Set in 1930 and based on true events, this middle-grade novel explores
family secrets, set at the Ideal Maternity Home.
Tulia May lives in rural Nova Scotia with her mother, who works in the
laundry of the nearby Ideal Maternity Home. It's a place where unwed
mothers can discreetly give birth, a place where adoptions by rich
Americans can be quickly arranged. Tulia doesn't think about the
workings of the home much; mostly she hates being roped in to helping
scrub the endless diapers. Her friend Finny Paul has suspicions that the
home is holding sinister secrets--the worst being that unadoptable
babies are being buried in butterboxes--but Tulia thinks he's being
ridiculous. When Tulia's sister Becky ends up in the home, Tulia truly
starts to consider Finny's concerns. And when she and Finny discover
what's really going on there, she knows she has to act quickly to keep
Becky's baby safe.
Based on the true story of the Ideal Maternity Home, and its tragic
Butterbox Babies, The Family Way is a thoughtful and engaging
exploration of family and of Nova Scotia's history. A stand-alone
middle-grade novel, it also serves as a prequel to the critically
acclaimed Cammie novels, Flying With a Broken Wing and Cammie Takes
Flight.