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Alexy Strong and Silent
You met Alexy, Nurse, and the young pouncer, Mládà, in Shay The Brave.
Now journey with them to Dorp House, an orphanage in distant Indusdorp where Shay’s da (manor lord of Oldenshire) sends Alexy to live. But Dorp House isn’t the school Da thinks it is; it’s a dismal tannery run by greedy Mr. Brisket and his towering one-eyed custodian, Crankhouser.
Can Nurse and the new headmaster Da hired—persnickety Mr. Perrytwinkle—save forty hungry orphans from a life of dirt and drudgery? Among them is Susanna, Alexy’s new best friend, and her two brothers.
What can one voiceless lad like Alexy do?
Things grow worse when Crankhouser sells Mládà to Farmageddon to be put on display with other captured citizens of Ailouros, the forest kingdom ally of Oldenshire, back home.
And who, oh who, is that mysterious man in the prison tower who begs Alexy’s help?
If only Shay’s da or Talí (ruler of Ailouros and Mládà father) knew what was happening in Indusdorp!
Now journey with them to Dorp House, an orphanage in distant Indusdorp where Shay’s da (manor lord of Oldenshire) sends Alexy to live. But Dorp House isn’t the school Da thinks it is; it’s a dismal tannery run by greedy Mr. Brisket and his towering one-eyed custodian, Crankhouser.
Can Nurse and the new headmaster Da hired—persnickety Mr. Perrytwinkle—save forty hungry orphans from a life of dirt and drudgery? Among them is Susanna, Alexy’s new best friend, and her two brothers.
What can one voiceless lad like Alexy do?
Things grow worse when Crankhouser sells Mládà to Farmageddon to be put on display with other captured citizens of Ailouros, the forest kingdom ally of Oldenshire, back home.
And who, oh who, is that mysterious man in the prison tower who begs Alexy’s help?
If only Shay’s da or Talí (ruler of Ailouros and Mládà father) knew what was happening in Indusdorp!
168 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 21, 2025
About the author
Riley Kilmore
3 books4 followersIn addition to devoting 20 years to firefighting, Kilmore’s been a cop, a homeschool mom, has leaped from airplanes, and has sailed around the world.
After she and her husband raised six kids, she earned her MFA in Writing Popular Fiction, then won the 2023 West Virginia Fiction Competition judged by author Ann Pancake. Her award-winning story, Mother, May I? appears in the 2024 volume of the Anthology of Appalachian Writers.
Kilmore's other award-winning fiction and poetry appear in many anthologies, as well.
Her debut children’s novel, Shay the Brave, came out in 2024. Shay the Brave is a fantasy adventure that champions friendship and intercultural cooperation and understanding.
Kilmore lives on a mountainside farm in Appalachia where she and her husband have provided a home to their many rescued animals, including horses, goats, dogs, cats, rabbits, and even a a possum.
After she and her husband raised six kids, she earned her MFA in Writing Popular Fiction, then won the 2023 West Virginia Fiction Competition judged by author Ann Pancake. Her award-winning story, Mother, May I? appears in the 2024 volume of the Anthology of Appalachian Writers.
Kilmore's other award-winning fiction and poetry appear in many anthologies, as well.
Her debut children’s novel, Shay the Brave, came out in 2024. Shay the Brave is a fantasy adventure that champions friendship and intercultural cooperation and understanding.
Kilmore lives on a mountainside farm in Appalachia where she and her husband have provided a home to their many rescued animals, including horses, goats, dogs, cats, rabbits, and even a a possum.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
October 11, 2025
Fans of Shay the Brave will find a kindred spirit in her friend Alexy, who takes center stage in this action-adventure sequel. Unable to speak, nine-year-old Alexy communicates in a sign language that few humans understand, but his animal friends can follow. Shades of Dickens color this tale of loss and resilience as we follow the now motherless Alexy to Dorp House, where the orphans toil long hours for their daily bread. As he struggles to adjust to his bleak new home, Alexy has a few unexpected allies in his corner—the stalwart Nurse, who refuses to abandon him to his fate—and a ‘pouncer’ cub named Mládà, who stowed away on the passage from Oldenshire. Riley Kilmore gives us the same delightful wordplay, richly drawn characters, fantastical environment, and fast-paced storytelling as in the first book. Guranteed to touch the heart. Pick it up and enjoy a great ride.
December 4, 2025
Alexy, Strong and Silent, is a richly languaged story centering on a nonverbal child protagonist and the feisty Nurse who accompanies him on a journey from his former life in Oldenshire to the Dorp House orphanage that was to be his new home. Alexy is a silent, pensive ten-year-old boy who thinks a lot about words. By contrast, Nurse is a take-charge character with a loud and colorful vocabulary (“goosebumps and gilylollops!”). When they arrive at Dorp House to discover Dickensian conditions of children living in squalor as tannery laborers to earn their meagre keep, Nurse wrangles the headmaster and caretaker along with the paltry resources available to bring dignity and care to the place. At Dorp House, Alexy makes friends with Suzanne, whose own gift is that of listening and understanding.
