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193 reviews for:

The Unadoptables

Hana Tooke

3.92 AVERAGE

adventurous emotional funny mysterious sad fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: No
adventurous emotional hopeful lighthearted slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Loveable characters: Yes

Oh my, már el akartam olvasni egy ideje! A magyar címe alapján azt hitte, kalandosabb lesz: hogy a gyerekek elszöknek és mindenféle kalandba bonyolódnak. Nem egészen így történt, de ettől függetlenül élveztem és tetszett.
Úgy éreztem, számomra valahol ott indult be igazán a történet, amikor úgy döntöttek, hogy elkészítik a Bábapát. Milout időbe telt megszeretnem. Tetszett a rejtvény, a szélmalom és a színház, hogy Hollandiában játszódik, és még holland szavakat is tanultam belőle. 
A vége felé az után, hogy Ludvigot kimenekítették Rotman hajójából, huuu, hullámvasútra ültem és annyi minden érzelem csapott az arcomba, miközben azt hittem, mindjárt vége és minden szuper lesz. A színházi előadásukat nagyon élveztem, szinte ott akartam lenni én is, de aztán: hát majd megőrültem, amikor nem csak Rotman, de még Gassbeek is megjelent! Aztán ami kiderült Lieselről és az epilógus, ahh! Thibault hazajött... a lányához. 
Meglepődtem, milyen sötéten és szomorúan mutatja be az árvaházat, de élveztem, hogy milyen okosak és ügyesek... meg persze felnőttesek. Igazából talán kicsit hiányoltam a gyerek-konfliktusokat.
Egyébként kicsit az A series of unfortunate eventsre emlékeztetett, ami jólesett. 
Örülök, hogy elolvastam. És imádom a borítóját. 

christabelle_v's review

4.75
adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes

I enjoyed this book far more than I expected ,I mean it kept me enthralled and glued to it
I love found family, the bonds of the children and the mystery and the ending everything was tied up
I agree with other reviewers that Sem and Egg were kinda similar, I had trouble too and that the girls were fleshed out, but you rooted for each kid
And honestly clever well done story
Yes I can see how someone might think Rotman is 1 dimensional he was, but sometimes a classic villian is okay though I suppose more on why is bad, but he was so well described that it was fun
And yes a slight element of disbelief
I will say, there are some darker themes here, death and violence so know it isn't 100% light hearted
But it was a hopeful book in the end and a very fun enjoyable read and mystery 

Also the title I don't think Says children with disabilities can't be adopted,  rather that society and the villians viewed them that way. But I think the author makes a strong point that the children are are valued with skills and character. It is the villains and uneducated who see them as less

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

What a fun, quick read. The plot was simple enough and the pace really quick, and the characters are lovable. A cosy tale about found family, tenacity and friendship.

Like similar books intended for middle grade, the villains are very one-dimensional and mean for the sake of being mean (which I understand, it's MG!), the plot isn't too complicated (it didn't quite live up to the blurb, what's that about pirate ship adventure?), but there's the twist I didn't see coming.
SpoilerI knew Poppenmaker defo isn't Milou's dad, but I thought they're completely unrelated. I didn't guess she's his grandkid, not until he discovered the cat puppet is Liesel's. That's when I realised.
Some characters feel underdeveloped e.g. Pieter. Egbert and Sem feels rather similar to me, on the other hand the girls stand out more in their own way.

It's sufficient to admit the ending did make me tear up a bit. I was touched by the children's loyalty and friendship with each other, and I enjoyed the book, hence 4 stars.

Wonderful middle grade children's book, set in Amsterdam and the surrounding countryside in the winter of 1872, that I think will be a classic. Five misfits live in an autsterity-ridden orphanage and at the age of 12 are considered unadoptable. They each have unique and endearing talents and qualities. The baddies consist of Gassbeek, who runs the orphanage, with cruelty and fear and Rutman, an evil child-slaver. I loved how the children fought for freedom and utilised their creativity and smarts. I loved the beginning and think that the published edition (versus my proof copy) will help the reader remember who is who. A truly lovely read.
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes

The Unadoptables was a great reading experience, which is why its four stars, but it has some major problems, including the glaringly obvious: the title. While being orphaned is de rigueur for children’s books (how can hijinks ensue with those pesky parents in the way?), this title presses into the idea that some children are defective, and I can only imagine how painful that is. Beyond the title, the author does lean into the unadoptability of the children, especially in the beginning of the book. For that reason alone, I wouldn’t recommend it even though my daughter and I really liked the story. 

There is an amount of suspension of disbelief that I think is in line with what I would expect from a middle grade adventure novel. The setting is evocative (and cold, which made it a good winter read aloud for us!). If I wanted to tie this into our curriculum, I would talk about puppet making (and make our own), script writing, the Netherlands, and human trafficking, as well as the harmful adoption stereotypes outlined above. 

I rarely comment on the actual read aloud experience, but in this case, the author has a tongue twisting adoration of alliteration that got me more than once.

really fun intrigueing story. def has issues such as the title and predictability

Coup de cœur pour enfants!

This was a very interesting book. There were twists and turns, adventure, and many happy moments. I was left with a warm feeling, and the urge to call my family.

Such a fun, interesting, unique YA read.