This is a very late review, and a short one, as I was unable to post at the time.
What I can say is that 3 years later, I still think about Milou, the windmill and that ending. This is such a special book, that I have shared it with many children at school, who loved it as much as I did.
A perfect book for Year 5/6.

What a great middle grade adventure book.
I loved the writing style and the plot was so good

Such a good book for kids.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book as it consists of lots of adventure and at the beginning of the passage it quickly creates dense atmosphere of mystery and tension and I like have they discreetly add new bizzare characters into the story. The story is about a girl called Milou who is oblivious to her identity but is fearless and when was delivered to the orphanage with 5 of her best friends was left with some quite peculiar clues and when a ellusive man and an incomprehensible murder occurs they decide to run away, run away to a place that might just give more clues than one.

I apologise I did not get to this one. I did however purchase and finished copy and will review on Goodreads as soon as I complete.

This is a children’s book, set in The Little Tulip Orphanage, Amsterdam, in the late nineteenth century. The fearsome Matron, Elinora Gassbeek has strict rules about how babies should be left at the orphanage. Five children arrive ‘wrongly’ delivered’ and turn out to be highly individual. All the children in the orphanage are cold, hungry and forced to work. They hope to be chosen for adoption and are sometimes lined up so that visitors can choose a child. Since none of the ‘different’ children is a cute, blonde little girl, they are never picked. But one day it seems that they are wanted, and by a man with a very sinister purpose. When ‘the five’ realise that they will be sent to sea and probably to their deaths, they find a way to escape, each of them having a special gift which makes this possible. Can they stay free and out of the villain’s clutches? This all makes for a good story, which reminded me of much older ‘orphanage’ tales but brought up to date with modern ideas. Charming.

DNF. I couldn't connect with this book at all and found it really hard to get into. I had high hopes for this, which is a shame.

This story is lovely to read and is found family. I really enjoyed the read. However, I am very put out by the disgusting name of this book, especially as this is a book for children I think it sets a really bad precedent for children in the system. It also focuses on people who are different in a bad light as though they are not deserving of family love. I don't think this is a good book for any children to be reading despite the story being a nice one.

Let me start of by saying that it is really weird to read a book about oneself. Or, that is, a book following a Dutch girl named Milou. Because to be honest that is as much as I could relate to her. I actually found her really annoying.

‘This is Milou. Aged twelve-ish, she can recite the Grimm Brotehrs’ fairy tales and has a pleasant enough singing voice. Milou comes with a small coffin, that strange little dress she’s wearing and a puppet.

‘Mill-oo,’ Mrs Fortuyn mused. ‘What kind of a name is Mill-oo?’

‘Not one I would have chosen, ‘ the matron sighed. ‘You’re more than welcome to pick a proper name for her.’

Together with her four friends, ‘the unadoptables’, Milou runs away from the orphanage in search of her family. She has a rich imagination and a strong will. I also found her very selfish, and in general just infuriating. The other kids however were a joy to read about though, making up for a lot.

This book is set in 19th century Amsterdam and surroundings, which I love. I have a weak for books set during this time in general, so to see my own country like this was a joy. And being half Dutch, Hana did a great job with this. The names are great, and there are some Dutch words and phrases thrown in there, as well as a windmill and clogs.

I did feel that all of it was a bit too slow though. Apart from the last quarter or so, I was kinda bored. And maybe I had the wrong expectations, hoping for more of a journey, solving the mystery of finding Milou’s father (instead of just letting him come to them). The ending was superb though, with a thrilling escape and a somewhat controversial solution to the mystery.

Overall, this was a book that had great elements and messages on what family means, that it is okay to be different, and some hints of girl-power. But all of it was done short by an annoying main character and a ‘lack’ of excitement. I will certainly check out Hana’s next book though!

From Good Reads:
A Corker!
Five very different 'unadoptable' children show us what friendship is and that family can come in all shapes and sizes.
Oh - and a good few adventures along the way.
Great characters all with varying 'quirks' and fantastic dastardly villains - will they get their just desserts....
Beautifully written, beautifully illustrated and beautifully produced.

This was incredible!! I've been in a terrible reading slump since June and I was beginning to think that I would never get out of it but this was the most perfect book to get me out of my slump.

There are three rules of abandonment at The Little Tulip orphanage:
- The baby should be wrapped in a cotton blanket
- The baby should be places in a wicker basket
- The baby should be deposited on the topmost step

For all the years Elinora Gassbeek has been the matron at the orphanage these rules have never been broken. That is, they had never been broken. In the year of 1886 five orphans are left at Little Tulip in ridiculous ways. Those babies turn out to be our main characters, Lotta, Egg, Fenna, Sem and Milou.

