I didn’t know this story, a horrifying one for sure. Much like the unreported expulsion of all non-citizens and anyone with a Hispanic background in the US during the depression, there are nasty things not reported in our history books.
This makes Graham’s book vitally important. We need to have an accessible record of these historical mistakes/evils. Exporting children as slaves was both.

And this book is accessible. The writing is smooth, the characters are involving, the situations both realistic and horrifying. The book itself is perfect for young adult readers (and adult, but just broadening the catchment...). Though one situation involves a sexual situation, Graham carefully draws a veil over the actual events.

One of the lovely threads through the story is the long-term friendship, love, and loyalty between the characters. It is heartwarming, and I hope such ties did exist to support these isolated children. It’s also balancing to have some decent individuals reach out to help the youths, as I’m sure did happen.

Graham gives back stories to some characters that appear evil, describing the situation in which these families bought these children.

With the US government holding hundreds of children at the border (and adopting some out), this book about governments eagerly exporting their ‘problem’ individuals into toxic environments is a timely reminder of what can go wrong.

Please, may we have some more books from this author? Well worth a read, and highly recommended for those who want to know our history, even the shameful undersides.

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This is a story that needs to be told about a forgotten part of Canadian history. I did not know that over 100,000 orphaned children were shipped over to Canada from England between 1869 to 1948. The poverty in England during this time was very high, and many children were orphaned or abandoned by their families. The orphanages were full to overflowing, so it seemed a way to offer these children a better life in another country. They were indentured to families in Canada, then promptly forgotten. There was no follow-up to all these placements, and these children were kept in appalling conditions, and made to work on farms for very little food and often made to sleep in barns and outbuildings Many died from privation or exposure. Those that survivied had great difficulty trying to fit into normal life when their indenture was over and they were released from their captivity. This book is baed on true events, and the story of these hundreds of thousads of children is told through the recollections of five fictional children who were picked up off the streets of London. The two girls were placed in a girls orphanage and the three boys placed in the boys orphanage. All were emigrated to Canada and placed in terrible homes. The book is about their survival (or, in some cases, their deaths). The story time frame 1935 to the present day and told from two different viewpoints. When 97 year old Winny tells her story to her granddaughter and her great-grandson they had no idea what their grandmother had suffered. The story needs to be told about this shameful part of Canadian history, and I appreicate the research that Genevieve Graham put into this book. Unfortunately, the book did not engage me like it should have because I felt that the writing was average and acked depth. Thus the three stars i have given it. Thanks to Ms. Graham for writing this story and opening my eyes to something that I wasn't aware of. Thanks for all her research and the time it must have taken, not to mention the toll it must have taken on her well-being. It is a difficult thing to read about, never mind having to talk to people that experienced it first hand. This story belongs on a shelf, front and centre, along with Residential schools and other horrific things that our Canadian childen suffered during a brutal time in history. ( )

I had heard about Dr. Barnardo and the home children that came to Canada (and other places in the British Empire). Most notably, Will Ferguson's great book called Beyond Belfast mentioned them because Ferguson was descended from an Irish orphan who was cared for in the Barnardo home in Belfast. But I had never really heard anything much about the experience of the children once they came to Canada. This book fills in that gap.

Five young peopl were surviving on the streets of London in the 1930s. Not technically orphans because they had a surviving parent they were out on their own at a young age. Winny had left home because of her abusive stepfather and the others had similar stories or their families just couldn't afford to look after them. When they tried once too often to steal they were all picked up by the police and sent to Dr. Barnardo's homes. Winny and Mary go to The Barkingside Home for Girls while the three boys, Jack, Edward and Cecil, are put in a different home. The five are reunited though when they are all placed on the same ship to go to Canada. Jack and Mary are siblings as are Edward and Cecil and they all treat Winny like a sister so they are a close-knit group. They manage to stay together until they get to Toronto. Almost immediately the boys are sent to a farmer near London, ON. Winny and Mary go to separate farms near Peterborough. All of the children are treated like slave labour and only given the most basic of necessities. Winny's employer is a sister to the woman who has Mary so Winny eventually reunites with Mary but she is shocked by the change in her friend. Later she hears that Mary has been sent away from the farm because she has become pregnant, supposedly by one of the male home children at the same farm. But Winny knows that the male owner of the farm was bothering Mary and she thinks he is the father of her child. Winny confides her suspicions to her employer who tells her sister and when Mary comes back to the farm after giving birth she is left alone by the farmer. That only lasts for a while and when the sexual abuse starts up again Mary commits suicide. Winny makes a promise to find her son and raise him. Meanwhile the three boys and the other home child on the farm, Quinn, have been putting up with horrible living conditions but when their farmer almost beats Quinn to death they all leave the farm. They are lucky to wind up at the home of an old doctor and his wife who take the boys in. Unfortunately Quinn dies of his injuries. Soon after Jack starts riding the rails, picking up odd jobs across the country. He asks people he meets about Mary and Winny but never hears any news of them. When World War II breaks out Jack enlists and writes to Edward and Cecil suggesting they join him which they do. Winny has achieved her dream of becoming a nurse and also of finding and adopting Mary's son, Billy. We learn all this as flashbacks from 97 year old Winny describing to her granddaughter and great-grandson how she came to Canada, something she never talked about before.

I think Dr. Barnardo (and the other people who sent British children abroad) genuinely wanted the best for the children. However, with limited resources and staff, it seems like follow-up on the children's circumstances fell through the cracks. According to Library and Archives Canada, over 100,000 children came to Canada from Great Britain between 1869 and 1932. Many of these people, just like Winny, never talked about their experiences but geneologists and historians have done a lot of work to document at least 70,000. I confess I checked the records to see if any might be related because I have never really known how my ancestors came to Canada. If any of them were home children the records don't go back far enough to include the years when my great-grandparents were born so it's still a mystery. ( )

Historical novel about the english orphans that were sent to Canada to work on farms and find a new life. Some did better than others, adopted by cruel farmers and abused. We follow 5 children that come to the Toronto area and go their separate ways. Simple writing, easy to read. ( )

This story reminded me of two books I’ve read recently dealing with the Canadian home children. Both were told by the oldest child trying to locate their siblings. This story was very different in that it was told through the orphans who were selected and sent to Canada. They had no parents they were on their own and were convinced this would be a win win for all parties involved.

It’s unimaginable how these kids were treated, the living conditions and what they were fed was inhumane. The story didn’t get too graphic where you can’t read it but enough to get you teary eyed. Everyone thought this would work out well for all, but it wasn’t for many of these young kids.

This story begins in 2018 the back cover says, “At ninety-seven years old, Winnifred Ellis knows she doesn’t have much time left, and it is almost a relief to realize that once she is gone, the truth about her shameful past will die with her. But when her great-grandson Jamie, the spitting image of her dear late husband, asks about his family tree, Winnifred can’t lie any longer, even if it means breaking a promise, she made so long ago...”

Somethings can’t be erased from your soul, but Winnifred learned to compartmentalize the horrific treatment, abuse and living conditions she experienced back then. She realizes that by telling her story (finally) to her family she is set free from the secrets she has hidden away. The ones that have been eating at her mind and heart. I felt for Winny and her friends. I’m glad they had each other.

I learned so much from this story and appreciated the author notes to readers where she details what actually happened with pictures from the time and other facts. This is the first book I’ve read by this author it won’t be the last.

This novel would be great for your next book club pick. The author includes 21 book topics and questions for discussion in the back. This is a story you won’t soon forget.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”

Nora St. Laurent
TBCN Where Book Fun Begins!
The Book Club Network blog www.bookfun.org ( )