Book based on true story always become my weakness. And in this book Chellamuth's life successful make my heart turn upside. Kidnapped since young age from his Southern India village, and then sold to orphanage we will saw how this young boy fighting for found his own family again.
This memoir book is intense, feel me with so much heartbroken moments and yet it give it comfort and hope.
I would recommend this book to reader who love this type of story and understand the beauty of it.


Thanks Netgalley for providing me with this book.

Taj Rowland’s life is a remarkable story. His full-circle journey is retold here (with some respectable liberties) in a lovely way. It’s a wonderful glimpse of part of the culture/traditions/ways of life in India. I believe it will keep the attention of young adult readers and offer them a wildly differing life perspective.

Sooooo good! Cameron Wright has a a powerful way with words. This story will not only make you feel all the feels but you will feel them deep in your heart. Definitely recommend!

The Orphan Keeper is a story about a boy from India who is kidnapped and placed in an orphanage, and then adopted by a family in the United States. The story begins with Chellamuthu's early childhood, which is a mix of memories and realistic fictionalized events that may have occurred or were typical of this time period and location. While waiting for his father to complete some business, Chellamuthu is kidnapped at about age 7 and taken to an orphanage under the impression that he has no living family. Despite Chellamuthu's attempts to alert the organizers to the fact that he has a family, he is eventually adopted to a family in the states in a fairly sketchy adoption. Chellamuthu's adoptive parents provide him a home and family and support him but also make some mistakes that affect him for most of his life.

This edition is a young readers edition and while I have not read the adult version so I can't make comparisons, I do feel that this book is interesting for both young and adult readers. The book is very well written and easy to comprehend. Despite some jumping back and forth in time periods and locations, it is easy to follow. The storyline is interesting and captivating, especially closer to the end when he begins a search for family. I would recommend this book to middle and highschool grade teachers interested in exploring racism and the "white saviour" mindset that was common in the past and still shines through today. I would also recommend this book to anyone interested in adoption memoirs, stories about finding lost family members and coming of age stories for teens and adults who have experienced traumatic childhoods. I so appreciate Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read and review this awesome book!

The Orphan Keeper is a story of a child’s journey through kidnapping, international adoption, and rediscovery of his roots. It is a fascinating story, but I find it hard to shelve it in traditional literary categories.
Chellamuthu is a seven-year-old child growing up in Erode, India. When he is kidnapped and sold to an orphanage, he finds himself adopted by American parents in a secret and lucrative business deal. As he grows up in America, he never finds his place, always feeling like an outsider until a study abroad trip brings him into contact with a large Indian community in London. His experiences in London trigger long-buried memories that lead him back to India to
search for his roots.
His story is tragic, enraging, and encouraging in turns. Most readers will be horrified by the practice of kidnapping children to sell to adoptive parents in other countries, and many will be touched by Chellamuthu’s resilience, persistence, and eventual success. While the story is enthralling, it covers Chellamuthu’s life from childhood through adulthood, so it defies easy categorization. It is not written in a manner that would naturally draw in young readers, so it will be most appropriate for young adults or adult readers who will value Cheelamithu’s journey. Younger readers may be interested in the early parts of the story, while adults will value Chellamuthu’s eventual search for his biological family and homeland. The concept of this story is important and intriguing, and I wish that it’s style and voice were more appealing to a specific audience.

Chellamuth’s life is forever altered after he is kidnapped from his Southern India village and sold to the orphanage, Lincoln Home for Homeless Children. While Chellamuth is desperately trying to tell the staff of the orphanage that he has a family, his family is on the outside searching for him. Soon Chellamuth is adopted to an American family and thrown into the foreign land, language and lifestyle. After a decade of living a lie and seeking for answers on how to get back to hi homeland, Chellamuth now has a new name, and has met another Indian family who brings him back to his culture.

Talk about a page turning, tear filled time with this one! This is based on a true story and is filled with so much emotion and love. Chellamuth is a beautiful young boy who grows into a strong young man and never looses hope and his heart for his family. So happy that this book was adapted for a younger audience!

This novel is based on a true story.
It is intense at times, heartbreaking and yet a hopeful story.
A seven year old boy, named Chellamuthu is kidnapped from his small, poor village in India and taken to an orphanage.
He is old enough to understand that he has been taken and is missing his family, yet is unable to escape and return to his home despite attempts while in this "home" he has been taken to.
He is adopted by an American couple in the US and eventually learns the language and is well taken care of.
Yet... he knows and remembers snippets at times of his past, and wonders if he will ever figure out what really happened over in India.

I truly enjoyed this story.

It is well written and definitely an intriguing story that held my interest and had me entwined in Chellamuthu's life.

Thank you to NetGalley and #Shadow Mountain Publishing for this ARC and allowing me to provide my own review.