A Place to Belong

Danny and his younger sister, Peg, are placed in St. Joseph, Missouri, with kind Alfrid and Olga Swenson. Danny is thrilled to have a "real" father again, but when Olga suddenly dies, he is devastated—until he thinks of an ingenious plan to find Alfrid a new wife.

A Place To Belong is the fourth book of The Orphan Train Adventure series. This story revolves mainly around Danny Kelly, who is adopted by Alfrid and Olga Swenson. The story follows Danny’s attempt to have Alfrid marry his mother, who in the end does come to live in St. Joseph but does not marry Alfrid.

This series represents what it means to be a part of a family, whether by blood or association. While this particular book was slow in some parts, I felt it compelled to continue on and by the end, I was glad I did.

Classroom extensions would include discussion of what a blacksmith does (as Danny’s mother marries the town’s blacksmith instead of Alfrid). The book could also be used as a transition to studying about Abraham Lincoln.

The Orphan Train Quartet follows the story of the 6 Kelly children, whose widowed mother has sent them west from New York City in 1856 because she realizes she cannot give them the live they deserve. Danny and his younger sister Peg feel lucky to be adopted by kind Alfrid and Olga Swenson in St. Joseph, MO. Bud when Olga dies suddenly, the children fear they will lose their wonderful new family.

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