Ogress and the Orphans (2022)

A declining town turns against a generous outsider while its orphans struggle to make kindness visible. Food, books and the work of keeping people alive carry the argument about what neighbours owe one another. This children’s fantasy uses a storyteller’s voice to show how suspicion can undo ordinary mutual support. It suits adults as well as younger readers who want a community’s recovery to require action, not merely a change of ruler.