This book is set list WW II and is a heartbreaking take about a young woman struggle to save an orphanage that is scheduled to be shut down. I fell in love with everyone if the children. It is such an emotional novel and reveals the story that was probably true to many orphans during this time period. Thank you NetGalley and ye publisher for the oy to read and review.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

It’s 1949, England:

After Clara lost her fiancé during WWII, she didn’t think she had much to live for, but, she’s now looking after children, who’ve also, like her lost everything in the war.

Peg won’t talk and Joyce’s body is scarred by polio, but Clara loves them all very much, even though she’s lonely herself, after Ivor a hero in D-Day war vanished. Soon, she’s hears news that the orphanage is going to be sold and the children living there will be sent far afield.

Emotions will be felt while reading this story as every child has a different story to tell. Clara has to face new challenges but she’s got the strength and confidence to do so now. This book follows on from the previous one.

Clara is a wonderful person, who will do anything she can to help the children she’s looking after.

Recommend this book.

I have not read the first book, which I guess would give some additional background to the characters, but the book does stand alone & it doesn’t take too long to work out who they are & how they fit together.

Set in the late 1940s, Clara is employed as the “housemother” in an orphanage/children’s home. She is devoted to the children despite their differences & difficulties – from Joyce who was rejected by her parents when she developed polio and was left unable to walk properly, to the twins Barry & Billy who have one passion: football, Peg who doesn’t speak and Peter who was abused by his uncle but has an incredible talent for drawing cartoons.
Clara is devoted to the children and always determined to fight for what is in their best interest, not necessarily what the Council believes to be best for them! When their building is rumoured to be being put up for sale, she works hard to cut costs and do everything they can to save Shilling Grange. As time goes on, Clara realises that she is being lied to about their future and is determined that the children are a family and will not be split up, particularly when she hears that some will be sent to Australia on the Childrens Migrant scheme.

The writing is very descriptive, and you can picture not only the crumbling Shilling Grange but the individual children, the town of Laverham and the glamorous Marilyn.

Overall this is a heartwarming read that focuses on the devastation and harm that adults can do to children, and the way that seemingly insignificant people can make such a difference.
I liked that the storyline didn’t quite go where you expected, there were twists & turns along the way and there are enough storylines left open for a sequel!

I did not read the first book in this series so it took me a little bit to figure out who the characters were and how they were involved in the story.

Clara is a single woman who runs the local home for orphan children. I loved her tenacious spirit and her determination to fight for what was in the best interests of the kids. I also enjoyed how each of the children in the home were able to participate in hobbies that were of interest to them. One of my favorite characters was Marilyn who was the mom of Clara's fiance who had passed away.

Thank so much to netgalley and the publisher for the arc. The opinions are my own.

The Sale

A most welcome sequel to "The Orphanage" by Lizzie Page. A continuing story of the Orphans and of the housemother Clara. I loved hearing the new adventures of Alex, Maureen, Rita, Peg, Peter, and the twins Billy and Barry. Then the introduction of the two new children Evelyn and Joyce.

In this story the council decides to sell the Orphanage because of financial concerns. They want to send the children to Australia. Clara fights to save it and to keep the children in England and together. The children and Clara come up with ways to cut expenses to try and save their home.

Meanwhile Clara faces challenges with the everyday running of the orphanage. She desperately tries to find homes for as many of the children as possible. She tries to keep them safe from unsafe outside influences and to keep the council at bay from sending the children away.

It is a heartbreaking story , but filled with love found in the orphanage. The children feel like family. Clara has to wonder is she too close to the children and knows she has to find them homes and let them go. Will she be able to save them from the ship to Australia?

I enjoyed reading this book and I think you will as well. I await the next book in the series as their story continues. I do recommend this book.

Thanks to Lizzie Page for writing a great story, to Bookouture for publishing it and to NetGalley for making it available to me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.
I haven't read the first book in this series but I definitely want to read the whole series and the other books by this author.
This is well written and has well developed characters with real world circumstances yet has the historical aspect too.