Riley Kilmore uses humor and word play to portray difficult themes of social inequities, corruption, greed, and abuse of vulnerable adults, children, and animals. Yet, as the adventures of Alexy unfold, the reader is captured by a message of hope that grows stronger through each chapter. This message of hope is most beautifully captured in one of Alexy’s thought experiments where he contemplates the distinctions of the words possibility and probability as being “containers that each held hope” with the difference being the amount of hope each could hold—the container with the two b’s having more capacity than the one with two s’s because bigger starts with b and smaller starts with s. (p.82) These kinds of thoughtful parsing of words and ideas occur throughout the book, as Alexy recalls the ways that Shay (the protagonist of Kilmore’s previous book) has mentored him.
It is lovely to see that one of the final chapters of the book is titled “Reparations.” The miserable conditions and unhappy circumstances that launched Alexy’s adventure (with Nurse by his side) are resolved not only for the protagonists, but for the broader community. Things are set right. And, even though the adventures of Alexy include elements of magic, the tools of reparation are ones available to all of us, brought to life by the wonderful characters: resourcefulness, mentorship, friendship, deep thinking, and care.
Riley Kilmore uses humor and word play to portray difficult themes of social inequities, corruption, greed, and abuse of vulnerable adults, children, and animals. Yet, as the adventures of Alexy unfold, the reader is captured by a message of hope that grows stronger through each chapter. This message of hope is most beautifully captured in one of Alexy’s thought experiments where he contemplates the distinctions of the words possibility and probability as being “containers that each held hope” with the difference being the amount of hope each could hold—the container with the two b’s having more capacity than the one with two s’s because bigger starts with b and smaller starts with s. (p.82) These kinds of thoughtful parsing of words and ideas occur throughout the book, as Alexy recalls the ways that Shay (the protagonist of Kilmore’s previous book) has mentored him.
It is lovely to see that one of the final chapters of the book is titled “Reparations.” The miserable conditions and unhappy circumstances that launched Alexy’s adventure (with Nurse by his side) are resolved not only for the protagonists, but for the broader community. Things are set right. And, even though the adventures of Alexy include elements of magic, the tools of reparation are ones available to all of us, brought to life by the wonderful characters: resourcefulness, mentorship, friendship, deep thinking, and care.
October 20, 2025
ALEXY STRONG AND SILENT is the sequel to author Riley Kilmore’s well-received debut, SHAY THE BRAVE. However, while ALEXY STRONG AND SILENT brings back some beloved characters and familiar settings, it stands alone as an enjoyable read for Middle Grades readers and anyone who loves a heartwarming story with clever wordplay.
The book starts with Alexy going to live at Dorp House, a horrible workhouse disguised as an orphanage where the kids are forced to labor in owner Mr. Brisket’s tannery. Brisket’s mean custodian, Crankhouser, is around to make life miserable for Alexy and the other children.
Thankfully, Nurse is one adult at the orphanage he can trust. He also makes friends with Susanna, another kid at the school. Then there’s Mládà the pouncer (like a giant cat) - a favorite character of mine!
Crankhouser captures Mládà and sells her to be put on display. Can Alexy and his friends rescue the pouncer and turn Dorp House into a place where kids want to live?
And once again, Kilmore’s wordplay is a highlight of the book, as well as an educational tool for young readers. Here is a sample: Mr. Brisket, Alexy decided, must’ve seen the writing on the wall, which isn’t to say Nurse had put pencil to plaster to explain things; she didn’t write well enough to do that.”
ALEXY STRONG AND SILENT is a fun, fast-paced read. I know readers will enjoy this one like they did SHAY THE BRAVE!
The book starts with Alexy going to live at Dorp House, a horrible workhouse disguised as an orphanage where the kids are forced to labor in owner Mr. Brisket’s tannery. Brisket’s mean custodian, Crankhouser, is around to make life miserable for Alexy and the other children.
Thankfully, Nurse is one adult at the orphanage he can trust. He also makes friends with Susanna, another kid at the school. Then there’s Mládà the pouncer (like a giant cat) - a favorite character of mine!
Crankhouser captures Mládà and sells her to be put on display. Can Alexy and his friends rescue the pouncer and turn Dorp House into a place where kids want to live?
And once again, Kilmore’s wordplay is a highlight of the book, as well as an educational tool for young readers. Here is a sample: Mr. Brisket, Alexy decided, must’ve seen the writing on the wall, which isn’t to say Nurse had put pencil to plaster to explain things; she didn’t write well enough to do that.”
ALEXY STRONG AND SILENT is a fun, fast-paced read. I know readers will enjoy this one like they did SHAY THE BRAVE!
October 14, 2025
I was happy to find “Nurse” return as a main character in this Shay the Brave sequel. She is the no-nonsense yet humorous, stern yet loving fierce fighter for social justice we’d all want in our corner. And in this instance, Alexy, and all the kids in the orphanage of Indusdorp were lucky to have her in theirs.
This story is set in a mythical time and place, but the author creatively allows young readers to conjure parallels to issues - and more importantly, solutions – that might happen today.
There are many likeable people (and beasts) in this whimsical tale – I’m looking forward to whomever is chosen to take up the mantel in the next!
This story is set in a mythical time and place, but the author creatively allows young readers to conjure parallels to issues - and more importantly, solutions – that might happen today.
There are many likeable people (and beasts) in this whimsical tale – I’m looking forward to whomever is chosen to take up the mantel in the next!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews