Content levels
Trigger warnings
Positive tags
Protagonist archetypes
Synopsis
From the back cover of Timescape Books paperback March 1980: THE BEAST PROWLED IN THE NIGHT, a wild-eyed, five clawed creature with a taste for blood. But the strange ways of destiny changed his form. When he found he could be human, he became little Robert, hid in a barn and was adopted by a farm family. Robert had his own will and wanted to stay human. Still the beast arose unbidden, shifting form without warning. Neither beast nor child could conceal the danger, as their dual nature threatened to reveal itself, to destroy their cover -- and to leave them at the mercy of forces unknown!
Is The Orphan appropriate for my child?
Suitable for most readers 16 and up.
This dark fantasy explores a shapeshifter's struggle to maintain human form while battling an uncontrollable beast nature. Contains moderate violence, body horror elements related to transformation, and psychological tension around concealment and potential discovery.
What to know going in
This book has moderate violence, no sexual content, and mild language. Content notes include body horror, violence, and abandonment (see the full list above).
Who'll love this
Teens who enjoy dark, atmospheric fantasy with psychological depth and transformation themes will find this compelling.