Title: Journey to Love: Marie’s Journey, 1901
Author: Amanda Tero
Series: Orphan Journeys
Major Themes: Foster Children, Orphan Trains, Orphans
Synopsis: After the death of her parents, Marie finds herself in a Midwest farming community, far from her home in New York City, among people with a quite different view of God than her family had.
The orphan trains that helped children from big cities in the East to find new homes in the Midwest of America in the late 1800s and early 1900s have held quite a fascination for many people ever since then. I’ve seen a number of series of books about the children who rode on the trains. Amanda Tero has begun a new series with Journey to Love.
Marie’s parents were both dead, and her brother had vanished. Marie found herself in a small town in the Midwest, after being put on an orphan train in New York City. When Mr. and Mrs. Bowles took her to their home, she was determined not to allow herself to love them. She also determined not to listen to what she heard at church; the church and the saints her mother had prayed to hadn’t done any good for her. The people in this community, however, were different from any Marie had ever known.
When Marie started making friends with a neighbor family, blind Mary’s love began to crack through the shell she had built around herself. Could she ever really understand Mary’s, and Mr. and Mrs. Bowles’s faith? Could she possibly open herself to God’s love?
I enjoyed this sweet novella. It isn’t very long, but just right for children. Girls who enjoy reading about orphans would love this book. Be sure to look for the short story that accompanies it, Letter of Love. It would be best read after Journey to Love.
No warnings!
Age levels:
Listening Level—Ages 5 – 8, 8 – 12, Family Friendly
Reading Independently—Ages 8 – 12, 10 – 12, 12 – 15
Links to buy this book:
Amazon: Paperback | Kindle
AbeBooks: View Choices on AbeBooks.com
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