It's a Hard-Knock Life . . .

Want to feel better about your life?  Your parents?  Your family?
Read one of these books featuring orphans. . .

Castle Corona by Sharon Creech
        Two orphaned peasant children go to Castle Corona where their lives are transformed forever.
City of Orphans by Avi
        In 1893 New York, Maks must clear his older sister Emma from charges of stealing.

Earwig and the Witch by Diana Wynne Jones
        Earwig is adopted from St. Morwald's orphanage by a witch and a demon. 
Emily's Fortune by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
        Orphans Emily and Jackson team up to stop Emily's Uncle Victor from stealing her inheritance.
Magic Below Stairs by Caroline Stevermer
        Frederick is plucked from an orphanage and becomes a wizard's apprentice.
The Magician's Elephant by Kate DiCamillo
        Peter has amazing adventures after a fortuneteller reveals his sister is not dead as he previously thought.
The Misadventures of Maude March by Audrey Couloumbis
        Sallie and her sister escape from their self-serving guardians and end up in amazing adventures.
The Mysterious Howling by Maryrose Wood
        A young governess must civilize three children raised by wolves before a Christmas ball.
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
        Mary discovers an invalid cousin and a mysterious locked cousin when she goes to live with her uncle.
The Several Lives of Orphan Jack by Sarah Ellis
        Jack is sent from the Opportunities School for Orphans to be a bookkeeper's apprentice.
Trophy Kid, or, How I Was Adopted by the Rich and Famous by Steve Atinsky
        Josef writes a book about his adoption from Croatia at age three by American movie stars.
Way Down Deep by Ruth White
        Ruby discovers her past when a family of outsiders comes to town.