The Orphan's Tales facts for kids

The Orphan's Tales is a fantasy book series. It was written by Catherynne M. Valente. The books have cool pictures by Michael Kaluta.

The series has two main novels. They are In the Night Garden and In the Cities of Coin and Spice. Each of these novels is split into two smaller books. The stories often start with a young woman. Her tales then lead to other stories. These new stories are often told by different characters. It's like a story within a story!

The series won a special prize in 2008. It was the Mythopoeic Award for Adult Literature. The first book, In the Night Garden, was also nominated for other awards.

What the Stories Are About

In the Night Garden

The first book's cover

This book starts with a girl who lives alone. She stays in the Sultan's gardens. She has strange tattoos around her eyes. A young prince bravely talks to her. When he visits, she tells him stories. These stories are inked right onto her skin!

The novel has two parts. Each part is about different characters. But they all live in the same fantasy world. Some characters appear in both parts. They even show up in the next book. For example, myths about the Stars are in many stories.

Book of the Steppe

Prince Leander runs away from his castle. He wants to find adventure. On his journey, he kills a goose for food. A witch then gets angry. She says he killed her daughter. The prince tries to make things right. He learns about the witch's life. He also searches for a special animal skin. He even finds out secrets about his own family.

Book of the Sea

This part takes place in a very cold, icy land. A woman named Sigrid the Netweaver tells a girl named Snow a story. She explains how Snow got her name. When Sigrid was young, she joined some monks. They were traveling back to their temple. Sigrid later joined a temple herself. Snow really wants to hear the end of the story. She convinces Sigrid to keep looking for the first Saint Sigrid.

In the Cities of Coin and Spice

The second book's cover

The friendship between the girl and the prince grows stronger. She starts telling him stories from her second eye. In the first book, they had the garden to themselves. But now, the prince's sister Dinazade is getting married. This threatens their quiet place.

The new stories become a bit darker. They are about two special cities. One city makes coins from children's bones. The other city is exotic and full of amazing creatures. You might find a firebird, a clockwork woman, or even sirens there.

Like the first book, this one has two parts. Each part has new characters and places. But some stories connect all parts of the series.

Book of the Storm

Seven is the seventh son in a farmer family. He is left alone as part of a tradition. But instead of being taken by the Stars, he is captured. He is forced to work at a mint. There, he presses coins from bones. He escapes with Oubliette, a hulder. They join a group of performers. This group travels all over the land.

Book of the Scald

This part is different from the others. Here, the prince tells the story. He reads from the girl's eye. He tells about a city under attack. An army of djinn is fighting it. One djinni goes against her own kingdom. She tries to stop the war.

Story Connections

The Orphan's Tales is written like One Thousand and One Nights. In that famous story, a character named Scheherazade tells many tales. Just like her, the girl in this series tells a story. Then that story leads to even more stories. The prince's sister is named Dinarzad. This is another nod to One Thousand and One Nights.

Music Inspired by the Books

A singer-songwriter named S. J. Tucker made music inspired by these books. Her albums are called For the Girl in the Garden and Solace and Sorrow. They even have parts of the books read aloud.

Awards Won

• 2008 Mythopoeic Award