When our story starts Gassbeek is fed up of being stuck with our orphans and finds a gentleman to take all five. The orphans think this is the best thing that's ever happened to them, but Milou isn't convinced. After some digging around she discovers a terrible plot that prompts the orphans to escape the orphanage and run. Running leads them to an exciting adventure that involves a run down mill, a mysterious clock maker, a sinister tree and fantastic puppets. This just might be Milou's chance at a happy ending.

The main thing that I adored about this book was the characters, each of the children we follow is an amazing character and you just find yourself wanting the best for them. Milou's determination to find her family really makes you feel for her and the fact that the other children will do anything to help her just makes you want to cry. I highly recommend reading this book if you just want to fall into a brilliant story.

An excellent MG story which I will be reading to my classes after lockdown. An amazing journey of friendship through troublesome life in an awful orphanage and beyond as the Unadoptables try to find a better life, and their real families.
BRILLIANT
For fans of Hetty Feather, Lemony Snickett and The Graveyard Book
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was blooming magnificent. Friendship, family, secrets, puppet theatres and strange orphanages. I absolutely adored this. The kids are wonderful characters and the adults are mostly the worst. Man, what an adventure!

Thank you so much to Hana Tooke and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this absolute belter of a book.

I have not enjoyed a book this much for years - probably since I first read the Harry Potter series nearly twenty years ago.

The characters are fabulous, I wanted to adopt each and every one of them and keep them safe for a world so cruel and terrifying as to have Gassbeek and the the vilanous moustachios in it. I was utterly entranced with Amsterdam and everything about this wonderful book.

I cannot wait to read anything this author comes up with next.

Without a doubt five stars

An unusual story of five unconventional orphans who escape the clutches of the evil matron and set off in search of clues to find one of their parents. The children show incredible ingenuity and meet some colourful characters along the way. Amsterdam in the 1880s proves to be a very different setting for a children’s book. A fun read.

I'm afraid this novel was not for me. This clearly is a "it's me not the book" sort of case. The main character has my death name and I felt just really uncomfortable seeing that name all the time. I thought Milou wasn't the main character but a side character. If I'd known this, I wouldn't have requested this. I'm very sorry!

I did really love the setting of The Unadoptables. Amsterdam, late 19th century? Heck yeah. I also really enjoyed all the dutch words that were thrown in there. Since I'm Dutch, this was really fun to read and it was really adding something to the story.

So please don't let this review withhold you from picking it up, because the book definitely is worth it! It was just not for me.

The opening chapters of The Unadoptables is written in the style of Lemony Snickets. It draws you into this unique story, which follows the orphans Milou, Sem, Lotta, Egg and Fenna who were all left at the Little Tulip Orphanage in strange and unusual ways.

Even though they have been described as ‘unadoptable’ the matron Miss Gassbeck because they do not look cute with freckles and pleasant features, each of the children have their own set of special skills that helps them on their adventures. Milou is an amazing story-teller, Sem is brilliant at sewing, Lotta has a fantastic grasp of science, Egg is an expert cartographer and Fenna has a lovely touching way with animals. Hana Tooke creates believable and realistic characters who pull on your heart-strings and carry you away on their epic journey.

Milou believes her parents will return to the orphanage to claim her. Milou finds a beautiful pocket watch hidden inside the cat puppet that was left on the orphanage roof with her. The watch contains coordinates so when they discover Miss Gassbeck, plans to sell all five ‘unadoptables’ to the disreputable Mr R they decide to run away from the orphanage and go to the mysterious coordinates in the hope it may lead them to the truth of who Milou’s parents are and why she was left on the roof of the orphange.

Set in and around Amsterdam during 1886, the five brave and determined children set off through 19th century Amsterdam on an adventure packed with puppets, clock-makers, cruel villains and pirate ships. On the way they discover what it means to have a real home with a real family. There are underlying themes of love, truth and identity.

This is the ideal book for a child to read alone or to listen to in the book corner at story time. The ideal book for any book corner.

I want to be part of this little family and their amazing story! I was sad to get to the end and wanted to keep reading! Highly recommend!

I’m obsessed with «The Unadoptables» by Hanna Tooke! It’s one of the best middle-grade books I’ve read in a long time. This book had it all - adventure, friendship, family, high stakes, endearing main characters, and incredible story-telling.

Milou, Lotta, Fenna, Sem and Egg were left as babies at the Little Tulip Orphanage. But what sets them off from the other orphans is how they were left - one in a tin toolbox, one in a coal bucket, one in a picnic hamper, one in a wheat sack and one in a coffin-shaped basket. Their appearance has broken every orphanage rule. Not only it was outrageous, they also grew up to be claimed the “unadoptables” - children who stayed at the Orphanage for the longest time.

