Genevieve Graham’s The Forgotten Home Child is an historical novel inspired by the lives of the British Home Children--100,000-130,000 impoverished children, ages 3-18, relocated from England to Canada between 1869 and 1948 for the chance at a better life. Graham points out that more than four million of today’s Canadians are descended from this group. While some children thrived in loving families, all too often the children became cheap farm labor on remote struggling farms, thus facing hardship and hard labor, isolation and loneliness, abuse and sometimes death.

In The Forgotten Home Child, 97-year-old Winnifred Ellis finally tells her granddaughter Chrissy and teenage great-grandson Jamie the long concealed story of her remote past. Thrown out by a mother who couldn’t care for her, Winny was taken in by a group of street children, including Jack and his little sister Mary. Soon thrown into an orphanage and then rescued by the organization that educated them, taught life skills, and eventually sent them to Canada, the close threesome was enlarged by two brothers, Edward and Cecil, each of whom becomes not only important to Winny’s life, but an important character in the novel.

All bound for Toronto, Jack, the eldest, promises to look after his sister Mary as well as Winnie. Fate has other plans for them as the group is separated, not knowing where their friends or even siblings have been taken.

Sent from a country that didn’t want them to another country that doesn’t welcome them, what type life will each live? Will they find each other again as they so desperately want to do? What sorts of physical and emotional scars will life inflict upon them? Why will 97-year-old Winny decide to tell her granddaughter and great-grandson the story she concealed from her daughter Susan, now deceased? How will this sudden revelation affect the family?

Through the emotional stories of a few memorable and representative children, Graham opens our eyes to a part of history unknown by most of the world and little known in Canada until the past few years.

Thanks to Simon and Schuster, NetGalley, and Genevieve Graham for the Advance Reader Copy of what should be a widely read and captivating historic novel.

It’s always such a pleasure to read Genevieve Graham’s books. With the combination of Canadian History and Historical Fiction, I’m always enthralled and wanting to know more about what inspired her to write it.

In the Forgotten Home Child, we learn of the true events in which, between 1869-1948, 100,000+ orphaned children were sent from England to countries such as Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. Each child has a story of how they arrived at the orphanage, some leaving an abusive home, some dropped off by a parent who could no longer afford to look after another, some dropped off because they were living on the streets. Whatever the case was, Barnardo’s orphanage was a place where orphaned children could get 3 meals a day, a warm place to sleep, and an education. In this particular novel, the year is 1936 and we are introduced to Winny, Mary, Jack, Edward, and Cecil; all young children living in the street of London, picked up and moved to an orphanage.

What they didn’t know was that Barnardo’s was cleaning them up, training them, and sending them off to Canada. Some of the “Home Children” were even a little excited about that, naively thinking that they will become cowboys in Canada’s open landscape. But this was not the case. Once arriving on the docks in Halifax, the Home Boys were separated from the Home Girl, lined up like cattle while farm owners decided which child to take back to their farm. Once the child was chosen and the contracts signed off, they went to their new home. But their life in Canada is anything like they thought. Jack, Edward, and Cecil ended up as farm hands on the same property, while Winny and Mary became domestic servants on separate farms - all of them treated like vermin and all lived under the most horrid conditions. While some were able to escape their fate, others were not so lucky.

Forward to present day. Winny has moved in with her granddaughter and great-grandson. As they move her possessions inside, they find Winny’s old suitcase, the same one she held when she arrived in Canada. This old suitcase sparks a conversation about the secrets she has kept all her life. Bringing up the past is almost never easy, but maybe this time Winny can release the pain she has held for so long.
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This book is so amazing. Although a fictional story based on true events, it’s still hard to read at times - I cried twice while reading it! Ensure you read “A Note to Readers” at the back of the book, Genevieve Graham explains how this book came to be as well as other historical information on the British Home Children. It’s also noted, not all who came over were treated poorly, some were evenly informally adopted and went on to have better lives than if they stayed in England. But I’m sure these cases were rare.

Thank you, Genevieve Graham, for all the research and sharing this story. Thank you to #NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the advance copy of Forgotten Home Child, it is a book I will never forget.

Thanks to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the chance to read this incredible book in exchange for an honest review.

Historical fiction is my go-to genre in books. Nothing makes me happier than getting lost in the past through the pages of a compelling story. It’s doubly good when the topic of the novel is something I don’t know much about. I want to learn from the books I read.

And, boy, did I learn from The Forgotten Home Child by Genevieve Graham. The story she weaves through Winny and Jack is compelling and so easy to get lost in.


