Journy to Love

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Description: Now orphaned, Marie is swept miles away from the only life she knew to be sheltered by unknown guardians. Caught in the challenges of a new life, she cannot prevent changes from happening, but she can keep the Bowles and their friends at arm's length. Or can she? 
While things appear to transition smoothly on the outside, Marie struggles against the turmoil she faces on the inside. She sees something in the Bowles and her new friends that she had never experienced before...but should she trust what the preacher is teaching when it goes against everything she had accepted as truth? Is God really a God of love? If He is, then is Marie willing to accept it? 
Follow Marie as she begins the journey to love.

My introduction to the orphan train was a series of books by Arleta Richardson I read in the 90’s. The concept was one that intrigued me. I was excited when I saw that Tero was writing a series about the orphan train and happy to snap up the first book for free.

Marie was a very realistic character. It is a very rare child that comes away from being an orphan and abandoned happy and well-adjusted. Marie has a lot of bitterness and major trust issues. With that said, she isn’t someone you will hate, even if you do want to shake her sometimes. The more you know about her, the more you understand her struggles.

The historical setting was well captured. It would work well for introducing the idea of this time in history and the orphan trains to homeschool kids. Yet the history isn’t overdone and can be a nice light Sunday read.

The faith element was perfect for younger readers. Marie’s struggles feel realistic for her age. The Christians around her did not give her simplistic answers, but biblically based ones. Too often, books for young readers give dumbed down answers (a horrible thing to do in my opinion). This was perfect for giving solid answers to real issues.

I highly recommend this book to young girls, those who love historical fiction, and for homeschool kids exploring the orphan trains.