Did you know children from London orphanages were sent to Canada? For years! This novel is a fictionalized story about real life. One that now has me researching more.

3.5 stars. This novel was thoroughly researched and a really interesting perspective on a chapter of Canadian history that I knew nothing about.The biggest drawback for me was that I didn't particularly enjoy the author's writing style.

The Forgotten Home Child by Genevieve Graham is the heartbreaking story of the British Home Children, and is inspired by the historically accurate plight of destitute children who were sent to Canada from England in the 1930s, where they became virtual slaves to their Canadian 'masters'. This is a part of Canadian history of which I was shamefully unaware, and thank you to Ms Graham for shining a light on events that should never be forgotten.

Alternating between 1936 and 2018, we learn the story of Winny Ellis who, at ninety seven years old, is finally relating the details of her youth to her granddaughter and great grandson, who provide a captivated audience.

Fleeing an intolerable home life in England, Winny finds herself living on the streets, destitute, when she meets Mary and her brother, Jack, who take the vulnerable and naive Winny under their wings. When the children are forced to depart by ship to Canada, they vow that if they are separated, they will find their way back to each other, whatever the cost. Yet, none of them can possibly know of the hardships that the others will endure as they find themselves truly alone in the struggle for survival.

This is a brilliant piece of historical fiction that illuminates true circumstances that are almost too horrible to grasp. Highly recommended.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for this ARC.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read a digital ARC of this book

My first book by Genevieve Graham and can I say it was absolutely amazing! What a story.
I have heard of the British Home Children but never in my wildest thoughts did I think how horrible they were treated.
The British Home children were sent to Canada for a better life...yeah right...what some of the supposed ophans went through brought tears to my eyes. Yes it is a historical fiction story but based on true stories...
I fell in love with the characters and at moments I had to stop reading because of becoming emotional tears were flowing hard....
The synopsis tells you what the book is about so I'm not going into that...what I will say is that if you love historical fiction I guarantee that you will love this book.
Based on true stories from the Home children's children you will feel a series of emotions that will rock your world.
Keep a box of tissues handy because if you have heart it will break and you will cry...
Highly recommend!

I wish to thank Net Galley, the author and the publisher Simon & Schuster for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book. I have voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I just cannot say enough good things about this amazing book. I could not put it down and when it was necessary for me to do so I just could not pick it up fast enough. This book is worthy of many many more stars than five but that is all I can give.

I did not know much about the Canada British Home Children from England that were shipped to rural Canada to be adopted there as indentured workers until they reached the age of 18. This is a historical fiction that is a look back of a young girl and her friends who found themselves across the sea in a land unfamiliar to them. In a lot of cases they were selected by families that abused them, ignored them, treated them worse than animals for the most part. This is a part of Canada’s history that I did not know and my heart aches for the thousands of children involved in this. There are 4 million present day descendants of these children. The fact that these adopted children were mocked by the communities in which they found themselves is so sad. No wonder they did not want to talk about their past to anyone they met. Adoptive children throughout the world feel the same way.

Winny at age 93 looks back on her life and those of her friends. She finally comes to grip with the telling of her life story.

Genevieve brought these stories to life in a brilliant, yet sensitive, way. I have not read her books before but can assure you that I will in the future

The Forgotten Home Child by Gerneieve Graham is the story of a group of children who were transported from the streets of London, to "homes", and eventually to Canada during the Depression era. It was supposed to be a chance for a better life, and it was for some. For others they became no more than indentured servants, abused, and almost starved. This book follows five children who were a street gang trying to survive. There are other books that tell similar stories, but The Forgotten Home is different because it follows these children into adulthood. It shows how their childhood experiences impacted that relationships as adults. It is told from the perspective of a grandmother who is moving in with her granddaughter when her handmade trunk, that carried her belongings to Canada, falls open during the move. The items that spill out spark conversations that lead to the stories the grandmother has kept secret all her life. It will tug at your heartstrings. While this is fiction, there were over 100,000 children transported to Canada over a period of several years., so this story is not far from reality.

The Forgotten Child is a Historical Fiction novel written by Genevieve Graham. She looks at the British Child Home that sent children from Britian to Canada. These children were orphans, urchins and some had parents that gave them up for what they thought was a short time. These children were told that they were the lucky ones being sent to Canada, but once there some were not so lucky. A moving Historical Fiction novel that will make you wonder why so little is known about it. Highly recommend.

