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barbaraskalberg's review
emotional
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
4.0
smallbutfiery's review
5.0
Loved this true story! Libby doesn’t have audiobooks for the original book but they did have this YA adaptation of it. I thought it was well done. It’s an amazing story!
angiew23's review
5.0
The Orphan Keeper is a story about a boy from India who is kidnapped and placed in an orphanage, and then adopted by a family in the United States. The story begins with Chellamuthu's early childhood, which is a mix of memories and realistic fictionalized events that may have occurred or were typical of this time period and location. While waiting for his father to complete some business, Chellamuthu is kidnapped at about age 7 and taken to an orphanage under the impression that he has no living family. Despite Chellamuthu's attempts to alert the organizers to the fact that he has a family, he is eventually adopted to a family in the states in a fairly sketchy adoption. Chellamuthu's adoptive parents provide him a home and family and support him but also make some mistakes that affect him for most of his life.
This edition is a young readers edition and while I have not read the adult version so I can't make comparisons, I do feel that this book is interesting for both young and adult readers. The book is very well written and easy to comprehend. Despite some jumping back and forth in time periods and locations, it is easy to follow. The storyline is interesting and captivating, especially closer to the end when he begins a search for family. I would recommend this book to middle and highschool grade teachers interested in exploring racism and the "white saviour" mindset that was common in the past and still shines through today. I would also recommend this book to anyone interested in adoption memoirs, stories about finding lost family members and coming of age stories for teens and adults who have experienced traumatic childhoods. I so appreciate Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read and review this awesome book!
This edition is a young readers edition and while I have not read the adult version so I can't make comparisons, I do feel that this book is interesting for both young and adult readers. The book is very well written and easy to comprehend. Despite some jumping back and forth in time periods and locations, it is easy to follow. The storyline is interesting and captivating, especially closer to the end when he begins a search for family. I would recommend this book to middle and highschool grade teachers interested in exploring racism and the "white saviour" mindset that was common in the past and still shines through today. I would also recommend this book to anyone interested in adoption memoirs, stories about finding lost family members and coming of age stories for teens and adults who have experienced traumatic childhoods. I so appreciate Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read and review this awesome book!
hugbandit7's review
4.0
This is Chellamuthu's story. He might have lived a poor life in India, but he had a family that loved him. One day, that is all taken away from him when he is kidnapped from the street and adopted by a family in America. But that love between a child and their mother can never be broken. It might be lost for a little while, but it can be found again.
This was a beautiful read. While fictionalized, it is based on a real person and the events surrounding their life. I can only imagine what it was like for both Chellamuthu and his mother - both searching for one another but not knowing where to look. I loved that she never lost hope and even sought readings from astrologers and psychics to try and ease her mind if her son was alive or not.
Chellamuthu (aka Taj) was sent to America when he was approximately eight years old. It took him a long time to fit in, learn the language, and adapt to his new family. He didn't forget about his life in India right away, but slowly the images and memories faded. That is until much later in life when little things start triggering the memories. Once the memories started flooding back, it felt like he couldn't find them quickly enough. He went to great lengths to find them, and this was a time before social media, cell phones, and email was a new thing.
I enjoyed reading this book and could relate to many of the characters and the emotions they felt at different times in their lives. I especially liked Taj finding his family and how they blended his American family with his Indian family. There are even photos at the end that were fun to look at.
This would be a good book for young readers 10 and older.
We give this book 4 paws up.
This was a beautiful read. While fictionalized, it is based on a real person and the events surrounding their life. I can only imagine what it was like for both Chellamuthu and his mother - both searching for one another but not knowing where to look. I loved that she never lost hope and even sought readings from astrologers and psychics to try and ease her mind if her son was alive or not.
Chellamuthu (aka Taj) was sent to America when he was approximately eight years old. It took him a long time to fit in, learn the language, and adapt to his new family. He didn't forget about his life in India right away, but slowly the images and memories faded. That is until much later in life when little things start triggering the memories. Once the memories started flooding back, it felt like he couldn't find them quickly enough. He went to great lengths to find them, and this was a time before social media, cell phones, and email was a new thing.
