Orphanland

Will dark secrets from a small town’s past help orphans of the opioid crisis build a brighter future?Eleven-year-old Willa Johnson has been living at the Southern Ohio Children’s Home ever since her mother died from a drug overdose. The old mansion provides a safe haven in her rural town for orphans affected by the opioid epidemic, and Willa hopes never to leave-she loves learning, her daily responsibilities, and especially the facility’s director, Mercy. But the overburdened home is teetering on the edge of financial ruin, as Mercy struggles to make ends meet.

The newest resident of the home is Kacey, a nonbinary teen who’s been kicked out by parents who reject their identity. When Willa and Kacey discover a hidden set of diaries written by Mercy’s dead aunt, they unintentionally dig up a dark history that will forever change the kids’ future-for better or worse.

With Willa as the unforgettable ringleader, Orphanland is a hopeful coming-of-age mystery set against the backdrop of the opioid crisis, exploring themes of loss, privilege, social justice, and resilience. Containing plenty of mischief alongside tragedy and hope, Orphanland is perfect for upper middle grade and teen readers (grades 4-8; ages 10+) who enjoyed Sydney Dunlap’s Racing the Clouds and Kenneth M. Cadow’s Gather.

Author Biography

Lauren Bomberger Fischer was born and raised in Indiana, graduated from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, and lives in Chicago with her family and rescue cats. She edited many articles about the opioid epidemic while working as a science editor at The JAMA Network. She advocates for LGBTQ and disability representation in children’s fiction. To learn more and sign up for her newsletter, you can visit her website at www.laurenbfischer.com.