I knew that the United Kingdom sent children to Canada during World War II to protect them from the Blitz. I did not know that the United Kingdom had been sending children, who they more or less hoped were orphans, to Canada as indentured servants from 1869 to 1948. It seems… unreal to think that the most powerful nation in the world for much of that time, a nation that outlawed slavery in 1820, sold children into service an ocean away from everything they knew. They were to serve until they were eighteen or twenty-one. England seems to have more or less hoped that those in Canada, mostly farmers, who ‘bought’ workers between the ages of 4 and 18 would care for them, provide them with shelter and food, and even send them to school.

This was not, of course, always the case.

And Genevieve Graham focuses her narrative here, on those who suffered. She explains in her author’s note that she pulled the lives she created for Winny and Jack from stories shared with her by people who were ‘Home Children’ and the families they later had. Not every author can do that as well as Graham does.

And she does it in a way that broke my heart and still made me hope.

There really isn’t much more that you could ask for in a novel, not in my humble opinion.

I could, and maybe should, say more about Winny and Jack but I want people to read this book and to tell you more might influence whether you read it or not. I will say this… this book includes romance but friendship is the current that every aspect of the story rests on. And that seems most how a life should be balanced, even in it’s darkest hour.

Fair warning if you have trouble reading of child abuse, death, and war. It’s there, but it was also a very real part of the lives of those who were ‘Home Children.’

I loved this novel. It is the emotional story of Winnifred Ellis as she remembers and recalls to her family her childhood from the streets of London, to an orphanage in England, and then to Canada (where she was sent as a teen) and into adulthood. Along with Winnifred are her friends Mary and Mary's brother Jack. This is a fictionalized story of actual acts that took place throughout the late 1800s and into the 1900s in which orphanages in England sent children to Canada to either be adopted (if you were lucky) or to be indentured servants for some years until adulthood. Unfortunately, many met with a hard life and abusive (physical, emotional, sexual) situations which are described in this book. This novel tells of Winnifred's, Mary's and Jack's struggles as orphans sent to Canada and their fight for survival. The books was easy to read and engaged me from the start. There are many questions for thought or book club discussions at the end as well as detailed information of the historical practice at the end of the books. I thank NetGalley, the author, and publisher for supplying me with and ARC copy of the this at my request and I am leaving this honest review voluntarily.

I was given an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. It is amazing and I read it in one day. I could not put it down.
The book comes are March 3rd and I want to buy a hard copy to share!
It led to lots of online research last night!

The book deals with seven of the some 100, 000 children that were sent from England to Canada between the 1860s and the 1940s.. The myth was that they were orphans (it is thought less that 2 percent were) and that they were going to "good" homes and a "better" life. It is estimated that 75 percent of them were abused in some way and simply used as farm labor who were indentured servants and not family.. Children were also sent to Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

"Later research, beginning in the 1980s, exposed abuse and hardships of the relocated children. Australia apologised in 2009 for its involvement in the scheme. In February 2010 UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown made a formal apology to the families of children who suffered. Canadian Immigration Minister Jason Kenney stated in 2009 that Canada would not apologise to child migrants, preferring to "recognize that sad period" in other ways."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Home_Children This is an excellent place to start your research and you will want to look this up after reading about it. The author also adds excellent historical notes and pictures at the end of the book.

It’s not very often when a book truly touches your heart. This story by Ms Graham is one of those moments. You can tell the monumental research done on her part of the British Home Children.

This unforgettable novel about destitute children from England herded together and place in orphanages. The heroine of the story is transported to Canada for a life of indentured service until 18 years of age. She and her friends which she considered brothers and sisters are split up never to see each other again.

The families that purchased these children get them as workers and work they did. They were deprived of food, clothing and suitable lodging. They were abused beyond belief. The statistics show approximately 120,000 children were shipped to Canada between 1869 and 1948. Many were left in group homes due to poverty and their new life was another hell.

At the age of 97 Winny finally tells her story to her granddaughter and great grandson. The story is harrowing but the characters in this book are fictitious based on the truth.

I recommend this book for all ages. It is quite enlightening to say the least. Very sad.

