A Place to Hang the Moon by Kate Albus

William, Edmund and Anna were orphaned when Anna was just a baby.  Since then they have lived with a not-very-nurturing grandmother.  Their grandmother dies just at the beginning of WWII and now the three children have an inheritance, but no caregiver.  Their lawyer suggests that they go with other children who are being evacuated from London to the countryside.  The hope is that they will find a family who, having taken them in temporarily, would be willing to keep them indefinitely. They are assigned to one family after another without great results. The one person in town who seems to actually care about them is considered by others in the town as "unsuitable."

The promotional blib on Amazon for this book starts out "For fans of The War That Saved My Life".  It is a brave thing to start out by comparing yourself to such an amazing book, and I was a bit skeptical, especially given the cover art.  In the end I was pleasantly surprised.  It is similar to "The War..." in that it is a story of an adult growing to love a child, and visa versa.  I think this one is better suited for a younger audience.  It lacks the most bitter elements of  "The War..." because the children and Nora hit it off from the very beginning. The children's challenges come from their experience with other people in the environment.  There are some harsh situations, but overall, I think this is a kinder, gentler historical fiction.  The three children are both sympathetic and heroic.  The oldest is always looking out for the younger, often taking on more responsibility than any child should have to.  The younger boy is the most socially adept, but also struggles with his feelings of anger and sensibility of injustice. Anna is sweet and innocent, but at times has surprising insight. I really enjoyed the book and am glad to have another title in my arsenal for kids who are required to read a historical fiction. (2021, 320 p)