Of the 3 Orphan Train West books I have read so far, I think this might have been my favorite. The theme verse for this story is "Trust in the Lord, wait on him and he will bring it to pass. Trust him and he will give thee the secret desires of they heart." That was the verse orphan Laurel clung to as she was growing up in Dr. and Mrs. Woodward's home.

Laurel finds herself being placed in Greystone Orphanage at an early age when her mother is sick and must put her there to enter a sanitorium (where she will die). Laurel finds herself on a train headed west with her two best friends at the orphanage, Kit and Toddy. She is adopted by the doctor and his wife and you will find yourself watching Laurel grow up and the struggles she has to deal with as she enters her adult years. She wants to finds her true identity and must leave those she loves and travels to Boston. There she finds more than she was ever expecting.

These orphan train series of books did a great job of helping you to realize what these little children went through as they were uprooted, sent West and had no choice in the homes they were placed into. Jane Peart does a good job of grabbing your attention and holding it all the way through the story. ( )