are vivid and the plot is straightforward but poignant, melancholic, and whimsical at the same time. There are some philosophical and sociological discussions on morality and prejudice, a lot of on-the-nose examples, but all in all this book shows more than it tells, so it does not come across as preachy. It was too easy to fall in love with the characters. If you've seen any Studio Ghibli films, you'll get the idea. ( )

A good book for teens and pre-teens. ( )