The Unadoptables

Five fantastic children on the adventure of a lifetime

By: Hana Tooke, Ayesha L. Rubio

Narrated by: Gemma Whelan

Brought to you by Puffin.

The remarkable. The extraordinary. The brave.

Way back in the autumn of 1880, five babies are discovered at the Little Tulip Orphanage in most unusual circumstances. Those babies are Lotta, Egbert, Fenna, Sem and Milou.
The vile matron calls the children 'the unadoptables' but this talented gang of best friends know that their individuality is what makes them so special - and so determined to stay together.
When a sinister gentleman tries to get them in his clutches, the children make a daring escape across the frozen canals of Amsterdam, embarking on an adventure packed with pirate ships and puppets. But is their real home - and their real family - already closer than they realize?

© Hana Tooke 2020 (P) Penguin Audio 2020

Critic reviews

A high-speed, witty, absurd and joyful adventure

Perfection!

A corker of a story.

A book to absolutely fall in love with

A compelling, gorgeously-written story about the power of friendship and the true meaning of family. It's a mystery with a hint of magic, featuring characters who feel entirely real ... perfection!

I adored this story from the very first page. Sleek as Amsterdam velvet and full of heart-clutching mysteries, moonlit escapes on frozen canals, puppets with heartbeats and secret messages engraved upon pocket watches. Follow Milou and her adopted family on a glorious adventure as they race through the streets of Amsterdam, determined to fight for their freedom with spectacular wit, dazzling theatrical wonder and huge amount of hope, courage and everlasting friendship. A book to absolutely fall in love with.

A corker of a story. I loved the writing, the setting, the STUPENDOUS action scenes, how well-paced it was, with such drama, revelations, plot twists and the loveliest of final lines... and one of the most satisfying endings I've read in a long while, with the promise of more in the epilogue. Bravo, Hana - what a book!

This delicious debut had me reading late into the night... Beautiful but accessible writing, thrilling action, a hint of magic and unforgettable characters are delivered with wit, wisdom and heart in an enviably distinct voice. It's a story of unforgettable friendship and what it really means to be a family... I can't wait to see what Tooke does next.

Effortlessly merging the gothic and ghastly with the eccentric and absurd, Hana Tooke's mesmerising debut sends a quintet of abandoned orphans off on a caper across nineteenth-century Amsterdam, complete with sinister supervillains, heart-in-mouth cliff-hangers and lashings of evocative period flavour.

While the vivid, Dickensian setting - grim orphanage, icy mists, and shadowy dockyards - and quaint clockwork creations and life-size puppets spin a web of Gothic creepiness, the bonds among this found family of lively orphans add plenty of warmth and light. Unfolding with the clarity of a fairy tale, this sure-footed debut casts a delightfully spooky spell

Great overall, great narration, some plot holes

This was a good book. Good book. Good. I liked it much. It was good reader and good story. 🙂🙃 super good. Работа рваные пшик. Excellente.

A Great read while walking!

I would love for my Grands-to listen. The small girl inside of me was thrilled! I enjoyed it and was not disappointed! Shows you what determination can lead you to! The narrator was fabulous! Good does triumph over bad! Well done!

Cute

For the most part I enjoyed it, although the mystery was not a big surprise. At times it seemed a little slow-captured, escape, captured, escape…but the last part of the story was very sweet.

Can we listen to the next one?

We just finished listening to The Unadoptables. “What a dramatic book!” Says my 8 yo. “The characters we cool. I would totally be friends with them. My favorite was Milou. Though Lotta was so smart.”
The story provided a little something for all of us, mystery, suspense and an occasional laugh. We all look forward to learning Egg’s story.

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It was great but it was a bit sad but still AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I really liked the characters