No Ocean Too Wide by Carrie Turansky

They are a close family working together to survive.  Their father died from injuries in a railroad accident so their mother works at sewing,  The oldest daughter has gone to be a lady's maid.  The twins have separate duties.  The boy works for the butcher, the girl takes care of the household and the youngest daughter.  When their mother gets very ill and must go the hospital, they almost despair.  They don't have money for the rent, there's no food in the apartment, and now there will be a hospital bill.  But it gets worse...

Multnomah and Edelweiss let me read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published June 25th.

When Garth tries to steal a loaf of bread to feed his family, he's caught.  When the policeman brings him home and finds out there is no adult in the household, he takes them all to an orphanage.  The girls go in one and the boy in another.  They worry about their mother and Kati frets because Garth has been separated from them.  They try to explain why they are there but the matron doesn't listen.

Laura comes to see her mother and finds the children gone.  After spending some time with her mother, she goes to the children's home to visit with them and get them back home.  The matron tells her she'll have to pay for the meals they've eaten, the clothing they gave them and bed rent.  She doesn't have the money.  But she does know a young attorney who may help.  Unfortunately he's not in and the young man who is is lustful.  She manages to get away but now she's on her own.

When she finds out her family had been sent to Canada, she applies for a job at the home, using a false name.  She gets sent to Canada on the next trip and she tries to find her siblings.  Her lawyer friend came over on the same boat, so he and his partner are willing to help.  

The ending is both happy and sad.  The good news is there will be another book in this series and that one should have a happy ending.