Books about Orphans and Foster Care
There have been many books about orphans and foster care written over the years, so back to classics like Great Expectations and Jane Eyre. In recent years, Demon Copperhead and The Calamity Club have taken center stage as child welfare continues to be a topic discussed heavily in book clubs across the country.
Having read many books set in orphanages or that feature foster care, Jackie and I thought it would be helpful to compile our list of favorites in one place. Between Demon Copperhead, Anne of Green Gables, and The Calamity Club, I know this is one area of fiction that has some knockout choices to read.
The Best Books about Orphans and Foster Care
Each colorful block below represents the best book in a subgenre. Click on the arrow to reveal my “best” pick in any category. You’ll also be able to use a page jump to see more books in that section.
The Best Contemporary Fiction Book About Foster Care
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver – Jump to Section
The Best Historical Fiction Book Set in an Orphanage
The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett – Jump to section
The Best Fantasy Book Set in an Orphanage
The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune – Jump to section
The Best Classic Book about Orphans
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens – Jump to section
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Contemporary Fiction Books About Foster Care
Demon Copperhead
Author: Barbara Kingsolver
Year: 2022
Genre: Fiction
More info: November 2022 Oprah Book Club Pick
Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, Winner of the Women’s Prize for Fiction
Spice Rating:💋
Age Range: 16+
Plot
Demon Copperhead is set in southern Appalachia. Demon is born to a teenage single mother in a trailer. Demon is sent to foster care, where he is introduced to drugs and alcohol at a very young age. Quickly, Demon must learn to survive in a world that doesn’t care what happens to him. It is a heart-wrenching story about learning to survive despite the odds stacked against you. This is a classic retelling of David Copperfield.
Trigger Warnings
Drug Use, Addiction
Why Jackie loves it
If you bought Demon Copperhead, you have contributed to Higher Ground, a women’s recovery residence. I loved this book, and yet, it tore my heart out. The writing and the story are beautiful, but I would not recommend this to anyone who doesn’t have the time to appreciate it and the emotional stability to handle this poignant book.
Find this book in: Best Oprah’s Book Club Books / Fiction & Non-Fiction Books About Addiction / Classic Book Retellings / Oprah Book Club List 2022 / Books about Orphans and Foster Care
Plot
Push is a look at life in the poverty-stricken streets of Harlem in the eighties. The main character is an illiterate 16-year-old pregnant with her second child by her father.
Trigger Warnings
Incest, Rape, Child Abuse
Why Kirsten loves it
The commentary on a life of poverty and the struggles to get out of her situation are horrific but inspiring. It is incredibly difficult, but such a worthwhile, thought-provoking book.
Find this book in: Thought-Provoking Books / Books About Poverty / Books Set in New York / Novels About Trauma / Books about Orphans and Foster Care
The Language of Flowers
Author: Vanessa Diffenbaugh
Year: 2011
Genre: Fiction
More info: New York Times Bestseller
Age Range: 14+
Plot
Victoria Jones has studied the language of flowers and uses it to communicate. After growing up in the foster care system, she is hesitant to let anyone get close to her. When she meets a mysterious stranger, she has to decide if she can let someone in and let go of her past.
Why Jackie loves it
Kirsten and I both absolutely loved this contemporary fiction book, which we read before we knew each other. There is something so magical about the Victorian language of flowers.
Why Kirsten loves it
The Victorian language of flowers is fascinating. This book incorporates this language into a story that will leave you wanting more.
Find this book in: Ultimate List of 67 Feel-Good Books / Ultimate List of Contemporary Fiction Novels / Books with Flowers in the Title / Fiction Books About Gardening and Gardens / Books about Orphans and Foster Care
Historical Fiction Books Set in Orphanages
The Calamity Club
Author: Kathryn Stockett
Release Date: May 5, 2026
Genre: Historical Fiction
More info: Author of The Help, New York Times Bestseller
Spice Rating:💋
Age Range: 16+
Plot
Meg Lafleur, at 11-years-old, is an unadoptable child at the Lafayette County Orphan Asylum. Birdie Calhoun comes to Oxford, Mississippi, to ask her sister for help, but discovers that her sister’s charmed life is a lie as the Depression continues. When Birdie encounters Charlie, another woman with nothing to lose, and Meg, the three of them come up with a plan to claim what is theirs.
Trigger Warnings
Child abuse, Alcoholism, Racism, Homophobia, Suicide
Why Kirsten loves it
What a treasure this book is! I would give it 6 stars if I could. I started it earlier in the summer and had to put it down while going through surgery because I knew it needed my full attention. When I went back to it, it was like reunited with old friends.
Meg as a narrator was tremendous; I felt for her more because of her inner monologue. Birdie was a powerhouse woman not to be underestimated, and the side characters were each so fleshed out that I could picture them vividly. They all brought a different angle to the story of life for women and children during this time period.
This story will break your heart, mend it, and break it all over again. Tears will be shed, but it ultimately is an uplifting story of sisterhood, resilience, and maternal bonds. It is a tremendous accomplishment by Kathryn Stockett.
Find this book in: The Best Long Books over 500 Pages / Summary of The Calamity Club / Best Historical Fiction Books of 2026 / Books Like Where the Crawdads Sing / Books about Orphans and Foster Care
Before We Were Yours
Author: Lisa Wingate
Year: 2017
Genre: Historical Fiction
More info: New York Times Bestseller
Spice Rating:💋
Age Range: 16+
Plot
This story is split between 1939 and the present day. In the past, Rill and her younger siblings live in a shantyboat in Memphis. When her parents have to go to the hospital one night, all the children are rounded up and taken to the Tennessee Children’s Home Society orphanage, where Rill fights to keep her siblings together despite the cruelty of the people in charge.
In the present, wealthy socialite Avery is preparing for her wedding when she stumbles upon family secrets. She begins an investigation into the past and finds out her family’s connection to Rill’s.
Trigger Warnings
Child abuse, Sexual Assault, Child death
Why Kirsten loves it
This story was moving but hard to read. It’s based on a terrible but true story, and that makes it even harder to read at times because I knew it really happened. If you can handle everything in the trigger warnings, this is a must-read.
Find this book in: The Best Books About Siblings / Summary of The Calamity Club / Books about Orphans and Foster Care
This Tender Land
Author: William Kent Krueger
Year: 2019
Genre: Historical Fiction
More info: Instant New York Times Bestseller
Age Range: 18+
Plot
This is the story of four orphan children who find themselves traveling in a canoe down the Mississippi from Minnesota in 1932. Odie O’Banion is forced to flee the Lincoln School with his brother Albert, their best friend Mose, and a girl named Emmy. The school is a place where Indigenous children are sent after being forcefully separated from their parents.
We follow the four children during one summer and the result is a spectacular novel about families, love, and bonds that connect us all.
Trigger Warnings
Child abuse
Why Jackie loves it
The summary of this book does not do justice to the words within the pages. Read it. Love it. And then email me so we can talk about it. If you have not read this book, it is a perfect book for book clubs. This is one of the rare books that comes along that fills in all the nooks and crannies in my heart.
Find this book in: The Best Books of 2019 / Ultimate List of Best Historical Fiction Books / Books about Orphans and Foster Care
Orphan Train
Author: Christina Baker Kline
Year: 2014
Genre: Historical Fiction
More info: #1 New York Times Bestseller
Age Range: 16
Plot
Orphan Train depicts a sad time in American history. Children were sent via train from the East to the Midwest from the late 1800s to 1929 because parents could not afford to house, clothe, or feed their children.
This story follows Vivian and Molly and moves between Depression-era Minnesota and Maine.
Why Jackie loves it
This is such a sad time in American history, and yet, this book is written in such a compelling way; it was hard to put it down. It is the perfect choice to read if you are looking for a Disney retelling to read as an adult.
Find this book in: Adult Retellings of Disney Classics / Adult Versions of Favorite Childhood Books / Books Set in Maine / Books about Orphans and Foster Care
Fantasy Books Set in Orphanages
House in the Cerulean Sea
Author: T.J Klune
Year: 2020
Genre: Fantasy
More info: Cerulean Chronicles #1
Spice Rating:💋
Age Range: 14+
Plot
Linus Baker is a caseworker in the Department in Charge of Magical Youth. He is sent on a mission to a secret orphanage isolated on an island where 6 of the world’s most dangerous youth live.
Linus is sent to determine if the children are being cared for properly. Linus, who lives his life by the book, will have to look deeper to try and find the real answers to his questions.
Trigger Warnings
Child abuse
Why Jackie loves it
This story was so much more than the sum of its parts. I felt like I had met each of the children in the story. Even though the story has magic, it somehow seems completely relevant to our society now. The magic and the orphan aspect are all reminiscent of Harry Potter.