This book was amazing, characters were fantastic and a wonderful storyline, descriptive just loved it

I was so excited to read A Place to Call Home, it is the second book in the Shilling Grange Children’s Home series and it did not disappoint me at all.
After the troubles that Clara had in the first book this one carries on from there. Clara is the housemother of Shilling Grange, I really like her character, she was more than a housemother, she was like a mother to all the children. She wants the best for the children and that might not always be what the county council thinks is best.
When the children’s home is put up for sale Clara is in for another fight, she has been misled by the council in many ways, now, not only is she fighting to save the children’s home but to keep the remaining children in her home together and safe, not shipped abroad or sent to a home for the disabled.
I loved this book, it is so nice to read of place names I know like Lavenham and Dedham which are not very far from where I live.
It wasn’t just the place names that made me love it though, the whole vibe in the book was one of family, even though they were not blood-related, Clara was their mother in every way that a mother would be.
Each child had such different characteristics, and it was nice that two more children arrived at the home, it was nice getting to know them too.
Overall, this was a fantastic book that was written beautifully and I would recommend it to all my friends and family.

If you have never read a Lizzie Page book, you have missed a real treat!

In "A Place to Call Home (Shilling Grange Children's Home Book 2)" the character's literally dance across the page in realistic description. Clara Newton is the superintendent of the "Shilling Grange Orphanage". Perhaps "superintendent" is a empty word for a woman who loves and cares for each one of the destitute children with all her heart. For many with special needs, she is the only parental figure they will ever have.

Played out like a perfect "Hallmark" movie, Lizzie Page beautifully brings each child to life. A few examples include twin boys that love football, Rita who enjoys playing the piano, Peter a budding artist that loves to draw, and Joyce who learns the joy of photography. In an especially memorable scene, one can mentally hear the laughter and squeals of the children as they have a "possible" encounter with a hairy spider.🕷

The first book in this series is called "The Orphanage". If you have not read it, this works great as a standalone. "A Place to Call Home" will be published February 17, 2022 and is a total delight!
Bravo Lizzie Page!

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture, for the honor of reviewing this inspiring e-book. I love it!

This is the second book in the Shilling Grange Orphanage series.

Clara is still the housemother to the orphanage and id determined to stand on her own two feet to look after her children in care.

With some of the previous characters gone there are more children brought into the orphanage who need to be cared for which Clara is desperate to do, then she hears a rumour that the Orphanage might be going up for sale??

What would happen to the children and what would happen to Clara??

This is a lovely carry on story with a plethora of characters (new and old) which makes it a compelling read.

Shilling Grange Children's Home #2

England, 1949: When Clara Newton's fiance died during WWII, she thought her life was over. But now she looks after orphans who, like her, lost everything during the war. Children like sweet little Peg who won't speak, and Joyce whose body was scarred by polio. Clara loves them all dearly, even though life as a housemother can be lonely - especially now that Ivor, a D-Day war hero who once helped with the children had disappeared. Then Clara receives some terrible news, the orphanage is going to be sold and the children sent far away.

This is such a moving story that it will mess with your emotions. Each child has their own story to tell. This book sees Clara faced with more challenges but she has more confidence to deal with them now. This book follows on from where the last book, The Orphanage left off. I did feel the story dragged out for a bit in the middle. Not all the issues were resolved by the end of the book, leaving the way open for book three. Clara is a wonderful housemother and will do anything in her power to help the children in her charge. This is a beautifully written story.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #Bookouture and the author #LizziePage for my ARC of #APlaceToCallHome in exchange for an honest review.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this lovely book

book 2 in the series and we carry on from where we left off....

clara is still house mother in the orphanage and is just about managing

but there are storm clouds ahead when she hears the news that the orphanage is being sold, at first she is told not to worry that she will be with the children at a different location

but as time goes on it becomes obvious that she is being lied to....

tragedy strikes and that leaves clara reeling, and the sale of the orphanage and the children look to be lost to her

wow this is one of those books that you cant put down as you are alway wondering what else is going to happen...

cant wait for the next one in this wonderful series

A Place to Call Home by Lizzie Page. Thank you NetGalley & publisher for an e-arc of this novel.

I did not realize when I started reading this that it was base on a true story.

The story/novel:
When Clara Newton’s fiancé died during World War Two, she thought her life was over. But now she looks after orphans who, like her, lost everything during the war. This is a historical novel, set after World War Two. Shilling Grange Orphanage, England, 1949. Clara would do anything to protect the innocent children in her care, that she learns might be sent away for worse homes, and save the orphans before they lose everything all over again.

This is a story that pulls at the heart strings and makes you think about the lives we human make after we think our lives are over; second chances and the good individuals can do or difference they can make to a child.

