Wendy McClure

Author and Professional Obsessive.

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Wandervillebook3Escape to the World’s Fair
(Wanderville Book 3)

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound | Powell’s 

Middle Grade: Ages 8-12

The orphans of Wanderville have decided to never again let themselves be confused by adults offering them shiny red apples and warm beds. They’re going to make their way to California and establish a more permanent spot for Wanderville.

But when they’re suddenly left without means of transportation, the orphans must find a new way of getting to their “town.” Enter a dandy motorist with a proposition: If the orphans agree to take a mysterious artifact to the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair on his behalf, they will receive a handsome reward that will allow them to book passage west.

The citizens of Wanderville conclude that this is their best bet. What they don’t realize, however, is just how treacherous the journey to the fair will be and how much they will need to sacrifice to finally find themselves a new home.

Reviews and Praise:

“This historical fiction series is full of excitement and suspense. Readers will root for the brave residents of Wanderville.” —School Library Journal

 

Wanderville Extras

  • What Were the Orphan Trains? The real-life history behind Wanderville.
  • Additional Resources Books, websites and other media of interest
  • Discussion Questions and Activities (Book #1) Teacher’s guide, with questions and extension activities.
  • Penguin Young Readers: Teachers and Librarians Resources from Penguin Library.
  • Wanderville History on Pinterest A Pinterest board of the historical images I found while writing the book.

Downloadables

  • PDF of "What Were the Orphan Trains?" The “What Were the Orphan Trains?” historical connection article as a PDF for classroom use. (4 pages.)
  • PDF of Additional Resources Wanderville Additonal Resources in a PDF for classroom use.

Video: Researching Wanderville


How I researched and wrote Wanderville

Hello! Over the past few years my creative work and professional life has shifted into areas that are little more private and analog than they used to be. But I'll still share what I've been up to, and this year (2026) will update this site accordingly. Please sign up for update emails if you want to catch up! (I'll also post an update to my Substack, but not sure if I'll have new content there.)

Selected Press and Links

  • Essay: A Little House Adulthood For the American Masters documentary on Laura Ingalls Wilder, I contributed a piece to the PBS website about revisiting the Little House books.
  • Essay: The Christmas Tape (At Longreads.com) How an old audio tape of holiday music became a record of family history, unspoken rituals, and grief.
  • Q & A With Wendy McClure Publishers Weekly interview about editing, Wanderville and more.

Where else to find me

  • Candyboots Home of the Weight Watcher recipe cards
  • Malcolm Jameson Site (in progress) about my great-grandfather, a Golden Age sci-fi writer.
  • My Instagram Ha, the only social media where I post these days!

In the works

  • My Etsy Store Where I’ll be selling copies of my books, zines, and more. Part merch, part… garage sale?
Copyright © 2026 by Wendy McClure • All Rights Reserved • Site design by Makeworthy Media • Wanderville illustrations by Erwin Madrid