Orphan train girl by christina baker kline, paperback. Cathy marie buchanan, nyt bestselling author of the day the falls stood still and the painted girls i loved this book. Ayer mollys father jack patrick power da mary power mam gram grandad margaret maisie mr. The character of vivian daly niamh power dorothy in orphan. Lesson plans and resources for orphan train free library of. Niamh pronounced neev was an irish immigrant girl sent on an orphan train from new york city to minnesota in the late 1920s. To represent this, i made two story maps that connect when the stories collide. After tragedy, young girl shipped west on orphan train christina baker klines new novel incorporates a true piece of american history. Vivian, who rides an orphan train at 9, keeps her past quiet until at 91, she meets molly, a foster child who understands. We personally assess every book s quality and offer rare, outofprint treasures. Collect all four volumes of the beyond the orphan train series. The orphan trains operated between 1854 and 1929, relocating about 200,000 orphaned, abandoned, abused, or homeless children. Orphan train is a gripping story of friendship and second chances from christina baker kline, author of bird in hand and the way life should be penobscot indian molly ayer is close to aging out out of the foster care system. Goodreads members who liked orphan train also liked.
Scatcherd is the matron of the orphan train during vivianniamh, dutchy and carmine s ride. The orphan train adventures series in order joan lowery. There is the theme of foster care, adoption, family history, unexpected relationships, inhumane acts of violence and of course the train that took children from large cities to be adopted by families in the midwest to be more like indentured servants then a part of a new family. Moving between contemporary maine and depressionera minnesota, orphan train is a powerful novel of upheaval and resilience, of second chances, and unexpected friendship. The orphan trains and newsboys of new york is a nonfiction collection of stories that effectively communicates little known details about the children who faced nearly insurmountable odds. Schatzman dutchy hans luke maynard raymond byrne lois byrne mr. Thriftbooks sells millions of used books at the lowest everyday prices. Buy a cheap copy of orphan train book by christina baker kline. See the complete orphan train adventures series book list in order, box sets or omnibus editions, and companion titles. A riveting look at the orphan train from historical novelist jody hedlund when a financial crisis in 1850s new york leaves three orphaned sisters nearly destitute, the oldest, elise neumann, knows she must take action. Orphan train book series 3 books all formats kindle edition from book 1. The first book in the orphan train adventures, this historically accurate saga.
Would they be adopted by a kind and loving family, or would. Orphan train by christina baker kline bookscover2cover. Sarah burghardt orphan train is a unique book because it tells two stories that come together in the end. Having read a few books about the orphan train era, this book automatically. Orphan train has most frequently been compared to all the light we cannot see 2014 by anthony doerr, a novel that explores the pasts of a german orphan and a blind french girl in germanoccupied france. From agonizing letters written by desperate mothers, to news stories of the latest train, or of newsboys looking out for each other, the humanity of individuals caught up in. Moving back and forth between modern day spruce harbor in maine and new york and the midwest in the 19201930s, kline ties up the narratives of goth girl molly, who is aging out of foster care, and irish orphan niamh, who rides the orphan train to a presumably better life after suffering a family tragedy. The orphan train series hearts on the rails book 6. Vivians journey west was aboard an orphan train, a bit of misguided 1900sera social engineering moving homeless, destitute city children, mostly immigrants, into midwest families. From 1854 to 1929, an estimated 250,000 children were emigrated out of viceridden urban areas and put up for grabs in the west, where labor was in. Beyond the orphan train series, volumes 14 by arleta richardson. The other main character is a very elderly and wealthy widow, living in a lonely.
Historical fiction books national orphan train complex. Orphan train historical background from the authors website. Ann packerbetween 1854 and 1929, socalled orphan trains ran regularly from the. This hardcover edition of orphan train will feature a deckled edge. Orphan train is a young adult historical fiction novel about the relationship between seventeen yearold molly ayer and ninetyone yearold vivian daly who, as the result of spending time together and sharing their experiences, form a bond, learn from each other, and change in significant ways. The orphan train movement was a supervised welfare program that transported orphaned and homeless children from crowded eastern cities of the united states to foster homes located largely in rural areas of the midwest. After tragedy, young girl shipped west on orphan train. Orphan train on surprise trip up the bestseller list.
Online resources and questions for your book club to connect your groups lives, interests and personal experiences to books you discuss, friday, april 11, 2014 orphan train book discussion guide. Her family was killed in a fire and she was sent to the childrens aid society. A lovely novel about the search for family that also happens to illuminate a fascinating and forgotten chapter of americas history. But in interviews, and on her blog, kline says one of. She is an intelligent, opinionated, and reflective seventeenyearold girl who lives. They put her on the orphan train which took her to minnesota to a new life.
Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. She was born in ireland and immigrated to new york city with her family in 1929. Christina baker klines orphan train is an unforgettable story of friendship and second chances that highlights a littleknown but historically significant movement in americas pastand it includes a special ps section for book clubs featuring insights, interviews, and more penobscot indian molly ayer is close to aging out out of the. Seventeen years old at the time the novel is set, narration reveals that her father died in a car accident when she was young, which in turn caused her grieving mother to resort to drugs and become an addict, leaving molly a virtual orphan. Orphan train tackles some pretty heavy themes, such as finding family and figuring out your identity. Orphan train study guide from litcharts the creators of. This study guide consists of approximately 42 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of orphan train. Orphan train by christina baker kline, paperback barnes.
Orphan train is the assigned summer reading for the 300 firstyear students at edgewood college in madison, wis. The orphan train community note includes chapterbychapter summary and analysis, character list, theme list, historical context, author. Literary terms orphan train climax molly and dina get in a fight and she is forced to. Vivian is one of the two main characters in the book. Orphan train will hold you in its grip as their fascinating tales unfold. Penobscot indian molly ayer is close to aging out out of the foster care system. Between 1854 and 1929, socalled orphan trains ran regularly from the cities of the east coast to the farmlands of the midwest, carrying thousands of abandoned children whose. As she helps vivian sort through her possessions and memories, molly learns that she and vivian arent as. Like orphan train, doerrs novel is a work of historical fiction, portrays the experiences of orphans, has a twoplot structure, and retraces the lives of modernday. The elderly white woman is an orphan too and traveled west in 1929 on an orphan train. Read online orphan train by christina baker kline for. However, it was ruined by a small, and to some, insignificant character and narrative.
If you are the publisher or author of this book and. Moving between contemporary maine and depressionera minnesota, orphan train is a powerful tale of upheaval and resilience, second chances, and unexpected friendship. Orphan train was a mix of favorite childhood books of mine such as anne of green gables, heidi, and understood betsy, and ms. The orphan train quotes below are all either spoken by vivian daly niamh power dorothy or refer to vivian daly niamh. Orphan train girl by christina baker kline goodreads. A community service position helping an elderly woman clean out her home is the only thing keeping molly out of juvie and worse. The complete series list for the orphan train adventures joan lowery nixon.
Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading orphan train disaster. A family apart by joan lowery nixon teachers guide. Orphan train by christina baker kline is a book that has many themes. When the chapters referenced the older character, vivian, 91, the words flowed. Orphan train by christina baker kline completely tugged at my heartstrings. Orphan train summary from litcharts the creators of. Orphan train adventures series by joan lowery nixon. Shes had experience as a seamstress, and the new york childrens aid society has established a special service. A novel and over 8 million other books are available for amazon. In the attic, molly unwraps objects from vivians childhood, each providing the vehicle for a transition to vivians arduous experiences, first in new york, then on the orphan train, and finally in minnesota, where shes shunted from one desperate foster home. Take a trip back in time to the early 20th century in america, where ethan cooper and his orphaned siblings are on a mission to find a family. From agonizing letters written by desperate mothers to news stories of the latest train or of newsboys looking out for each other, the humanity of individuals caught up in the sweep of history is unmistakable. The orphan trains and newsboys of new york collects stories of children who faced nearly insurmountable odds.
A novel by christina baker kline conversation starters limited time offer. Have students locate passages in the books that summarize a characters. One of the book s protagonists, an irish orphan, is packed. Brought together by mollys community service sentence, seventeenyearold molly learns that she has much more in common with ninetyoneyearold vivian than she first. Besides revealing the plight of homeless children from 18541929, vivian unveils the monumental cost of losing the capacity to love. She is smart, strict, and authoritative, but wishes the children well and does her best to take care of their needs on the train. She was deposited with the byrnes, who wanted only child labor in a dressmaking enterprise. Find books like orphan train from the worlds largest community of readers. Orphan train characters from litcharts the creators of. Abandoned at 9, vivian rides an orphan train revealing the plight of. All characters molly ayer vivian daly niamh power dorothy ralph thibodeaus donna ayer mollys mother mr. The main narrative about vivian, an orphan train rider, was excellent. Between 1854 and 1929, socalled orphan trains ran regularly from the cities of the east coast to the farmlands of the midwest, carrying thousands of abandoned children whose fates would be determined by pure luck. The orphan train series hearts on the rails book 6 kindle edition by wesson, rachel.
Vivian and molly might have a huge age gap between them, vivian is 91, molly is 17 but both these sweet and sensitive ladies share a similar childhood. While i was researching the orphan trains i jotted down ideas that particularly interested me, and. What character trait did you most identify with in vivian. The orphan train adventures book series by joan lowery nixon includes books a family apart, caught in the act, in the face of danger, and several more.