Discover new books on Goodreads
Meet your next favorite book

This list is for the best books about orphans. Lest there be any dispute about whether a character is technically an orphan, it is also for books about children who believe they are orphans, or are practically orphans...
1

by
4.47 avg rating — 11,907,888 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
2

by
4.33 avg rating — 1,165,484 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
3

by
4.17 avg rating — 1,346,477 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
4

by
4.16 avg rating — 2,433,999 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
5

by
4.23 avg rating — 336,735 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
6

by
4.05 avg rating — 216,229 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
7

by
4.03 avg rating — 163,597 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
8

by
4.02 avg rating — 428,131 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
9

by
3.80 avg rating — 899,800 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
10

by
4.14 avg rating — 142,029 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
11

by
4.01 avg rating — 322 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
12

by
4.03 avg rating — 589,665 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
13

by
4.70 avg rating — 38,551 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
14

by
4.16 avg rating — 213,211 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
15

by
4.23 avg rating — 1,506 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
16

by
3.88 avg rating — 440,326 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
17

by
4.20 avg rating — 180,726 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
18

by
3.90 avg rating — 129,783 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
19

by
4.13 avg rating — 56,147 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
20

by
3.83 avg rating — 217,068 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
21

by
3.83 avg rating — 1,357,844 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
22

by
4.07 avg rating — 39,374 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
23

by
3.68 avg rating — 6,254 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
24

by
4.03 avg rating — 30,993 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
25

by
4.15 avg rating — 573,359 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
26

by
4.05 avg rating — 78,905 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
27

by
4.04 avg rating — 381,972 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
28

by
4.12 avg rating — 79,107 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
29

by
4.18 avg rating — 440,111 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
30

by
4.31 avg rating — 3,586,063 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
31

by
3.79 avg rating — 111 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
32

by
3.75 avg rating — 2,450 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
33

by
really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 527,972 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
34

by
4.05 avg rating — 267,940 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
35

by
4.11 avg rating — 28,090 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
35

by
3.85 avg rating — 2,101 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
37

by
4.06 avg rating — 58,562 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
38

by
4.07 avg rating — 22,822 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
38

by
3.84 avg rating — 8,498 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
40

by
3.95 avg rating — 251,920 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
41

by
3.98 avg rating — 23,619 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
42

by
4.26 avg rating — 15,813 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
43

by
3.95 avg rating — 2,940 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
44

by
3.70 avg rating — 1,913 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
45

by
4.01 avg rating — 40,329 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
46

by
3.73 avg rating — 11,105 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
47

by
3.89 avg rating — 136,293 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
48

by
4.12 avg rating — 38,741 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
49

by
3.78 avg rating — 85,140 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
50

by
3.69 avg rating — 3,678 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
51

by
4.04 avg rating — 335 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
51

by
3.86 avg rating — 10,733 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
53

by
3.70 avg rating — 96,687 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
53

by
4.15 avg rating — 133,208 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
55

by
4.14 avg rating — 20,925 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
56

by
4.17 avg rating — 23,601 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
57

by
3.91 avg rating — 409,075 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
58

by
3.58 avg rating — 327 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
59

by
4.02 avg rating — 93,380 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
60

by
4.10 avg rating — 237,602 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
61

by
4.02 avg rating — 32,558 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
62

by
3.71 avg rating — 52,882 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
63

by
4.08 avg rating — 15,806 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
64

by
4.23 avg rating — 13 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
64

by
3.36 avg rating — 14 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
64

by
4.20 avg rating — 40 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
64

by
4.32 avg rating — 4,651 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
64

by
2.80 avg rating — 5 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
64

by
4.33 avg rating — 3 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
64

by
4.13 avg rating — 47 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
64

by
3.89 avg rating — 1,849 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
64

by
3.89 avg rating — 23,443 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
64

by
4.21 avg rating — 28 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
64

by
4.14 avg rating — 35 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
64

by
4.19 avg rating — 18,046 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
64

by
4.95 avg rating — 87 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
77

by
3.40 avg rating — 5 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
77

by
3.53 avg rating — 1,674 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
77

by
4.07 avg rating — 10,112 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
77

by
4.10 avg rating — 1,182 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
77

by
4.26 avg rating — 4,735 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
82

by
4.24 avg rating — 3,098 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
82

by
3.71 avg rating — 705 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
82

by
4.17 avg rating — 6,990 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
85

by
4.17 avg rating — 4,739 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
85

by
3.92 avg rating — 1,050,995 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
85

by
4.29 avg rating — 135,975 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
85

by
4.25 avg rating — 1,356 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
89

by
4.01 avg rating — 2,476 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
90

by
3.69 avg rating — 2,633 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
90

by
4.07 avg rating — 106,645 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
92

by
3.80 avg rating — 101,276 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
92

by
3.60 avg rating — 2,145 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
92

by
4.13 avg rating — 115,762 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
92

by
4.05 avg rating — 97,433 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
96

by
3.54 avg rating — 1,572 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
96

by
3.83 avg rating — 9,762 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
96

by
3.80 avg rating — 806 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
96

by
4.34 avg rating — 21,854 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
100

by
3.98 avg rating — 4,848 ratings
Rate this book
Clear rating
163 books · 71 voters · list created January 17th, 2012 by Lydia (votes) .
10 likes · 
Lists are re-scored approximately every 5 minutes.


Lydia 940 books
21 friends
Meghan 2400 books
275 friends
Jessie 498 books
36 friends
Manybooks 23133 books
260 friends
Annie 12709 books
143 friends
Apostrophe 51 books
828 friends
Andréa 51492 books
544 friends
Faith 271 books
28 friends

More voters…


Comments Showing 1-6 of 6 (6 new)

dateUp arrow    newest »

message 1: by Surendran (new)

Surendran Murugesan Can somone suggest some indian books in this theme


message 2: by Christine (new)

Christine Jeffords If you mean Indians as in India, Mowgli in "The Jungle Books" would qualify; his parents may or may not be dead, but they ran away when Shere Khan started "humming" in the brush, and he never meets them.

If Indians as in "Native Americans," there's a Cinderella variant in Native myth, and a Blackfoot story about Scarface, who is "an orphan and poor." That's just a start; I'd guess that if you searched worldcat under Subject: Orphans: Native American: Juvenile, you might find some.


message 3: by Janice (new)

Janice Kuharski This is a wonderful list--bringing so many great children's titles under the searchable heading of "orphan books." Didn't find what I was looking for. But I discovered this great list!


message 4: by BookLovingLady (deceased Jan. 25, 2023...) (last edited Nov 23, 2019 08:35AM) (new)

BookLovingLady (deceased Jan. 25, 2023...) Pippi Longstocking (#13) has a father... (I know the description says 'it is also for books about children who believe they are orphans, or are practically orphans', but she does have a father...)


message 5: by Georgina (new)

Georgina Warren BookLovingLady (deceased Jan. 25, 2023...) wrote: "Pippi Longstocking (#13) has a father... (I know the description says 'it is also for books about children who believe they are orphans, or are practically orphans', but she does have ..."

I agree with you, Pippi Longstocking does have a father, but he is absent except when she visits him in Pippi in the South Seas. I think this book should be removed from this list.


message 6: by Georgina (new)

Georgina Warren The most iconic orphan stories familiar to readers are Pollyanna, Anne of Green Gables, Heidi, Oliver Twist, Little Orphan Annie, Mary Lennox (The Secret Garden) and Sarah Crewe (A Little Princess).

Other well-known fictional orphans in the modern era:

The Beaudelaire siblings Violet, Klaus and Sunny (A Series of Unfortunate Events) and Harry Potter.

Roald Dahl has written many orphans stories
James Henry Trotter (James and the Giant Peach), Sophie (The BFG), the little boy (The Witches)


back to top