Mystery-solving siblings. A red-headed spitfire. A government secret agent. And a girl with a magical connection to the sea. These are just some of the characters in these books about orphans, who manage to overcome the odds and have amazing stories to show for it. Here are their adventures (in no particular order):

1. The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick (Karen’s pick)
2. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett (Nancy’s pick)
3. A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket
4. Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis
5. Dave at Night by Gail Carson Levine
6. Rodzina by Karen Cushman
7. The Mysterious Benedict Society books by Trenton Lee Stewart
8. Ranger’s Apprentice series by John Flanagan
9. The BFG by Roald Dahl
10. The Boxcar Children series by Gertrude Chandler Warner
11. Heidi by Johanna Spyri
12. The 39 Clues series by various authors
13. The Folk Keeper by Franny Billingsley
14. Alex Rider series by Anthony Horowitz
15. Crispin: Cross of Lead by Avi
16. A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park
17. Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
18. The Magician’s Elephant by Kate DiCamillo
19. The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg by Rodman Philbrick
20. The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke

(And here’s a printable version of our Orphans booklist, for you to take to the library or bookstore.)

If you’ve read any of these, send in your book review. Or send in a review of your favorite book about an orphan.We’ll feature the best kid-submitted reviews in our next podcast!

UPDATE 9/29/10: We revealed the answer to our Orphan Mystery Book Theater in the “Hard-Knock Life” Podcast, so take a listen if you want to know the answer. Or just tune in if you want to hear Karen’s new nickname. That she gave to herself.