Orphan train historical background from the authors website. Today, we welcome christina to the blog to discuss her experience with book clubs and the three most common questions that clubs have asked her about the novel. Christina has longed to write a scene in which she clarifies vivians motivations. Many train riders ended up with their names changed more than once, and many went into multiple homes. The books this year are about the include orphan train by christina baker kline and riders on the orphan train by moore. John jackson, who at five years old walked off after a marching band and never found his way home again. Between 1854 and 1929, socalled orphan trains transported more than 200,000 orphaned, abandoned, and homeless children between the ages of 2 and 14 from the east coast to the midwest for foster care and adoption. At orphan train reunions, riders of the portable foster care system recounted their experiences to one another. Orphan train by christina baker kline reading guidebook.
Christina baker kline is a novelist, nonfiction writer and editor. Its been ten years since then, but kathryn still feels the conspicuous void in her lifeand the nagging, guilty sense that she has failed her friend. Riders on the orphan train is an historical novel about a littleknown piece of american history. See more ideas about orphan train, orphan and history. Its dedicated to preserving the orphan train riders stories and helping family members locate information about their orphan train riders. Its estimated that the 200,000 orphan train riders have two million descendants, some of them living in arkansas.
Orphan train is a great book club discussion book and we recommend it to everyone. Orphan train could be well paired in your book group year with before. How did most train riders ultimately feel about having been put on a train. The national orphan train complex has compiled a number of stories of the children who rode the trains to be placed in foster care. See more ideas about orphan train, orphan train book and orphan. Rich in detail and epic in scope, orphan train by christina baker kline is a powerful novel of upheaval and resilience, of unexpected friendship, and of the secrets we carry that keep us from finding out who we are. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Orphan train relevant reading book discussion guides. Oct 20, 2014 i love when i find a winner with my book club and this is definitely a winner. This book is equal parts heartwrenching and heartwarming.
Today, we welcome christina to the blog to discuss her experience with book clubs and the three most common questions that clubs have asked her. Orphan train is a book set in both the present day and the late 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s. Riders on the orphan train chronicles the lives of two children among approximately 250,000 young people placed out between 1854 and 1929. Background taken from edelweiss about orphan train. In orphan train, christina baker kline seamlessly knits together the past and present of two women, one young and one old. Christina answers the top ten questions book clubs ask 15 minutes questions. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading orphan train riders irish strong william the orphan train riders. I had no idea that this happened with orphans in america. How close are the events you describe in the novel to real life. The national orphan train complex in concordia, ks is a museum and research center dedicated to the orphan train movement, the various institutions that participated, and the children and agents who rode the trains. Some of the food ideas are from the book like the terrys famous chowder but most of this book took place during the great depression so food was scarce and there was no way i was.
Did the research for this book give you a bleak perspective of human nature. A site dedicated to book lovers providing a forum to discover and share commentary about the books and authors they enjoy. Riders on the orphan train tells the story of the 250,000 orphans and unwanted children who were put on trains in new york between 1854 and 1929 and sent all over the united states to be given away. I chose this book for the sixty and me community because. Find out their true stories in the american experience documentary the orphan trains, and hear tosa writer kathy mangold discuss her research on her greatgrandmothers experience on the orphan train and beyond.
Christina baker klines novel orphan train has ridden the new york times bestseller list for the past 15 weeks, becoming a favorite of book clubs across the country. Riders on the orphan train is an historical novel about a. Aug 02, 2015 descendants and relatives of new york orphan train riders, including margaret briley, james douget, warren lafleur, barbara jesclard and florella inhern, tell the stories of some of the children. Content includes books from bestselling, midlist and debut authors. The orphan train has several threads for book clubs to discuss. Coeur dalene, post fall libraries to host riders of the. This part of our american history was unknown to a few of our readers. 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.
Collect all four volumes of the beyond the orphan train series. The orphan trains operated between 1853 and 1929, relocating about 250,000 orphaned, abandoned, or homeless children. Orphan train girl by christina baker kline reading guide. 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. Not only is it entertaining and educational, it is also an excellent discussion book. Twenty one photos of orphan train riders have been compiled on the. Friends night out to feature riders on the orphan train local.