I can't believe I stayed up till 3:30 am to finished this book. Just couldn't put it down.
It might be a work of friction but it is based on various stories told by the descendants of some of the "Home Children" .
Everything described in the story has happened to a real child at onetime or other. Like many others I was not aware of "Home children" and this sure was an eye opener. As everywhere else the darker parts of history tend to be kept quiet and not mentioned in the school systems.
As a parent it is hard to comprehend children been treated that way but even in today's society it still occurs. At least it is not an accepted practice. In a discussion with my husband we came to the conclusion that they were not any better off then slaves the only difference been that they regained their freedom at 21 years of age if they survived that long,

This Toronto author has written many historical fiction books including 'Tides of Honour', 'Come From Away' and her latest 'At The Mountain's Edge'. This new historical fiction release is inspired by the plight of the Home Children. Between the years 1869 and the late 1930's over 100,000 children were brought to Canada from the British Isles. The thinking was that this would provide them with a better life. Graham uses this fictionalized story to illustrate how for the majority of these children, they were treated as indentured servants and lived in abusive situations. The story revolves around the lives of three of these children Winny and her friends Mary and Jack who are siblings. This is a good recommendation for fans of books such as 'The Home For Unwanted Girls' and 'When We Were Yours'.

I loved this title! Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres and this book did not disappoint. This book tells of the England's horrifying plan to rid itself of its population of poor children. I was deeply saddened and struck by the inhumanity of humans at different points throughout history. This novel really was very thought-provoking and would be an excellent 'bookclub' choice! I will be thinking about this story for a very long time, that I am certainly sure. Any historical fiction fan will devour this! Highly recommended!

3.5 stars

2018

Winnifred (Winny), a former Home Child, is ninety-seven years old and when asked by her grandson, Jamie, begins to talk about her life. She has always been ashamed of being a Home Child and has never shared with her family what she or her late husband endured.

1936

Fifteen-year-old Winny has run away due to having an abusive stepfather, living on the streets by herself until she met brother and sister, Mary and Jack while living on the streets of Liverpool. When they are caught stealing, they are sent to Dr. Barnardo’s Barkingside Home for Girls - a home for Orphans, while Jack is sent elsewhere. There Winny learns that she joins a group of boys and girls being sent to Canada to work.

There she is separated from her friends, Mary and Jack and begins work as an indentured servant on a farm. There she endures harsh conditions, works hard and keeps hoping that one day she will see her friends again.

This book is based on true events. ***HOME Children (per Wikipedia) was founded in 1869 and 100,000 were sent from the United Kingdom to Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa

This book follows the life of Winny and her friends but mainly focuses on Jack and Winny. Their lives are rough and sad. They endure abuse, harsh elements, hunger, and improper sleeping conditions. This book also shows not only the misuse of the children but how they were viewed by society. They were not wanted and very little were helped.

This book is moving and thought-provoking. The author sheds light on the real-life plight of Home Children and characters were based on real-life people. The Author's note at the end was insightful and shed light on the Home Children and had me going on the internet to learn more about the Home Children and the program.

This book is getting raving reviews and I encourage everyone to read those as well. This is a book that I initially gave a 3-star rating to but found the more I sat and thought about the book, the more I began to appreciate it and the message the author was conveying.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the reviews are my own.

The entire time I was reading The Forgotten Home Child, I could not forget that the events in the fictional story, happened to over 100,000 children during the decades that poverty stricken children were sent from England to live and work in Canada. What was supposed to be a better life for these homeless orphans turned out to be a death sentence for many of them. The majority lived in worse conditions than they left, working as slaves and indentured servants, starved, beaten, abused in every way, forgotten by the country they left and despised by the country that was supposed to give them a better life.

This story follows five homeless friends, Winny, Mary, Jack, Cecil and Edward and other children, sent from  Dr. Barnardo's England homes for orphaned children, to live with families in Canada. Thinking that they were going to work as housemaids for families or to practice the trades they learned at the Barnardo homes, in reality, Winny sleeps on hay, in a sheep barn, often missing meals, being beaten, without proper clothes and shoes, and treated as worthless and unwanted except for the constant work she can do for the family that "bought" her. Mary's fate is even worse, hard as it is to believe and the boys barely escape from their "master", with their lives.

All these children live with the shame and stigma of being "Home Children" shunned by the people in their new country, with nothing at all to their name. Many are just worked until they die, neglected and abused, with nowhere to turn. Winny tells her story finally, at the age of ninety seven, when her granddaughter and great grandson start asking questions. Winny has always been ashamed of her background and what had happened to her as a child, as if it was somehow her fault. 

Now light is being shed on this part of Canada's past. As many as a quarter of Canada's population can trace their ancestry back to Home Children that came from England. This story puts faces to the plight of those children and what they endured. 

Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for this ARC.

I want to start by saying that this was a super easy and enjoyable reading. This book is absolutely amazing in every sense!