Find this book in: Magical Realism Books / Feel-Good Books / Book for Book Club / Books About Friendship / Books With Color in the Title / Best Beach Reads / Adult Books Similar to Harry Potter / Isolation Books / Books Like Ninth House / The Best Audiobooks of All Time / Books about Orphans and Foster Care
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children
Author: Ransom Riggs
Year: 2011
Genre: Middle-Grade Fantasy
More info: Miss Peregruine’s Peculiar Children book 1 of 6
Age Range: 9+
Plot
When Jacob experiences a family tragedy, he finds himself on a remote island off the coast of Whales. He Discovers a crumbling ruin that was once Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children.
As Jacob explores the ruins, he finds clues that lead him to believe these children might be alive even though it seems impossible.
Why Jackie loves it
This series is full of magic and mystery. The amazing combination of fiction with antique photographs leads to a truly unique story that brings the characters to life.
Find this book in: Middle Grade Fantasy / Halloween Chapter Books / Time Loop Books / Halloween Movies Based on Books / Magic School Books / Best Books for 11-year-olds / Books about Orphans and Foster Care
Classic Books About Orphans
Plot
Jane Eyre is the classic story of a young woman sent to be a governess and teacher to a wealthy man’s daughter out in the countryside at Thornfield Hall. An orphan with a rough upbringing, she is overwhelmed by the rules and customs of Thornfield Hall and her mercurial employer, Rochester.
This novel was revolutionary at the time because it was written in first person – one of the first books to do so.
Trigger Warnings
Child Abuse, Mental Illness
Kirsten’s Thoughts
I have a love-hate relationship with this story. When I was younger, I saw the original Broadway musical production of it, and while the rest of my family hated it, I bought the CD and listened to it on repeat. (Ask me if I just put it on while writing this review)
However, when I recently reread this book as a woman in a healthy marriage, all I saw were red flags! I wanted to scream at Jane and tell her to run far, far away from Rochester.
Find this book in: Best Novels About Teachers / Books about Orphans and Foster Care
Anne of Green Gables
Author: L. M. Montgomery
Year: 1908
Genre: Classic
Age: 10+
More info: Anne of Green Gables #1
Plot
I was immediately drawn to Anne upon first reading this story. She is smart, precocious, and has a way of making everyone love her while simultaneously finding new ways to get into trouble.
Anne is an orphan sent to live with siblings Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert, who wanted a male orphan to help them on the farm. Anne was sent to them instead. She is bright, loquacious, and wins their hearts.
Why Kirsten loves it
I cherish this entire book series and the TV miniseries inspired by it. I vividly remember watching Megan Follows as Anne, completely transfixed. I was so enamored that I remember asking my grandmother to get me the books to read!
Why Jackie loves it
This is one of my all-time favorite books. Something is comforting about this cozy book that makes me read it repeatedly. It is a beautiful book about friendship and found family. Because of this book, I hope to visit Prince Edward Island one day.
Find this book in: Coming-of-Age Books / Friendship Books / Realistic Fiction / Books with Green in the Title / Fun Books for Teens / Classic Novels / Best Middle Grade Fiction / Books about Orphans and Foster Care
Plot
The story features orphan Pip who comes into an unexpected fortune. His life is changed forever when he becomes a man of leisure and meets beautiful but aloof Estella. It’s a great tale that could just as easily have been set in modern-day London.
Trigger Warnings
Abuse, Classism, Racism
Why Jackie loves it
The only Charles Dickens book I’ve ever read and was recently nominated for PBS’s Great American Read. It was fantastic and complex and makes me want to read more Dickens.
Find this book in: Must-Read Classic Books / Best Long Books / Books about Orphans and Foster Care
The Secret Garden
Author: Frances Hodgson Burnett
Year:1911
Genre: Middle Grade Fiction
Age Range:5+
Plot
Mary Lennox, selfish and spoilt, was sent to stay with her hunchback uncle. She finds her way into a secret garden and begins to tend to it, and a change comes over her and her life.
Why Jackie loves it
I re-read this book with my daughter and we loved it. I have not read this book since I was a child and I think I loved it more this time. This classic book for kids is the perfect feel-good book. Yesterday was Daughter’s Day and this is the perfect book to read with your little one.
Find this book in: Books With Secret in the Title / Kid’s Books by Age / Fiction Books About Gardens and Gardening / Books about Orphans and Foster Care
Expert Tip
These books about foster care, orphans, and the child welfare system can be very hard to read emotionally, so please take care of yourself while reading.
Not sure where to start? These tips might help.
- What genre do you like best? Pick a novel from that section
- Unsure of what might be upsetting? Mind the trigger warnings and look for anything that might put you off reading.
- These stories make excellent book club picks!