Lesson plans and resources for orphan train free library of. Orphan train recipes for book clubs tosas allcity read. Riders on the orphan train by alison moore goodreads. Luckily, there were some provided in the back of the book which i have listed below. Vivian traveled from nyc to minnesota as a young girl on one of the infamous orphan trains that was used to get orphans out of the cities into the country where they might have a better opportunity to find families and to be able to make a good life. A lot of the women in this group liked the book along with our strong male contingency of one but not as much as i did.
When a divorce sends kathryn reeling back to the maine town where she grew up, the young journalist finds herself facetoface. Book club questions for the orphan train by christina baker. Niamh pronounced neev was an irish immigrant girl sent on an orphan train from new york city to minnesota in the late 1920s. The orphan train by christina baker kline questions. Three year old irma craig had her name, birth date, and name of who was to receive her sewn on the inside of her jacket and a large number 32 sewn on the outside. Map of united states showing number of orphan train riders in book club. Riders of the orphan train preserves the unforgettable. The orphan train goodreads meet your next favorite book. These book discussion questions are highly detailed and will ruin plot points if you have not read the book. Apr 02, 20 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. Orphan train by christina baker kline, paperback barnes. In the following 75 years, over 250,000 children would be transported from east coast cities to communities in every one of the 48 contiguous states. Virginia johnson, a member of the nir committee, will lead that discussion, which is open to. One of their books was a childrens nonfiction story about a young boy who was sent west on an orphan train in 1926.
To get you started, weve put together a list of 20 surefire conversation starters, ranging from the best contemporary literature to historical fiction, memoirs, and history. Instant downloads of all 1296 litchart pdfs including orphan train. For others, the only purpose they served for their new family was labor, not even allowed to sleep in the house. Apr 11, 20 on the night of her high school graduation in 1986, kathryn campbells best friend, jennifer, vanished without a trace. October 1, 2012 by david dilts the train out of new york city full of nuns and children pulled up to the osage, missouri station in 1901. Any, or all, of these recipes would be suitable for the book club that focuses on dessert. Homes wanted orphan train, orphan train book, book.
Orphan train by christina baker kline i remember at the age of 10 or so reading a novel about the late19th and early 20thcentury orphan trains, which took children and babies from east coast slums and brought them to the midwest, where they were given an opportunity for a potentially prosperous new life in the fresh rural air. Additional funding provided by the arizona humanities council. But their treatment often amounted to indentured servitude. We didnt talk about all of them, but we did hit on most of the main ones. A nonfiction book, the great arizona orphan abduction, by linda gordon and.
I first learned about americas orphan train riders when i was interning for a literary agency. She has just completed an historical novel titled riders on the orphan train with a fellowship from the national endowment for the arts. Orphan train riders, from the riders on the orphan train multimedia performance at union depot in st. Map of united states showing number of orphan train riders in book club books, book. You will become a better person for having read it. One boys true story, which won the boston globehorn book award. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Since then, ive wanted to learn more about this often forgotten piece of history. She was deposited with the byrnes, who wanted only child labor in a dressmaking enterprise.
Christina baker klines adapts her bestselling orphan train for young readers with orphan train girl. 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. Its dorothys birthday, shes living with the miserable, dysfunctional grote family and her teacher the only person who seems to care about her surprises her with a birthday treat. Choosing a book for your book club to read can be challenging. Orphan train by christina baker kline book club discussion. Bird in hand, the way life should be, desire lines and sweet water. A novel christina baker kline, 20 harpercollins 278 pp. Riders on the orphan train prescott public library. Kline has written six other novels orphan train, orphan train girl, the way life should be, sweet water, bird in hand, and desire lines and written or edited five works of nonfiction.
