A review by alexwhimsypages
The Unadoptables by Hana Tooke

5.0

In all the years that Elinora Gassbeek had been matron of the Little Tulip Orphanage, not once had the Rules of Baby Abandonment been broken. Until the summer of 1880.

I’m obsessed with «The Unadoptables» by Hanna Tooke! It’s one of the best middle-grade books I’ve read in a long time. This book had it all - adventure, friendship, family, high stakes, endearing main characters, and incredible story-telling.

Milou, Lotta, Fenna, Sem and Egg were left as babies at the Little Tulip Orphanage. But what sets them off from the other orphans is how they were left - one in a tin toolbox, one in a coal bucket, one in a picnic hamper, one in a wheat sack and one in a coffin-shaped basket. Their appearance has broken every orphanage rule. Not only it was outrageous, they also grew up to be claimed the “unadoptables” - children who stayed at the Orphanage for the longest time.

Close-knit friendships are my weakness in books, and no other genre does it better than Children's fiction. Every time I read middle grade I keep asking myself why I don’t read more of it! It always brings me so much joy to read about drama-free friendships, and it reminds me of how simple things used to be before my teenage years. Milou, Lotta, Fenna, Sem and Egg portray the relationship I always strived for - they look after each other and always put their friends first, no matter the cost.

Set in Amsterdam, during the 19th century, «The Unadoptables» has all the necessary qualities to become a new classic. This is the book children should read in school, and this is the book I would have adored as a child. We often wonder why so many people don’t read and my answer to this question is that they just haven’t picked up the right book that would’ve made them fall in love with the fictional world. I believe that «The Unadoptables» can be just that book for a lot of children out there.

In most middle-grade books I’ve read so far, the main protagonists usually embark on some sort of adventure. And that sense of the unknown, the thrill of discover are what usually pulls me into the story. The adventure in «The Unadoptables» is a little bit different than what I’m used to, but its emotional context made me fall in love with the story even more. In this book, the children are looking for their family, their parents that abandoned them 12 years ago, and more specifically, we follow Milou, who always believed that her parents left her the clues to let her know that she is loved and not forgotten.

I hope Hanna Tooke writes more books about the unadoptables and explores the stories of the other 4 children - their appearance at the orphanage was definitely under very strange circumstances and I’m very curious to see what other stories adventures and what other discoveries they will make.
Besides the adventure, this story didn’t shy away from the danger as well. The stakes were always kept very high, especially considering how emotionally invested Milou was in finding her family and learning more about them.

Like all good middle grades, this book had the exquisite villains that you were made to loath from the very beginning. This is always an important element in children’s books, as it brings unity to the main squad and you instantly grow attached to them. There was a little redeeming arc for one of the villains that I also liked, but that might be too subtle for children to notice.

And finally, «The Unadiptables» showed what it meant to be a family and how you can choose yourself a new family when the “original” one didn’t want you enough to keep you. Stories about orphans are not unusual. All I have to say is that this particular one was incredibly well. Furthermore, I never read a book with a whole cast of orphans as mains characters and I really loved how emotional and heartwarming the story was.