Molly is a troubled foster child who's about to turn eighteen, the age when she will not have to be switched from foster home to foster home anymore. On the other hand, turning eighteen means Molly will have to fend for herself. She'll have to get her own place to live, find a job, and do countless other things that no one has prepared her for. And now, because she attempted to steal her favorite book, she's knee-deep in trouble. But what can Molly do about it?
Thanks to Jack, Molly's boyfriend, and Terry, Jack's mom, Molly has a second chance. An old lady named Vivian Daly, who's giant house Terry cleans, has an attic full of junk, and Terry has very kindly offered to let Molly clean it out instead of doing community service (mostly because she doesn't want to do it). While Vivian and Molly sort through the attic, we learn Vivian's story.
Vivian, then Niamh Powers, was born in Ireland. She lived with her mom, dad, brothers, and little sister. When her family finally scraped up enough money to buy tickets, they take the ferry to New York City. Here they find a small apartment, and their dad gets a job as a dishwasher. But then, one night, disaster strikes. Their apartment catches on fire. Everyone dies, except for Molly and her mom. But unfortunately, Niamh's mom is not mentally well. So, with no one fit to take care of her and no family addresses, Niamh gets put into the system. She goes to a local orphan shelter in New York. From here she rides something called the orphan train. It's basically a train that takes orphans to different adoption fairs. While on the train, Niamh meets two people. The first is a little baby boy named Carmine. All the older kids have to sit with a younger kid or a baby. The second person Niamh meets is Dutchy or Hans. He was behaving badly on the train and got moved from his friends to sit with Niamh. The three of them are like a tiny family.
When they get off the train at their first adoption fair, a couple with kindly faces adopts Carmine. When Niamh asks if they need a little girl, too, they reply that they wouldn't have enough money to feed or clothe her. So both Niamh and Dutchy get back on the train to go to the next fair.
At their next stop, most of the kids are gone. An old man approaches Dutchy. He wants him to work on the farm with him, so he pulls him up to the table, signs the paperwork and leaves, his grip tightening on Dutchy's wrist. Then a rat-faced couple comes up to Niamh and takes her home. When she gets there, she discovers that she will be worked to the bone and have to sleep in the hallway. The next week, they declare that they have changed her name to Dorothy. Slowly, the business crumbles below their feet. When Mrs. Byrne can't handle Dorothy anymore, she is sent with an adoption agent to the Groteses. Dorothy is forced to take care of their four other children. When the sickly mother decides to cast Dorothy out in the freezing cold in the middle of the night, we can sense a real problem. Dorothy can't seem to keep a foster home. Luckily, Dorothy's teacher, Miss Larsen, takes pity on Dorothy and takes her into the boarding house in which she lives. Even though it's only a temporary situation, Dorothy feels like she's in heaven. And Mrs. Murphy, the owner of the boarding house, has friends who were looking for a little girl to help around the shop, seeing as their own daughter, Vivian had passed a few years back. The Nielsens are kind people. They give Dorothy her own bedroom and treat her like their own daughter. After a few years, they ask Dorothy to change her name to Vivian and she accepts. Around this time, they decide to adopt Vivian. One night, when Vivian is in her twenties, she goes to town with some friends. They go out to a bar, and Vivian is captivated by the piano. She approaches the player and realizes it is Dutchy, but his name has since changed to Luke. They instantly fall in love, and later get married. Unfortunately, a few years after they marry, Luke is drafted into WWII. Vivian constantly checks letters, awaiting his response to everything she questions. And then it comes. The letter. Luke died in action. It takes Vivian a while to get over it, especially because she has their child on the way. She decides to give it up. Years later, she marries his best friend from the army, Jim Daly.
Now we go back into Molly's life. Dina and she are having a hard time, and it gets so bad that Molly leaves. She packs up her duffel bag and goes to the only place she can think of, Vivian's. Slowly, Vivian and Molly's relationship grows. Molly teaches Vivian about technology and tells her to seek out the daughter she gave up so long ago. The book ends when Vivian meets her daughter Sarah and her husband and children.
Thanks to Jack, Molly's boyfriend, and Terry, Jack's mom, Molly has a second chance. An old lady named Vivian Daly, who's giant house Terry cleans, has an attic full of junk, and Terry has very kindly offered to let Molly clean it out instead of doing community service (mostly because she doesn't want to do it). While Vivian and Molly sort through the attic, we learn Vivian's story.
Vivian, then Niamh Powers, was born in Ireland. She lived with her mom, dad, brothers, and little sister. When her family finally scraped up enough money to buy tickets, they take the ferry to New York City. Here they find a small apartment, and their dad gets a job as a dishwasher. But then, one night, disaster strikes. Their apartment catches on fire. Everyone dies, except for Molly and her mom. But unfortunately, Niamh's mom is not mentally well. So, with no one fit to take care of her and no family addresses, Niamh gets put into the system. She goes to a local orphan shelter in New York. From here she rides something called the orphan train. It's basically a train that takes orphans to different adoption fairs. While on the train, Niamh meets two people. The first is a little baby boy named Carmine. All the older kids have to sit with a younger kid or a baby. The second person Niamh meets is Dutchy or Hans. He was behaving badly on the train and got moved from his friends to sit with Niamh. The three of them are like a tiny family.
When they get off the train at their first adoption fair, a couple with kindly faces adopts Carmine. When Niamh asks if they need a little girl, too, they reply that they wouldn't have enough money to feed or clothe her. So both Niamh and Dutchy get back on the train to go to the next fair.
At their next stop, most of the kids are gone. An old man approaches Dutchy. He wants him to work on the farm with him, so he pulls him up to the table, signs the paperwork and leaves, his grip tightening on Dutchy's wrist. Then a rat-faced couple comes up to Niamh and takes her home. When she gets there, she discovers that she will be worked to the bone and have to sleep in the hallway. The next week, they declare that they have changed her name to Dorothy. Slowly, the business crumbles below their feet. When Mrs. Byrne can't handle Dorothy anymore, she is sent with an adoption agent to the Groteses. Dorothy is forced to take care of their four other children. When the sickly mother decides to cast Dorothy out in the freezing cold in the middle of the night, we can sense a real problem. Dorothy can't seem to keep a foster home. Luckily, Dorothy's teacher, Miss Larsen, takes pity on Dorothy and takes her into the boarding house in which she lives. Even though it's only a temporary situation, Dorothy feels like she's in heaven. And Mrs. Murphy, the owner of the boarding house, has friends who were looking for a little girl to help around the shop, seeing as their own daughter, Vivian had passed a few years back. The Nielsens are kind people. They give Dorothy her own bedroom and treat her like their own daughter. After a few years, they ask Dorothy to change her name to Vivian and she accepts. Around this time, they decide to adopt Vivian. One night, when Vivian is in her twenties, she goes to town with some friends. They go out to a bar, and Vivian is captivated by the piano. She approaches the player and realizes it is Dutchy, but his name has since changed to Luke. They instantly fall in love, and later get married. Unfortunately, a few years after they marry, Luke is drafted into WWII. Vivian constantly checks letters, awaiting his response to everything she questions. And then it comes. The letter. Luke died in action. It takes Vivian a while to get over it, especially because she has their child on the way. She decides to give it up. Years later, she marries his best friend from the army, Jim Daly.
Now we go back into Molly's life. Dina and she are having a hard time, and it gets so bad that Molly leaves. She packs up her duffel bag and goes to the only place she can think of, Vivian's. Slowly, Vivian and Molly's relationship grows. Molly teaches Vivian about technology and tells her to seek out the daughter she gave up so long ago. The book ends when Vivian meets her daughter Sarah and her husband and children.