Orphan Train West Books in Order

Jane Peart's Orphan Train West is historical fiction about children sent from eastern orphanages to new homes in the American West. The series follows girls whose lives intersect at Greystone, an overcrowded institution near Boston, and on the train that takes them away from everything familiar. From there, each must face the uncertainty of being chosen, placed, and expected to begin again.

The books include The Heart's Lonely Secret, Homeward the Seeking Heart, Quest for Lasting Love, and Dreams of a Longing Heart. The stories focus on girls such as Ivy, Toddy, Laurel, and Kit, who land in very different households after the journey. One may be taken in by a doctor and his grieving wife, another by a wealthy widow, and another by a farm family that needs help with daily work.

They start as children with almost no say in their futures.

That lack of control is the emotional engine of the series. The girls have been separated from parents or guardians, and the promise of a new home does not erase their fear, grief, or anger. Peart lets them carry those feelings into their new lives. Adoption and placement offer possibility, but they also require trust, patience, and the courage to risk caring about people again.

The series has romance, especially as the characters grow older, but its strongest thread is belonging. The girls' early friendship and shared orphan-train experience shape the people they become. Their stories explore family in more than one form: the relatives they miss, the adults who fail them, the people who offer them a place, and the friends who understand what they have survived.

The historical setting provides real pressure without overwhelming the personal stories. Readers see farm work, household expectations, social class, illness, and the practical realities of late nineteenth-century life. Faith appears as a source of comfort and a guide for difficult choices.

Begin with The Heart's Lonely Secret, then continue through the other books to follow the wider circle of girls and the paths they take after leaving the train.