Ivy and Allison — Jane Peart

Abridged from The Heart's Lonely Secret

It is spring 1883. Eight-year-old Ivy Austin dreams about leaving the overcrowded, bleak Greystone Orphanage near Boston, but when her life takes a strange turn, she ends up heading West on the Orphan Train to be adopted. Along the way, Ivy befriends Allison, and the two girls anxiously await their arrival in the town of Brookdale.

On board the Orphan Train, Ivy is certain that Allison's pretty features and charm will win her a new home. Worried that she will he overlooked by adoptive parents and possibly left behind, the lonely, frightened girl acts impulsively.

As Ivy and Allison grow tip together in Brookdale, memories from the past still hurt, even though the girls have loving adoptive families. Their special friendship is a comfort as they encounter struggles and joys, but is it strong enough to withstand the truth of Ivy's secret?