Close-knit friendships are my weakness in books, and no other genre does it better than Children's fiction. Every time I read middle grade I keep asking myself why I don’t read more of it! It always brings me so much joy to read about drama-free friendships, and it reminds me of how simple things used to be before my teenage years. Milou, Lotta, Fenna, Sem and Egg portray the relationship I always strived for - they look after each other and always put their friends first, no matter the cost.

Set in Amsterdam, during the 19th century, «The Unadoptables» has all the necessary qualities to become a new classic. This is the book children should read in school, and this is the book I would have adored as a child. We often wonder why so many people don’t read and my answer to this question is that they just haven’t picked up the right book that would’ve made them fall in love with the fictional world. I believe that «The Unadoptables» can be just that book for a lot of children out there.

In most middle-grade books I’ve read so far, the main protagonists usually embark on some sort of adventure. And that sense of the unknown, the thrill of discover are what usually pulls me into the story. The adventure in «The Unadoptables» is a little bit different than what I’m used to, but its emotional context made me fall in love with the story even more. In this book, the children are looking for their family, their parents that abandoned them 12 years ago, and more specifically, we follow Milou, who always believed that her parents left her the clues to let her know that she is loved and not forgotten.

I hope Hanna Tooke writes more books about the unadoptables and explores the stories of the other 4 children - their appearance at the orphanage was definitely under very strange circumstances and I’m very curious to see what other stories adventures and what other discoveries they will make.
Besides the adventure, this story didn’t shy away from the danger as well. The stakes were always kept very high, especially considering how emotionally invested Milou was in finding her family and learning more about them.

Like all good middle grades, this book had the exquisite villains that you were made to loath from the very beginning. This is always an important element in children’s books, as it brings unity to the main squad and you instantly grow attached to them. There was a little redeeming arc for one of the villains that I also liked, but that might be too subtle for children to notice.

And finally, «The Unadiptables» showed what it meant to be a family and how you can choose yourself a new family when the “original” one didn’t want you enough to keep you. Stories about orphans are not unusual. All I have to say is that this particular one was incredibly well. Furthermore, I never read a book with a whole cast of orphans as mains characters and I really loved how emotional and heartwarming the story was.

The Unadoptables is a truly charming read, brimming with adventure, mystery and friendship in a wonderfully atmospheric 19th century Amsterdam. Amidst the danger, suspicion and fear, there is also humour, warmth and hope which makes this a not-to-be-missed delight which I couldn’t put down.

The strict Rules of Baby Abandonment at the Little Tulip Orphanage, Amsterdam are unceremoniously broken when five babies are abandoned over the course of five months. Lotta, Egbert, Fenna, Sem and Milou are each abandoned in an item which links to their particular talents of sewing, storytelling, engineering, cooking and art.
Twelve years later in 1892, these children are firm friends who are living a hard life in the Orphanage run by the cruel, severe and menacing Matron, Elinora Gassbeek who is not interested in the welfare of the children, but in lining her own pockets.

The children have been dubbed ‘the unadoptables’ until the arrival of a potential adopter at the Orphanage. Meneer Rotman is a sugar merchant looking for an heir, but it is obvious this sinister, dangerous man doesn’t like children, so why does he want to adopt all five friends?

Milou’s sixth sense warns her of danger, and she is proved correct! The lives of her and her friends are in terrible peril, and they must escape or risk a fate even worse than that of living in the Orphanage.

The friends make a daring escape from the Orphanage into a wonderfully evocative and richly described Amsterdam with its canals, bridges and surrounding countryside where they find themselves on an incredible adventure to find Milou’s parents who she is convinced never meant to abandon her … life-like puppets, clockwork artisans, labour ships and cruel villains make this an truly unforgettable read.

This story is an intricate and thrilling tale of danger, discoveries and twists as Milou and her friends fight to stay one step ahead of the authorities and Rotman. They work brilliantly as a team, using their resourcefulness and ingenuity to strive to outwit both. At the same time, they search to uncover the mystery surrounding Milou’s family.

The five children are wonderfully sympathetic characters who I adored. They are each other’s family and have a close bond steeped in love, friendship, trust and loyalty. Milou is brave with a real sense of justice and is protective of her friends, feeling a responsibility towards them. She is also quick-witted, determined and lives with an enduring sense of hope. All of her friends have individual talents, linked to the items which were left with them as babies. The children are incredibly resourceful, and supportive of each other, and make perfect use of their talents, as they make a new life away from the orphanage. Will these talents help this found family work together to thwart some menacing villains and discover the truth of a lost family?

The Unadoptables is an absolutely spellbinding story of the strength to be gained in family, friendship and hope when faced with danger, despair and loss … a truly mesmerising story.

This was a fun little mystery. I thought the main premise was done well and the characters were all clearly defined but this just needed a little bit of editing for it to be 100% there for me. I thought that certain scenes needed rewriting as there were moments that were a bit unclear and could have been explored better. Overall this is a good mystery for children.