A Family for Leona

by Beverly Stowe McClure

Ten-year-old Leona Chapter doesn't understand why her papa left his six children at the Brooklyn Home for Homeless Children after their mother's death in 1921. Each day she prays he'll return and take his children home. God, however, isn't listening. Her brothers and sisters are either adopted or run away, leaving only Leona and Baby Mildred in the orphanage. Leona promises she and Mildred will be together for always. A promise she cannot keep, for Leona, along with her friend Noah, who she defends from the bullies Hiram and Jehu, and several other orphans, are soon on a train headed to Texas, while her sister stays at the orphanage. Leona vows she'll go back to Brooklyn, the first chance she gets. An Orphan Train tale during the 1920s.

260 pages, Hardcover

Published May 3, 2016

About the author

Most of the time you'll find Beverly in front of the computer, writing stories young voices whisper in her ear. Other times she's snapping pictures of wildlife, clouds, and flowers. She has fifteen books published for children and teens, some of them award winners, like the Children's Literary Classics, Sharp Writ Awards, and Next Generation Indie Awards, as well as others.

To relax she plays the piano. Her kitties don't appreciate good music and hide when she tickles the ivories.

Happy Reading. She hopes you enjoy her novels and picture books.

Reviews

[Melanie Robertson-King · Rating 5 out of 5]

The parallels between The Orphan Trains and the British Home Children sent out to other Commonwealth countries (Canada, Australia, Rhodesia to name a few) is uncanny. Children who weren't always orphans sent away from the only lives they knew. While Leona wasn't shipped to a completely different country, as a young girl travelling from New York to Texas was every bit as traumatizing.

Beverly's portrayal of Leona's emotions as the days dragged on and her father never returned to the orphanage to bring his children back home, were heart-wrenching. Her siblings leaving either to go to work, or be adopted by other families left her lonely and confused.

I recommend this book to all middle-grade readers, or teachers of those school years.

[Kai Strand · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’d heard of Orphan Train novels, but I’d never read one until A Family for Leona. Though it’s hard for me to imagine the depth of desperation it would take to leave your children at an orphanage, I guess it is perhaps better than starvation and homelessness. Poor Leona and her siblings deal with the shock of being left in their own ways. Leona holds onto hope for a desperately long time that her father will come back to claim them. One by one, the children go in different directions until it’s Leona’s turn and she is sent across the country with a handful of orphans, none of which are her siblings. She’s homesick, confused and still holding onto hope that her father will claim her again, so it takes her a while to settle into her new home, a farm owned by a lovely older couple whose children are grown.

Leona is a spitfire of a girl. She steps in when she witnesses bullying, even when her assistance isn’t really wanted. Her spunk serves her well though as she works her way through the unexpected turns her life takes. And I admit, I got a little weepy at the end. Mrs. McClure offers us a very touching resolution.

This is an important part of our country’s history and I recommend this book for any middle grade reader who likes historical fiction, and for the libraries that serve those readers. Another wonderfully written story from Beverly Stowe McClure.

[Darby Karchut · Rating 5 out of 5]

Where do I begin with this review? This book came along just when I was hunkering for some American historical fiction. I have to admit: I didn’t know much about the Orphan Trains of the 1920’s, but after reading the blurb, I wanted to learn more about these children who journeyed West.

I couldn’t stop reading this book! I just had to find out what happened to stubborn (but brave) Leona, artistic and loyal Noah, and the kindly couple, Matthew and Jessie. And Sunbeam, of course. Because kittens, no? Not only was A FAMILY FOR LEONA a sweet coming of age story, I also learned a bit more about this time in American history, and about the stark beauty of the Texas countryside.

Some of my favorite parts of the story were when the author wove in bits and pieces of American life during the 1920s. For example, I didn’t realize that girls back then read LITTLE WOMEN and BLACK BEAUTY. Or that some folks were avid photographers. (Do I detect a bit of the author in the character of Emma?) Or that Eskimo Pies were such a treat.

As she always does, Beverly McClure wrote a tight, well-crafted story and a compelling ending. Throughout the entire book, the old saying: “blossom where you’re planted” kept running through my head.

However, the greatest moment for me as a reader was when I went back and read the author’s note, and discovered that the main character—a plucky girl who had to leave her family and ride a train to Texas, and then was adopted, was actually Beverly McClure’s real life mother!

Highly recommended!

[Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sad but sweet story. if I never read the word Swell again, I'll be happy.

[Literary Classics Book Awards & Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the year 1921 life was challenging, but times were especially hard for Leona and her family who had recently lost their mother. At ten-years-old Leona is just one of six siblings. With her mother gone, her father is unable to provide and care for his children, the youngest of whom is just a baby. With nowhere to turn, he takes them to the Brooklyn School and Home for Destitute Children. At first Leona believes it will be just for a short while. Expecting her father to collect them any day, she’s always on the look out for his return. But he does not come back and eventually, one at a time, her siblings are gone. First her fourteen year old brother runs away in hopes of finding a job. Next, with the opportunity of becoming a nurse, her older sister leaves as well. Eventually her other siblings are adopted, leaving just Leona and the baby. Determined to hold on to her last remaining family thread, she’s devastated when, against her will, she’s put on an orphan train to Texas, leaving her baby sister behind.

Author Beverly Stowe McClure is a skilled story-teller. As with all her books, she writes with a depth of emotion that helps readers connect instantly with her characters. With a page-turning plot and a story which begs to be discovered, A Family for Leona is a book which rises to the occasion for fans of her work and will certainly draw new fans who will come to want more from this exceptionally talented author. Recommended for home and school libraries A Family for Leona is a wonderful book that will speak to the hearts of readers of all ages.