A review by kelforrest
The Unadoptables by Hana Tooke

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I loved this book so much!! It was adorable and made me feel so many emotions :]]

At first I fully thought I knew what to expect. "It's just another story about an orphan looking for her family. What could be new?". But that couldn't be further from the truth. While, yes, some things were a bit more predictable
such as her parents not actually being there (it was never going to be that easy)
, the way it got to that point was a unique enough approach to keep me wanting more.

This also played out in my head somewhat like a marionette show or a shadow puppet show. I don't know why, but the sort of cozy artsy vibes mixed with the heavy themes of puppetry and storytelling probably made me feel like that.

Anyway, this book was fantastic, especially as a middle grade book which can usually end up straying away from covering heavier topics because "kIdS wOnT uNdErStAnD" (in plots which would otherwise greatly benefit from the emotional impact of darker themes), this book covered some heavier themes in ways that were still suitable for a middle grade audience. Ones that would make them feel for the characters while also not giving them nightmares.