“Little Bits of Sky”

by S. E. Durrant is set in England. Ira (short for Miracle) and her brother, Zac, are orphans shifting across various foster homes. Eventually they end up at Skilly, an orphanage. Their sad situation is lightened by Hortense, Skilly’s ‘house mother’ and Silas, the handy-man who is kind to all of the children who reside at Skilly. As Ira watches children come and go, she begins to dread that she and her brother will never find a home. She finds a letter buried under the floorboards of another girl who lived at Skilly in the past. Ira writes letters to ‘Grace’ although she assumes the girl  has grown up and is now long dead. When Ira and Zac get invited to vacation in the countryside for a week, they are excited and scared to leave the only place they now they call home. A quiet, thoughtful story which reminded me of “The War that Saved My Life.” Ages 8 and up.