HOMEWARD THE SEEKING HEART by Jane Peart

This was another story in the "Orphan Train West" series.  You could easily read it as a stand alone book, but I found myself wanting to know what happened to the other girls on the orphan train that are mentioned in this book.  It was a well written story, set in the late 1800's and tells the story of one of the girls who goes West in the hopes of being adopted and the life she lived in her new home.  It looks into the life of these young girls and shares their thoughts and feelings.

Toddy finds herself leaving Greystone Orphanage with her two good friends and heading on an adventure on a train that will take them West to hopefully be adopted.  Toddy finds herself in the home of Octavia Hale, a wealthy widow who is seeking a companion for her invalid grand-daughter, Helene.  Toddy and Helene will become the best of friends, "sisters", and will bring great joy into the household, but will Toddy ever find real joy in her life?  Although there was romance in this story, it wasn't the "center stage" of the story, but rather the life of Toddy and her seeking heart, trying to find a place she can truly call "home".