SOLVED. Middle Grade Historical Fiction-ish? Poor single mother with many kids is forced to send her kids to the orphanage. They get adopted separately & are split up. One boy works like a slave on farm. Read 2012-2016. [s]

[Willow Anne]

I read this book sometime between 2012 - 2016. I think it took place sometime in the 1900s and it was somewhere in the US (I think it might have been the midwest but I'm not super sure).

The basic storyline was that there was a poor, single mother with lots of kids, and she couldn't afford to take care of them all, so she decided to give them away to an orphanage (but she did love them all). The kids all get adopted, but to a bunch of different families, so they're all split up. If I remember correctly, I think that the story is told from the alternating perspectives of several of the children, as we're seeing how all their lives are in their new homes.

The only perspective I can remember is that of one of the older children, a boy whose name I think starts with an M (Mike? Matt?). He gets adopted into a family who just wants him to work around the farm, basically as a slave. There's a dad (he's mean, tough, and whips M whenever he does something he doesn't like), a mom (she's nice, but too shy to stand up to her husband), and a son (he's M's age, but he's mean like his dad, and mad that they adopted M because he liked being an only child). The son is constantly trying to get M in trouble, and does bad things then blames it on M. The dad believes his son over M every time.

(view spoiler)[Finally the dad calls the adoption services people because he wants to return M because he thinks that he's a trouble-maker (even though it's actually his son). While the services person is at their farm talking with the dad, the son sneaks out and sets fire to the barn when M leaves the room (he wants to blame M), but M knew the son would do something and blame him, so he returns and joins the dad and services person. Then when the son comes in yelling that M set fire to the barn, M is sitting in the room, and the dad realizes it was his son all along. (hide spoiler)]

[Rainbowheart]

The Orphan Train Adventures?

A Family Apart is the first book, but the one with the brother who goes to the abusive farm family is Caught in the Act.

[Willow Anne]

Rainbowheart wrote: "The Orphan Train Adventures?

A Family Apart is the first book, but the one with the brother who goes to the abusive farm family is Caught in the Act."

Yes! It's Caught in the Act! But I only read this book, and had no idea it was part of a series, so thank you!

[Rainbowheart]

You're welcome, glad to help out!