Firstly, it’s beautifully written, the story flows extremely well and, most importantly, it lights a shadowed part of Canadian History.

I was moved by how the author so sensibly wrote about such a sensitive subject, it was like I could feel the pain and all emotions along with the characters. It got me crying in so many parts but still I am so happy I got to read it and learn about such a history as the one o The Home Children.

Congratulations to the author for writing such a beautiful piece and for the great research work involved in the process. I’d give this book ten stars if possible!!

I was captivated by this book from the very beginning. First of all, I was unaware that there was such a thing as the British Home Children until I read this book. Before I review the book, I want to be sure to thank the author for including all the background and information regarding the program and participants in a Note to Readers. While the story itself is fiction, it is based on some of the actual happenings to the children who were involved in this program. The story is told through the character Winny as she relates her long-hidden story to her granddaughter and great-grandson. The author writes a story based on five young children who were living on the streets of London and formed their own “family unit” to help each other survive. The boys and girls were separated when placed in an orphanage and then into the British Home Children homes, but had made vows to find each other again when they were released from the program. Following the lives these children lived and how they moved on from the abuses they endured is both heartbreaking and moving. The descriptions of the families where they were placed makes a reader wonder where the good people were....but we soon find out that they are there in the story too. The author develops the characters of the children-turned-adults in a way that keeps the reader believing in them and wanting happy endings for them all. I did not want to put this book down once I began reading it....I felt invested in the lives of Winny, Mary, Jack, Edward and Cecil as well as Charlotte, a friend that Winny had made while in Barkingside, the girls home of the British Home Children in London. The past is revealed as Winny realizes she needs to tell her story. The ending of the book has both happy and bittersweet moments. I really didn’t want the story to end. Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the ARC of this book in return for an honest review, which this has been. #NetGalley #SimonSchuster.

What an excellent read!! I instantly fell in love with the characters and was caught up in their story. There were many parts which left me breathless. Before reading this novel I had been completely unaware of British Home Children. The author's notes and pictures at the end of the book were greatly appreciated. I would definitely read more books by this author.

This was my first book by author Genevieve Graham but it will not be my last. I have already added her previous books to my TBR list because she just has a way with words. The story is captivating and left me haunted, scouring the internet to learn more about these Home Children I had previously heard nothing about.

This story alternates from present day Winny, an old woman eager to tell her family the secrets of her past. How she got here, what she endured as a child, and why she hasn't ever talked about it. Telling the story will be tough. Old wounds will be opened and heartaches will occur once again, but it is a story she is determined to relive so that her family can know where they come from.

Characters and scenery of the past were well written and the characters immediately likable. A group of abandoned kids, living on the streets in filth, given a chance for a better life. The intentions of the British and Canadian governments were good, but the plan and followup went very wrong, leaving these children in the hands of monsters with no checks and balances for their safety.

Although some parts of the story were sappy and predictable, I couldn't stop reading. After finishing, it was a story that haunted me for a couple days as I searched the internet for anything I could find on this subject. Guilt slowly set in, as I had never heard of this part of history and I wanted to share it with anyone who would listen to me. This part of history should never be forgotten.

Thanks to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for allowing me eARC to read and give my honest review.

Genevieve Graham's The Forgotten Home Children is set to be released March 3, 2020 for US readers. Please pre-order this novel as you will not be disappointed. A 5 star read for me!

Happy Reading!

The Forgotten Home Child follows five poverty-stricken children from England as they make the journey overseas to Canada to start a new life in the young country. While the children expected to have greater opportunities and a better life in Canada, the reality was quite different. Years later, 97-year-old Winny has to confront the horrors of her past when her relatives question her about a mysterious old trunk in her possession.

This book has all the makings of a great historical fiction novel. Bringing to the foreground a lost part of Canadian history, Genevieve Graham delicately and respectfully paints a picture of the real-life experiences of British Home Children. She accurately depicts the horrors that many of these children lived through, showing the multiple levels of abuse and prejudice that the kids experienced.

Genevieve Graham perfected the dual narrative, crossing over multiple characters' perspectives and timelines seamlessly. She finds a way to make each character, in both the past and present-day narratives, to be original and multi-layered. Everyone contributes to the storyline in their own way. Often, in multi-narratives, authors aren't able to make all of the stories equally valuable and interesting - Genevieve Graham, however, excels in this matter.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and I am grateful to Genevieve Graham for introducing me to a part of Canadian history that I had never heard of before!

