A review by yapha
Wanderville by Wendy McClure

4.0

Frances has been taking care of her younger brother Harold since their mother disappeared five years before. Jack is wracked with guilt when his older brother is killed in a fire that he survives. Due to a variety of circumstances, the three of them find themselves on the same Orphan Train heading to Kansas. Worried about all of the rumors they have been hearing about what waits for them at the end of the line, as well as Frances being concerned that she will be split up from Harold, the three kids jump from the train just before it reaches the final station. Although wandering on the prairie still seems like a better alternative, they are relieved when they meet Alexander, who takes them to his campsite named Wanderville. Together, the four of them set out to survive on their own, without getting caught by the sheriff. An exciting, though not necessarily realistic, look at the Orphan Trains and life on the prairie. The first in a new series. Recommended for grades 3-5.