The Forgotten Home Child by Genevieve Graham

She's getting quite old and when her granddaughter asks about the past, she decides to tell the story she's kept hidden for so long.  She was a homeless child in London who was gathered up and shipped out to Canada.  She made friends on the ship and hung on to the ones she knew in London.  But their lives were about to change dramatically.

Simon and Schuster let me read this book for review (thank you).  It has been published and you can grab a copy now.

Depending on who took you to help them on their farm, you could work all day, get little food, and you were beat if you didn't get enough done.  Or you might get lucky to get a family that treated you well, but those were few and far between.

We follow the story of Winny.  She loses people she loves, suffers many hardships, and has trouble trying to be positive.  Her best friend ends up having a baby and having it taken away.  She asks Winny to find him and raise him as her own.

This is based on the true story of the British Home Children.  It's not a nice tale but Winny survives.  She also has a very heartwarming surprise at the end.

All you can do with the life you're handed is the best you can.  Winny did that.