This is a part of history I've only recently learned more about, so I was interested in reading this book. I haven't read any where the children were sent to Canada prior to this story.

Characters are well-developed, and the prose quickly pulls the reader in.

If you're a fan of Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate, you'll likely be interested in this, as it tugs at similar heartstrings.

This is a memorable book about children who should not be forgotten.

Oh my goodness, what a book! The Forgotten Home Child is a beautifully written and compelling story of survival. Wow can Genevieve Graham ever write! Blown away. I was captivated on page one and couldn't put it down.

This is why I have such a love for historical fiction based on true events. A history lesson from our past. A lesson that is so incredibly important, powerful ... everyone should read this story.

Told in dual timelines between 2018 & 1936 (and on) Winnifred aka Winny, tells the story of her life, along with her best friend Mary, and her brother Jack. The story takes us on a difficult and often heartbreaking journey during a time in Canada's history.

All the stars for The Forgotten Home Child! The best book I've read so far this year!

A huge thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada for my review copy.

This was a hard book to read, though I’m very glad I did.

The Forgotten Home Child by Genevieve Graham chronicles the events and lives of the British Home Children. This organization began as a way to get rid of homeless orphans and what they called “forgotten children”, those with at least one parent living but unable or unwilling to care for them. The scheme was to round them up, send them to orphanages and children’s homes. From there they would be sent to Canada, New Zealand, and Australia where they would become indentured servants until adulthood. Over 100,000 children became part of this scheme from 1869 to 1948, many of them coming to Canada.

A man named Dr. Barnardo began this scheme with very good intentions. He hoped to help these unwanted children by finding them homes in the new lands where they would hopefully thrive. The idea was good on paper. In reality it became a nightmare for thousands of children who found themselves in a distant land that did not want them, being basically sold to people who only wanted them for labor, and totally at the mercy of these folks since there was no monitoring once they were placed.

This book tells the story of a group of these children who came to Canada in 1936. It is told through the eyes of Winny and Jack from the time they were picked up in the streets of London, England to present day. The story is heartbreaking. It will make you cry. You will become enraged, but I believe you will also be comforted to see that many of these kids survived and did manage to overcome the trauma to live fulfilling lives. In spite of the horrors mentioned here, the book is uplifting because it is a story of survival and hope.

The Forgotten Home Child is what I like to call a fictionalized true story. Winny, Jack and their friends are fictional characters, but the events that happened to them in this novel are true. Ms. Graham did an excellent job of researching the British Home Children. She talked to many of the descendants of the actual Home Children, and used the events she was told about in this novel.

Everyone should read this book. Not only is it an excellently written novel, this is a part of our history. The history teacher in me says that we should not let events like these, as dark as they are, fade from our memories.
A history forgotten is often a history repeated.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an honest review.

A young girl is caught in the scheme to rid England's streets of destitute children...

This book is based on the true story of the British Home children.

Winnifred Ellis, 97 is dying but knows her shameful secret will be buried with her so she doesn't fear death..

At a young age she runs away from her abusive stepfather and lives on the streets of London, where she is taken in by Mary and 3 boys: Jack Edward & Chad. After being caught stealing the children.are rounded up and taken to Dr Bernardo's receiving home (9 a home for orphaned and unwanted children).

The children are educated and then taken to Canada where they are promised new lives. The girls are ""adopted" by different families and the boys are""adopted"" together..

Instead of the living homes they thought they were going to, they have been sold to the families as indentured servants.

Their living conditions are horrible and all are beaten with the boys receiving the most horrible beatings of all.

Winnie finds Mary and learns that she is a servant as well but Mary's master impregnates her. Mary is forced to give up her infant son at birth Upon returning to the farm she is once again at her master's sexual advances and it becomes too much for her to bear and she commits suicide In a note to Winnie she asks Winnie to find her son and raise him as her own.

Winnie goes to school and eventually earns a nursing degree. She finds Mary's son (Billy) and adopts him.

When one of the "home boys "is badly beaten the others decide to run away and get medical help for him. They are taken in by a doctor and his wife but unfortunately their friend dies .from his beating.

Jack gets his freedom and joins the war, when he is injured her is sent home and becomes a patient at the hospital where Mary works.. They fall in love ,marry and have a daughter of their own. He learns the truth about Mary and loves her son an vows to protect him.

When Billy is 18 , e joins the army and earns the truth abut his parentage when he doesn't have id papers to produce upon enlisting. This makes him very angry and he has n contact with his father and Mary until a long time (after Jack has died and Mary is dying.


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