Dorp Dead

by Julia Cunningham

When a lonely boy leaves an orphanage to be apprenticed to a laddermaker only to find out that he is a virtual prisoner, he seeks escape with the one affectionate creature in his life, the dog Mash.

Genres: Horror, Fiction, Middle Grade, Young Adult, Childrens, Novella, Thriller

88 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1965

About the author

On October 4, 1916 in Spokane, Washington, Julia Cunningham was born. Julia went to school for a short time in Virginia. She was an editor and held various other jobs before writing children's and young adult books. The Vision of Francois the Fox, Ms. Cunningham's first book, was published in 1960, followed by Viollet (1966), The Treasure is the Rose (1973), and Tuppeny (1978).

Her book, Dorp Dead (1965), has been called "a ground-breaking novel that dramatically changed children's literature in the 20th century."

As a children's author, Cunningham has felt she needs to "listen - look - daydream - be aware of smell and taste - and be "disciplined." Critics have praised her works for their originality and "poetic prose."

Among her many honors are the Christopher Medal for Come to the Edge and a Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor for The Flight of the Sparrow. The Treasure is the Rose was a National Book Award Finalist. Julia Cunningham lives in Santa Barbara, California.

Reviews

[Ivonne Rovira · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read Julia Cunningham’s classic 45 years ago and never forgot this slim, atmospheric book or its unique title. I bought the book for a reluctant reader, who has loved it — and persuaded others to read it, as well. So I decided on a re-read these many decades later.

Dorp Dead remains just as interesting, just as mysterious, just as chilling as it was when it was first released. And it has inspired me to seek out other Cunningham novels, including her National Book Award finalist The Treasure Is The Rose. A quick and riveting read that’s highly, highly recommended for readers of any age.

[Roger · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this in grade school. Spoiler alert. I couldn’t believe this was considered appropriate to market to grade schoolers (a carpenter building a cage to hold an orphan boy). Still don’t think it was, but I do remember it, and I’m 49 now.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes when I withdraw a book (for low circulation) that looks good, I read it before I put it in the Friends box. At least you got enjoyed one more time, unpopular book! I hope you find a nice new home, you weird little thing.

[Scott · Rating 2 out of 5]

I first read this way back in the seventh grade. Recently I got a copy and reread it and I think I find it as bewildering a book as I did more than 25 years ago.

[Jane Ryder · Rating 5 out of 5]

In 1976 I was in 6th grade, and our fresh-out-of-college young teacher read to us for an hour every day. We loved it, but of all the books she read us, DORP DEAD is the one that stuck with me. It was unusually dark for what would now be called a middle-grade of YA book (which didn't exist as categories back then, really), full of foreboding and a building sense of WRONGness that kept us begging our teacher for "Just a little more!" each day. When we'd finished the book, I remember not wanting to talk or go to recess or do anything but just sit quietly and think about it.

I've read it several times since then and it still has the same effect. I imagine some of that is due to the memories and feelings it's connected to from that time of my life, but a lot of it is Cunningham's skill as a storyteller. It's not a long book and the story isn't complicated, but it taps into the primal fears of adolescence in a way no other MG or YA book I've ever read has managed.

Knopf's cover for the 2002 reprint is terrific. Now I just wish they'd put it out as an ebook!

[Ensiform · Rating 4 out of 5]

This edition has an afterword by Betsy Hearne. Gilly Ground, an eleven-year-old orphan, is taken in by a ladder maker named Mr. Kobalt. A squat, muscular man, he runs a rigidly scheduled life based on the control of time and of others. At first, Gilly enjoys the discipline and the quiet, but soon sees the insanity and danger that lie in Kobalt.

I first read this 90-page young adult novelette when I was eleven, and admired it greatly. Now, many years later, I find it powerful still. It’s a strange mix of realism, fairy tale and horror. Its elements of realism (life in the orphanage, Gilly’s memory of his grandmother) flow easily into the nightmarish fairy tale elements (a mysterious Hunter who “rescues” Gilly; an animal friend and protector; a wicked stepfather of sorts who is a woodworker). There is a rather misleading bit about the dog (how would the cage be broken if Kobalt had left it alive?) and Kobalt’s public display of insane murderousness is highly improbable given his character, but these incongruities only reinforce the idea that this is a modern fairy tale. I think it’d make a fine book to read to kids around the same age as the narrator, although a lot of time would have to be spent explaining the rich, poetic sentence flow and vocabulary.
[Read twice]

[Yancy Lent · Rating 5 out of 5]

We read this in elementary school and parts have haunted me since. It was great to read with a slightly more mature mind and cross reference those haunts with a more lived life. This read was cathartic in a different way from Lord of the Flies, et al where characters were miss understood or deep plotlines went over my head. This revisit simply put haunting memories to rest and provided a few hours of joy in the process. I look forward to one day giving my copy to a rebellious tween that's looking for something edgy.

