I don't usually hold with children's books that have won awards, more because of some vague prejudice that those books must be ridiculously boring than for anything factual. And given the fact that I pay absolutely no attention to that when I'm actually purchasing books, probably means (a) I'm less prejudiced than I think and (b) whether or not a book has won an award or not is completely irrelevant to me.

Anyway, Ruby Holler was my second orphanage book in a very short space of time. This is a wonderful book, with two very fun, very real main characters - the brother and sister orphans. The orphanage owners are your requisite evil villains (why is that such a stereotype? I presume it's at least partly true, or it wouldn't be a stereotype, but surely there must be some pleasant orphanage people out there?). The prospective adopters are old, but loving, and live out in the country - also a prerequisite for these types of books, why is it that 'country' is always seen as better than 'town' or, the lowest of the low, 'city'?

Anyway, I love these kinds of books and this one comes complete with a mystery to solve and hidden treasure and a happy ending. An enchanting book.