I enjoyed reading this book and could relate to many of the characters and the emotions they felt at different times in their lives. I especially liked Taj finding his family and how they blended his American family with his Indian family. There are even photos at the end that were fun to look at.
This would be a good book for young readers 10 and older.
We give this book 4 paws up.
the_sassy_bookworm's review
3.0
⭐⭐⭐ -- Such a pretty cover on this one!
Let me start by saying this version of this book has been adapted for a younger audience. Which is fine, I knew that going in. However, for ME, it was lacking some depth and grit that I assume the "adult" version has. It felt like this version just skimmed the surface of the story. If that makes sense? That said, it was still a great read and if it opens up such a poignant story to younger readers to appreciate, well that is a win all around!
**ARC Via NetGalley**
Let me start by saying this version of this book has been adapted for a younger audience. Which is fine, I knew that going in. However, for ME, it was lacking some depth and grit that I assume the "adult" version has. It felt like this version just skimmed the surface of the story. If that makes sense? That said, it was still a great read and if it opens up such a poignant story to younger readers to appreciate, well that is a win all around!
**ARC Via NetGalley**
cathy_acasefullofbooks's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
I don't know that I can rate this, since it is someone's lived experience. The things Taj Rowland went through were tragic and unbelievable. His story did touch me for sure.
The writing style was not my favorite though. I found it hard to connect with and it jumped abruptly from point to point which could be jarring.
Thank you to Shadow Mountain Publishing for sending me a copy of this book to review!
The writing style was not my favorite though. I found it hard to connect with and it jumped abruptly from point to point which could be jarring.
Thank you to Shadow Mountain Publishing for sending me a copy of this book to review!
jasminegalsreadinglog's review
4.0
"Listen to the wind, feel the water. See where life's breezes wants to take you. Look, if God wants to give you a bigger oar, he will. He has plenty. There are times, however, when life is trying to blow us one way and we're paddling like crazy the other. Occasionally we just need to stop and be grateful."
The Orphan Keeper which I read is an adapted version of the original book for young readers and is hence a very condensed story. This story is of a man who is in search of his family of origin. It is also a story of a young boy who lost his family. Chellamuthu is a mischievous boy who is loved but in an unfortunate circumstance loses his family. He finds an adopted home but there is a huge part of his heart which is missing. It is a quest of a man to find himself.
For a reader, who is unaware of Indian cultures this story might be hard to understand with all the cultural references and words used. The Orphan Keeper is a must reader for anyone who loves to read books where you find yourself again.
Thank you Shadow Mountain Publishing and Netgalley.
The Orphan Keeper which I read is an adapted version of the original book for young readers and is hence a very condensed story. This story is of a man who is in search of his family of origin. It is also a story of a young boy who lost his family. Chellamuthu is a mischievous boy who is loved but in an unfortunate circumstance loses his family. He finds an adopted home but there is a huge part of his heart which is missing. It is a quest of a man to find himself.
For a reader, who is unaware of Indian cultures this story might be hard to understand with all the cultural references and words used. The Orphan Keeper is a must reader for anyone who loves to read books where you find yourself again.
Thank you Shadow Mountain Publishing and Netgalley.
celinewyp's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I obtained an e-ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.
An immersive and emotional read about a boy's separation from his birth family, his integration into his new one, and finding his way home. It didn't make me cry, but I was invested in it 100% all the way through. Here's hoping it actually managed to cure my reading slump, but I don't have high hopes.
The writing feels choppy and fragmented at the start, but I promise it all ties together in the end. Both the story and writing are compelling enough that I might read the adult version one day.
An immersive and emotional read about a boy's separation from his birth family, his integration into his new one, and finding his way home. It didn't make me cry, but I was invested in it 100% all the way through. Here's hoping it actually managed to cure my reading slump, but I don't have high hopes.
The writing feels choppy and fragmented at the start, but I promise it all ties together in the end. Both the story and writing are compelling enough that I might read the adult version one day.
gigirlmel's review
5.0
One of the best books I have read in a long time! I like the way the author write in chronological order and even though it bounces from character to character, it does this in just about in every chapter so it is easy to keep track of everything. I cried happy tears near the end. :)