Reading a Genevieve Graham book is like waking up in a warm bed on a cold morning….you just never want to leave!

The Forgotten Home Child takes us on an unforgettable journey to 1930’s England, where poverty raged due to over-population and lack of work. To help alleviate the problem, children were sold and shipped to Canadian families.

But what was supposed to be a better life, turned out to be anything but. These “home children” were just as unwelcome in Canada as they were in England. Some faced unimaginable abuse while working in harsh conditions on Canadian farms.

Genevieve Graham has woven a story around a group of friends, Winny, Mary, Jack, Edward and Cecil, that will have you reaching for the tissue long after you read the last page. It’s a heartbreaking story that deserves to be told and the author did a phenomenal job of making the reader feel the confusion, injustice and pain of the home children as they grew-up in an unfair world. This is an ABSOLUTE MUST READ and has definitely set a very high standard for 2020 books!!

What a tearjerker! I was crying almost all the way thru the book. It was really interesting to learn the story of a forgotten piece of history. The author did a good job of switching between present day and past and building a connection between the characters. I thoroughly enjoyed this but be warned, you must be in the mood for this type of literature

My last read book of 2019. Thank you NetGalley and author Genevieve Graham for the advanced readers copy. I love a book that takes me on a journey. From the beginning, I was brought into the Forgotten Home Child. The story about a hidden piece of Canadian history is beautifully written. It is reminiscent of the USA Orphan Trains. The characters could be descendants of any of us. The novel is being released in March of 2020. I would highly recommend reading it.

A wonderful, enlightening book about a period of time in history that seems to be hidden from so many of us. This story is set in Canada and England and maybe well-known there as part of that country's history but I daresay it isn't common knowledge.
Prior to WWII with poverty raging throughout England and a large homeless population that was filled with children, a plan was devised both good and bad to spirit the street children whether they had families or not, into local orphanages and group homes. One such home, Dr. Barnardo’s Barkingside Home for Girls, is featured in the story as being prominent in developing the girls with life skills to be used when they age out of the home. Then in a twist of the story, these children were basically indentured to families in Canada until they paid off their cost. They were supposed to get a stipend at the end of that time to help set them up for their futures.
Unfortunately, some of these children were sent to farms to be used as little more that the animals held on those farms. Some met up with abuse in one form or another. And some were lucky enough to be wanted by the Canadian families, to become a part of the family.
This is the fictional account of those children that include Winnie, Jack and Jack's sister, Mary. Along with a set of brothers and others that come and go throughout the story. How these children came together on the streets and fought to stay together or reunite once separate as they were the only true family they ever knew. Told to Winnie's granddaughter as if revealing a horrid secret, Winnie looks back in hindsight.
A plan that was perhaps meant for the good by some that ultimately became heartrending leaving behind a history of pain and shame in Canada.. But that shame also belongs to the country that shed it's problem so callously at the cost of its youth.
A great look at a piece of mostly hidden history.

I received a complimentary copy of The Forgotten Home Child from NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Good book! I always enjoy a historical novel that teaches me something I never knew about before. Believable characters, realistic events, and true emotions provide ample fuel to read this novel. Winny, her granddaughter, and great-grandson relive Winny's terrible journey from the streets of England to rural Canada to present day. Lost loved ones--both friends and family--contribute to the tragedy of this story. (Only one piece of the book did not quite fit...I understood explaining her husband's journey, but telling it from his point of view after his death seemed out if place, since he was no longer alive to relate that point of view. I guess it helped convey the events in the timeline, but just didn't seem that Winny would have those details and she was the narrator.). Overall, I enjoyed it.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

When Winny is young, she finds herself in the streets of London and finds friends in Mary, Jack, Cecil and Edward. They are caught stealing one day and are taken to an orphanage. From there, they eventually are sent to Canada, where they will be sent out to families and should have a better life. They are split up, but vow to find each other again.

Apparently, between the mid-1800s and up to 1948(?) over 100,000 children – the British Home Children – were sent to Canada. Sadly, for the majority of these kids, it was not a better life. Many (most) were neglected, malnourished, abused. They were indentured servants and most were not treated well.

In the book, Winny is actually 90-some years old, and having been ashamed of her background all these years, she never told her family. But, the book goes back and forth between Winny telling her granddaughter and great-grandson her story and, of course, the story itself: Winny and her friends in the 1930s and through WWII.

