I wouldn’t say I judged this book by its cover, but I sure did get sucked in by it.

It’s hard to resist a photo of a solitary, dismal-looking tot alongside a small suitcase, with such a jarring title over his young head.

However, my impressions turned out to be right on the mark with this gripping page turner.

(Question: Is an audiobook still considered a page-turner?)

In “Sold on a Monday” (2018), author Kristina McMorris pens a Depression-era tale of poverty, desperation, ambition, perseverance and even a little romance on the side.

Young, struggling, Philadelphia newspaper reporter Ellis Reed casually snaps a photo one day of a couple of young boys outside a farmhouse near a “2 children for sale” sign. Though stunned and moved by the dire scene, Ellis doesn’t intend to use the photo — that is, until it lands on the editor’s desk after secretary Lillian Palmer finds it in the darkroom. And of course, the editor thinks it’s worthy of a feature.

This is great news for Ellis, realizing this is the assignment that could finally launch him to journalistic success. Unfortunately, the original photo gets damaged, leaving Ellis scrambling for a solution. But when he returns for a re-shoot, the farmhouse is vacant.

Now frantic, he grabs the abandoned sign and stages a similar photograph with two nearby children, a boy and a girl this time, Ruby and Calvin — never mind the fact that they may NOT be for sale.

The story soon hits the press, reaching a wide audience of sympathetic viewers and an outpouring of donations for the unfortunate family. Ellis finally has the professional fame he’s been seeking, but knowing the photo is a fake, he can hardly relish in it.

Ellis, sent off to do a follow-up article, returns to the scene only to find out the mother and children are gone. Turns out she did end up selling them to someone who saw the story and photo. Now remorseful, she reappears, searching for her children. Ellis and Lillian, each carrying private burdens from their own pasts, set out on a tireless — and at times dangerous — quest to set things right and find Ruby and Calvin.

McMorris, who lives in Portland, drew inspiration for this historical fiction work from an actual 1940s photo of a Chicago mother with her scrubby youngsters huddled on the stoop below, and a sign “4 children for sale.” Similar tragic stories of likewise desperate parents across the country filled the news during those years, symbolic of the times and tugging at heartstrings.

“Sold on a Monday” didn’t grab me as emotionally as I expected, and some of the second half seemed to get a bit more convoluted than I felt it needed to be. I had also hoped it might delve more into the plight of “sold children” during that time.

Overall, however, I enjoyed the book, which was full of desperation at every turn, and yet (without any spoiler alerts) is also uplifting and heartwarming.

Side note: Readers might chuckle over the apt snapshot of the time period when newsrooms had dark rooms, typewriters, film cameras and both morning and evening editions — paper copies, to boot.

HARDCOVER FICTION

1. “Dark Angel,” John Sandford

2. “Lassiter,” J.R. Ward

3. “Things I Wish I Told My Mother,” Patterson/DiLallo

4. “Hello Beautiful,” Ann Napolitano

5. “Hang the Moon,” Jeannette Walls

6. “Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow,” Gabrielle Zevin

7. “Homecoming,” Kate Morton

8. “Romantic Comedy,” Curtis Sittenfeld

9. “Countdown,” James Patterson and Brendan DuBois

10. “I Will Find You,” Harlan Coben

HARDCOVER NONFICTION

1. “Outlive,” Peter Attia

2. “Truly Simple,” Kristin Cavallari

3. “The Wisdom of the Bullfrog,” William H. McRaven

4. “The Return of the Gods,” Jonathan Cahn

5. “I’m Glad My Mom Died,” Jennette McCurdy

6. “The Love Stories of the Bible Speak,” Shannon Bream

7. “You Could Make This Place Beautiful,” Maggie Smith

8. “You’re Going to Make It,” Lysa TerKeurst

9. “The Creative Act,” Rick Rubin

10. “Life Worth Living,” Miroslav Volf et al.