[David R. · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was literally the worst children's book I read as a child. Perhaps for some reader, the "redemption" is worth the depression, deprivation and horror depicted. The narration is flat, as befits the pathology depicted. For me it was a window into meaningless cruelty and suffering with nothing believable to offer as counterweight.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first dark fiction. It's been 36 years and I remember this story well.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars -- I guess this is #2 in a 2026 search & purge effort in my library. This has not been checked out (probably for reasons such as cover wear & its mid-century illustrations), and it is also not in any other district library's collection. One local public library has the newer printing of it, but, interestingly enough, that copy is housed in the Young Adult section. So of course I pulled it to read!

This is the story of Gilly Ground, who is orphaned when his grandmother dies. At the village orphanage, Gilly does the bare minimum. He also acts like he is dumb, and he refuses to socialize with the other children. When he spends an entire day AWOL from the orphanage, the matron, Mrs. Heister, has him pack his things and takes him to Mr. Kobalt's house, where he will now be living. Mr. Kobalt is the village ladder maker, who is VERY exacting in his work and in his life. Thus begins the creepy part of this story. It kept me hooked in its weirdness and made me disappointed that Cunningham didn't do more with the story.

[CAPTAIN CAPSLOCK PHD · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why is this a banned book?
Answering my own question here -The book was (possibly) banned for a while and generally disliked because, according to the introduction, the main character is antisocial. Good heavens! It's not like antisocial kids exist in real life or anything! As an adult who was an antisocial kid myself, I found him refreshing and relatable. But having introverted social skills has always been something that was heavily discouraged by parents groups, so I'm not surprised.

[John E. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book stirred quite a controversy when it was first published. Many wanted it to be banned because of the suggested cruelty of the situation with Gilly Ground and Kobalt. It has a lot of symbolism that can be used as a teaching tool to cause kids to think critically and analyze characters. It was a mainstay for me as a teacher with my classes.

[Garrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this because it had been sitting on my shelf for 40 years. It was given to me as a present because the main character did not know how to spell. Please do not give this book to anybody if they are having trouble spelling.

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a weird book. I really don't know how to feel about this. It was very well written but there is a trigger warning: animal abuse, even though we don't see it but we know the man beats the dog. Sad environment for this poor boy.

[Skyler · Rating 5 out of 5]

a re-read from junior high school

[Declan]

Rawest kid's book of all time

[Salsabrarian]

After Gilly's grandma dies, he lives in the village Home for Children. Gilly hides his intelligence and maintains a loner status, not socializing with the other kids but taking refuge in an abandoned tower. One day he learns he's been taken in by the village ladder maker, Mr. Kobalt. Mr. Kobalt maintains a precise schedule and routine, and keeps a spotless house. He expects Gilly to do the same and Gilly is quite content with it and Mr. Kobalt's loner ways. But there are cracks in Mr. Kobalt's facade and Gilly soon realizes he needs to escape his situation before it's too late.

[Magan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this when I was in second grade. It is not an easy book--by any stretch of the imagination. It is dark and gritty--it is a real book. It is about a boy who is an orphan who is adopted from his orphanage by a man who seems to be bringing something good into the boy's life, but it take a dark and nasty turn when the boy realizes that he's not a boy, but a slave. The boy, along with the man's dog, make an amazing, harrowing and dangerous escape.

Highly recommended.

[Laura-Anne Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this when I was in third grade and always remembered it as a good book with a twist. I recently found a copy from a vintage book seller and reread it... it is just as strangely profound today as it was all those years ago.

2/10/2024 Still holds up as the strangest creepiest oddest little book I have ever read and yet strangely uplifting and profound . This little book stays with you long after you have finished it …

[Edy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dorp Dead is the moving story of a young orphan who is sent to live with a mentally-ill man. A little book but packed with emotion.

(I read this novel in the 70s when I was taking an adolescent lit. class. The critique came from one I did for the class.)

[Ken · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of those books that has been on my bookshelf since I was a young boy and I finally got around to reading it. I never expected such a dark tale of an orphan who goes to a foster home, only to find himself living with a madman bent on unspeakable acts.

[Menna Ali · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actually it deserves 3.5.. and at last it succeeded to be a spine-tingling horror story.
I love that misspelled part.. it was a shock and I kept laughing at myself also I examined my sister to see that I'm not the only fool one there xD
I love DOGS <3

[Lala Hulse · Rating 4 out of 5]

My memories of this book are very vague, but I know I read it at least a dozen times in grade school. I'm pretty sure the edition I had had some good illustrations, too.

[Kelly Dunn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book took an interesting twist at the end, which made the ending kind of depressing. But it was still an enjoyable short read.

[Robert]

A little short and weird.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dark. Loved it.

[Camille · Rating 4 out of 5]

i remember finding this book while in elementary school and just loving it. it was one of my favorites all through high school.

[David Wolowsky · Rating 3 out of 5]

I remember liking this book but it was a long time ago. I can't remember many details though so I'll leave it a three stars.