The orphan trains operated between 1854 and 1929, relocating about 200,000 orphaned, abandoned, abused, or homeless children. Orphan trains brought homeless nyc children to work on. From the teeming streets of new york among a crush of immigrants. 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. She has developed public outreach programs for the orphan train heritage society of america, inc. Map of united states showing number of orphan train riders. Dec, 2016 since the publication of her smash international bestseller orphan train, christina baker kline has met with countless readers and book clubs and is often asked the same question about a key decision one of her protagonists makes in orphan train. An exquisite novel about a forgotten piece of history. Kline reminds us that we never really lose anyone or anything orperhaps most importantlyourselves. Between 1854 and 1929, over 250,000 orphans and surrendered children were placed out across the country. In 1904 a group of 21 irish catholic children came to clifton from the new york. Presented with funding from friends of the prescott public library.
From 1854 to 1929 about 150,000 orphans from new york city and the surrounding area were placed in homes in the midwest and west. Questions every book club asks, the story behind the writing of orphan train, and more. The reality of this heartbreaking time provided for an interesting storyline. Orphan train riders of arkansas orphan train train museum foster care common core standards kids house american history irish american family history the fosters orphan train riders arrived in towns across the midwest and south, including arkansas, changing the lives of the children and their new families. Alison moore alison moore lives in austin, texas when. Available in a special hardcover edition, christina baker klines smash bestseller that is a lovely novel about the search for family that also happens to illuminate a fascinating and forgotten chapter of american history ann packer. Rich in detail and epic in scope, the train rider is a powerful novel of upheaval and resilience, of second chances, of unexpected friendships, and of the secrets we carry with us that keep us from finding out who we are. These questions about the novel can help foster discussion in your group. So, when i found christina baker klines acclaimed novel orphan train, i immediately picked. Teach your students to analyze literature like litcharts does. The main difference between the two versions, other than length, is the protagonists age. Orphan train riders irish strong william the orphan train riders kindle edition by zieba, amanda. Andrea warren is the author of many acclaimed nonfiction books for young readers, including orphan train rider. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.
Jan 24, 2015 a few days ago i posted my thoughts on orphan train by christina baker kline. For some, being chosen from a crowd and taken into a family was the moment their life began. Some had been preplaced already and rode the train to a predesignated home. Orphan train book club ideas part 1 have you read this incredible story about our history in america. Not all orphan train riders went to an unknown destination. May 17, 2015 since orphan train was my book club choice for the year, i had to provide the discussion questions. This book follows two characters, and i loved reading the flashbacks from the perspective of the old woman, who traveled on an orphan train after her family was killed in a fire in new york. Buy this book klines absorbing new novel after bird in the hand is a heartfelt pageturner. More than 200,000 homeless children were sent west on the trains. The orphan train by christina baker kline moves back and forth between two stories that of a young orphan girl in the early twentieth century and that of a teenager in the modernday foster care. But dont worry, christina baker kline wraps it all up neatly at the end so you wont go into a tailspin. I love when i find a winner with my book club and this is definitely a winner. They started their journey in new york and were given away in train stations across the country.
Riders on the orphan train kindle edition by alison moore. If you enjoy historical fiction, check out this quick, easy read. She served as writerinresidence at fordham university from 2007 to 2011 and. Beyond the orphan train series, volumes 14 by arleta richardson. Orphan train riders the train out of new york city full of nuns and children pulled up to the osage, missouri station in 1901. Would they be adopted by a kind and loving family, or. Orphan train will be read by the pageturners library book club for its discussion on oct.
Christina answers the top ten questions book clubs ask. 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. Roxana robinson interviews christina baker kline about her new novel, orphan train. The orphan train riders that came to arkansas lived around the state. Friends night out to feature riders on the orphan train. The orphan train transported a reported 200,000 children from the east coast to the midwest between 1854 and 1929. Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on litcharts. The washington post also has a comprehensive article on the orphan trains. Orphan train was a mix of favorite childhood books of mine such as anne of green gables, heidi, and understood betsy, and ms. Reading group guide questions provided by the publisher.
Aug 18, 2018 the orphan train by christina baker kline moves back and forth between two stories that of a young orphan girl in the early twentieth century and that of a teenager in the modernday foster care system. You want books that are thoughtprovoking and intelligent but still approachable. Orphan train riders irish strong william the orphan train. 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. Hedlunds cinderella story, shedding light on the hardships women faced in both the east coast cities and the developing west in the 1850s, is a pleasant romance with plenty of twists to keep readers engaged until the final page.