This was very interesting. I had never heard of the British Home Children, and that’s why the author wanted to write the story. It’s not taught in schools, and many of the kids sent over kept their stories to themselves, so it’s not well-known. The author includes a good historical note at the end. The author used examples from many of the people she talked to – things that really happened. It was a quick read, but I hope I don’t forget it soon.

This story based on true events is about some of the British Home Children that were sent to Canada. Some children were taken in by families that treated them as their own, but all were not so lucky. This book made me laugh and cry, It was one of the best I have read in a long time. Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read and review an advanced copy of this book.

I really enjoyed this book. I've always enjoyed historical fiction. It's well developed, great characters, & a story that rips @ your heart.

This book was brilliant, outstanding, so so good, I am really at a lose of words on how to tell you about how great this book was, I don't think I can do the book justice.

This book was well written, the story just sucks you in, and you will not be able to put it down, I kept flipping the pages till I was at the end, I needed to know what was going to happen to the kids.

What hot home the most about this book was the fact that the events in this book really happened, that's what made the book easy to read, its a part of history.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book as an ARC. This was my first book by Genevieve Graham and I was pulled in by the topic with the opportunity to learn about an area of history I was not familiar with previously. Let me say it is just horrible to have read about the horrors and misjustice that was inflicted on the home children that were brought to Canada due to circumstances that were far from their control. Against all odds the main character Winny persevered and led a long life where others were not so fortunate. She was a loyal friend and her decisions led her life on a different path then she may have expected. Without offering any spoilers, I would definitely recommend this read and look forward to reading more by this author in the future.

Coming from a Canadian heritage, this book gave so much insight in the late 1800s early 1900s Canada. Taken from true events, homeless children were taken off the streets of Liverpool by the British Home School and sent to Canada for a better future.

Some children did benefit but some were essentially indentured servants to the people they were placed with. This book is the story of one such girl and her friends on their journey through the system.

This was as very informative book. I am looking forward to reading other books by B this author.

Many thanks Ty o NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for this ARC.

This was yet another novel based on true accounts of taking waifs and orphans off the streets and out of the slums to send them to farm country where they could not only be of service, but also have clean air and a good life. The origin of this practice was based in goodness and to solve problems on both sides. The homeless children needed a good home and caring foster parents. The struggling farmers in all these desolate areas needed free labor.

Like so many other good ideas, founded in kindness, these plans often went astray. One of the problems, of course, was that there were not enough people employed by the agencies to oversee the health and safety of the children – in their new homes or even in the orphanages where they were first taken. Government overseeing was also quite scare.

The Industrial Revolution of the 19th century brought many new jobs, but also much air pollution and crowding of the city slums as people swarmed in hoping for a better life. Sadly all of this led to sickness and death among parents and starvation and homelessness for the children. Much of this is documented in Dickens’ novels.

In “The Forgotten Home Child” we have children taken off the streets of Liverpool and sent to live with families in Canada. As in the other books I’ve read of these happenings, some had good and kind families and had a good new life. Others were horribly mistreated and abused.

This story is a little more fleshed out than the previous ones I’ve read: The Orphan Train (NYC slums to the American MidWest) and The Throwaway Children (London foster care to Australia). This one covers 85 years of our protagonist’s life, ending when she is 97!

This is a very worthwhile read - highly recommended. If you get bogged down in the excesses of the novel (as I did), go to the very end and read “A Note to Readers”. That’s very enlightening.

I received this as an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Sept. 28 is British Home Child Day in Canada. A day to mark the overwhelming tragedy most of the 100,000 - 130,000 children who arrived in Canada between 1869 and 1948 experienced. That Genevieve Graham has chosen to bring to light another hidden dark spot to the light is both heroic and unsettling.

The fictionalized story of child Winny and her friends Mary, Jack, Edward and Cecil who survive on the streets of London England and end up in Ontario Canada. The ignorance and brutality of their Canadian hosts is shocking and a huge black mark in Canadian history most us us never knew about. A few like Charlotte found adoptive parents who loved an supported them and shared their finances with others.

In 2017 descendants of the Home Child children achieved recognition of these children when a memorial mass grave was established in Park Lawn Cemetery in Etobicoke (a western Toronto suburb).

We follow Winny's trials and triumphs until her passing at age 96. This book was often hard to read because of the subject matter.