This novel is a bit long and I think this story would have been a bit better if shortened. Not because it wasn't good, just because it dragged on in the middle. I recommend continuing on and finding out what Clara does to try to save her orphans. I love stories about people that sacrifice for children that have lost so much.

Wow, just wow. This series is just the best ever. We revisit the children and all their personalities keep us entertained. Clara, the Housemother of the home is trying hard to keep the place running while at the same time trying to get over Ivor going away. Then to add to her problems the council decide to sell the home. So plenty to keep you engrossed.

In the 1st book “The Orphanage” Alex had a special place in my heart, this time it was Peter.
So looking forward to the next book already.

What a warm hearted read, making you root for the underdog, and the things you make your mind up that you don’t want become your hearts desire.
This is the second book in this series, and the author does a great job of bringing you up to date!
The setting is post WWII England, and Clara Newton is the housemother of displaced children, or gifts she is given to help and raise. We walk with these orphans as they go about life, and see how they come together in crisis. Each child has their own story, and we soon care about each of them. Keep the tissues handy!
Now I’m looking forward to the third book in this series!

I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Bookoutour, and was not required to give a positive review.

I loved the first instalment of this series and the second was just as good. It took a little time to remember who everyone was and there are a lot of names to get to grips with at the beginning, but once the story gathered steam I was engrossed in the world of Shilling Grange again. Another lovely heartwarming story.

As absolutely heartwarming and sweet as the first book and more than most that call the sevens heartwarming! I hope there will be more to the series.

I love this author’s writing. She is unique and with her sparky, gently-funny asides, her sketches of people, she draws me right into her world. I think she must be a sensitive soul, Lizzie Page, and I imagine her sitting quietly at social occasions observing people, carefully, quietly, discreetly. She wouldn’t scribble down her observations in front of people but hurry home and do that afterwards. I’d love a peek inside her writer’s notebook.
The waifs and strays of Shilling Grange are bumbling along thanks to the love and care of Clara, their “house-mother”. She professes to not being maternal but she brims with love, this splendid woman. There are mistakes and mishaps along the way and they are all very endearing. She was bereft of love herself as a child, so there is an understanding, a need to make life as happy as she can for her protégés. And they all have problems, ranging from abuse to mutism and lots more between. No spoilers here, but take it from me that each and every little cameo is believable… and ultimately lovable. In the immediate aftermath of a dreadful war, Clara is mindful of “The things people lived with. The memories they carried around with them…” and although the story brims with humour, there is poignancy in abundance.
Menace broods – and the spectre of Fairbridge Farm looms over the fate of some of the children. This is a real place in Australia that caused a scandal far too late. News of this awful place where children were treated so badly didn’t leak out until immediately but Clara has an instinctive fear about the proposition. Find out what happens and read for yourselves.
Page is a gifted writer, a natural. Her brushstrokes are deft, her little phrases say everything, whether it is a new-born baby described as “a swaddle of milk and talc” with “lashes like tiny feathers”, or “clouds, fine wispy things, like young boys’ moustaches”; “Howard was teething, his cheeks like far engines.” This author knows about children. I could cite many more sentences that I highlighted, but I won’t.
I can’t wait to find out what happens in the next instalment. That was a bit of a tease, like a huge cliff-hanger, but I don’t believe we have too long to wait.
Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for allowing me to read an early issue of this splendid book and this is my unbiased, honest review. Five full-fat stars, without question.

I’ve been waiting for this to land on my kindle since devouring the first book
A Place to Call Home is everything I could have asked for, with what is hopefully a teaser for more to come in the third book.
Lizzie Page is one hell of a writer and I honestly can’t wait to she what she has in store for the next book

Book two Shilling Grange children's home Lavenham.
Suffolk 1949, Clara Newton housemother is awaiting three more children but only two girl's turn up Evelyn and Joyce unexpectedly while she is out at the market and she is determined to do her very best to welcome them in to the home.
Her job is to keep them all together and does everything in her power, a place called home where everything happens for a reason.
This book will make you laugh and cry such a heart-wrenching read and Clara is not alone, this book will always remain in every ones heart and I loved it just as much as book one all the children are unique in their own way with their own personality and little Peg will always remain my firm favourite such a sweetheart that needs plenty of love and Clara shows she has plenty to go round.
It has to be one of my most loved series that I am reading at the moment and so I await and welcome book three .