New York City, 1876. Ten-year-old Teddy Hansen chokes down a tearful farewell to his hardworking mother when she succumbs to pneumonia and must leave him to the mercy of God and the 32nd Street Orphanage. When police officer Justin Smith is killed by bank robbers, his grieving son, Johnny, is taken there, too. As overcrowded conditions at the home threaten to compel them to the streets, the two boys, along with abandoned twins Donna and Deena Mitchell, board an orphan train soon leaving for all points west. 348 pages, softcover from Multnomah.
