On the train niamh met dutchy, a teenage boy who was living on the streets until he was taken to the childrens aid society. 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. In recent years, some of the riders have begun to share their stories. In the prologue vivian mentions that her true love died when she was 23, but she doesnt mention the other big secret in the book. These questions can be used as a guide for annotating the text, journal responses, or discussion. 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. They take niamh to the childrens aid society, and the agency sends niamh out to the midwest on an orphan train. Conflict in europe in the mid1800s caused many families to come to the united states. In order to read online or download orphan train riders ebooks in pdf, epub, tuebl and mobi format, you need to create a free account.
But dont worry, christina baker kline wraps it all up neatly at the end so you wont go into a tailspin. On the train, niamh befriends dutchy, a twelveyearold boy, and takes care of carmine, a toddler. Orphan train riders, from the riders on the orphan train multimedia performance at union depot in st. Train archives she discovers that she shares experiences with other riders. Christina baker klines novel orphan train has ridden the new york times. The orphan train community note includes chapterbychapter. 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. She served as writerinresidence at fordham university from 2007 to 2011 and. More than 200,000 homeless children were sent west on the trains.
Through a close thirdperson narration, molly explains that she knows it was ralphs idea to become foster parents. 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. I found that approximately 145 orphan train riders are still alive in the united states. The sisters sorted out and matched each child on this train to new homes before they boarded the train. Book club books book nerd my books orphan train book orphan quotes the wild geese innocence lost happy stories united states map map of united states showing number of orphan train riders in 18531910. Many arkansans can trace their roots to children who were relocated to arkansas. Check out our revolutionary sidebyside summary and analysis. Vivian daly has lived a quiet life on the coast of maine, but in her attic, hidden in trunks, are vestiges of a turbulent past. Niamh pronounced neev was an irish immigrant girl sent on an orphan train from new york city to minnesota in the late 1920s. Orphan train was a mix of favorite childhood books of mine such as anne of green gables, heidi, and understood betsy, and ms. She cowrote a book called the conversation begins with her mother, christina l. Orphan train riders to iowa a huge thank you to nettie mae lucas for recovering all of the records from the 2002 original project begun and coordinated by madanna harms and nettie mae lucas. 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.
It was the last chance for these children to find a family to live with. Story of a surviving orphan train rider reflections of a. Her foster mother, dina, is telling her foster father, ralph, that she wasnt prepared to take care of a kid with so many problems. If you are the publisher or author of this book and feel that the. 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. Book club books book nerd my books orphan train book orphan quotes the wild geese innocence lost happy stories united states map map of united states showing number of orphan train riders. The orphan train community note includes chapterbychapter summary and analysis, character list, theme list, historical context, author biography and quizzes written by community members like you. Many train riders ended up with their names changed more than once, and many went into multiple homes. Orphan train by christina baker kline plot summary litcharts. See more ideas about orphan train, orphan and american history. Orphan train is a book set in both the present day and the late 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s. As an activating strategy, show students the book trailer for the novel. 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.
Orphan train was on the new york best seller list and is one of the most studied books in book clubs in the northeast. A site dedicated to book lovers providing a forum to discover and share commentary about the books and authors they enjoy. Apr 11, 20 after tragedy, young girl shipped west on orphan train christina baker klines new novel incorporates a true piece of american history. Orphan train is a novel which shows how important it is to trust in a better future, fight your fears, and just be kind and compassionate. Lesson plans and resources for orphan train free library of. Bird in hand, the way life should be, desire lines and sweet water.
Orphan train is a great book club discussion book and we recommend it to everyone. Othsafounded in 1986 in springdale washington and benton countiespreserves the history of the orphan train era, a period when thousands of children were relocated across the country. Just before dutchy goes home with a farmer in minneapolis, minnesota, he and niamh promise to find each other again someday. Orphan train riders charles christmas gift the orphan train riders book 1 by amanda zieba 5. Between 1854 and 1929, over 250,000 orphans and surrendered children were placed out across the country. Find resources for your book club, whether it meets in your living room or across cyberspace. A the orphan trains, as they were called, ran from 1854 to 1929. Orphan train riders dannys new life historical chapter book. A seventeenyearold girl, molly ayer, is in her bedroom, listening to her foster parents argue through the walls. Discussion questions for orphan train by christina baker kline. Riders on the orphan train chronicles the lives of two children among approximately 250,000 young people placed out between 1854 and 1929. Orphan train study guide literature guide litcharts. Book club questions for the orphan train by christina baker. Seventeenyearold molly ayer knows that a community service position helping an elderly woman clean out her home is.
Map of united states showing number of orphan train riders in book club books, book. Between 1854 and 1929, socalled orphan trains transported more than 200,000 orphaned, abandoned, and homeless children from the coastal cities of the eastern united states to. Jun 12, 2019 the orphan train movement transported orphaned and homeless children from crowded eastern cities of the united states to foster homes located in rural areas of the midwest. This 38page guide for orphan train by christina baker kline includes detailed chapter summaries and analysis covering 7 parts, as well as several more indepth sections of expertwritten literary analysis. We hope to educate you a bit on this subject and help you further your research on any ancestors you may have that came to iowa on one of the infamous orphan trains. We cannot guarantee that orphan train riders book is in the library, but if you are still not sure with the service, you can choose free trial service. Between 1854 and 1929, an estimated 200,000 or more homeless and. 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. Author bio birth1964 raisedin maine and tennessee, usa, and the uk educationb. Please use the link provided below to generate a unique link valid for 24hrs.
Jan 31, 2014 nyt best selling author christina baker kline answers the top ten questions book clubs ask about orphan train. One of the books protagonists, an irish orphan, is packed. Children placed out during the orphan train era 18531929 and their descendants have particular research problems. When danny and his little sister are left alone in new york city, he decides to take his sister and ride the orphan train out west, hoping to find a new family and a new life. Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on litcharts. The children ranged in age from about six to 18 and were homeless or neglected. Christina answers top 10 book club questions youtube.
Map of united states showing number of orphan train riders in. Her mother, sophia kaminsky hillesheim, 1917 orphan train rider, was one of the children of the orphan trains taking part in a phenomenal journey from new york city to the midwest. 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. Please practice handwashing and social distancing, and check out our resources for adapting to these times. One of those orphan train riders, now a nun at st francis convent in little falls, sister justina bieganek, o. 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. The orphans tale by pam jenoff book club discussion.
Book club kit discussion guide orphan train by christina. Discussion questions book club recommendationsdiscussion. Questions every book club asks, the story behind the writing of orphan train, and more. Andrea warren alternates chapters about the history of the orphan trains with the story of lee nailling, who in 1926 rode an orphan train to texas when he was nine years old. 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. This list is a small portion of riders that rode the orphan train to the midwest. Orphan train by christina baker kline book club discussion. Riders on the orphan train is an historical novel about a littleknown piece of american history. A novel christina baker kline, 20 harpercollins 278 pp. Instant downloads of all 1297 litchart pdfs including orphan train. After my book club chose orphan train for our next meetup, i picked up my copy and. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides for challenging works of literature.
The book features interviews with noteworthy modern feminists and their. Orphan train by christian baker kline is the story of a surprising friendship between two women troubled seventeen yearold foster kid molly ayer and ninetyone yearold vivian daly. She was deposited with the byrnes, who wanted only child labor in a dressmaking enterprise. 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. In addition to orphan train 2011 and a piece of the world 2017, her novels include bird in hand. The main narrative about vivian, an orphan train rider, was excellent.
The author sends a powerful message to people of different age groups, origins and beliefs. The orphan train by christina baker kline questions. From the teeming streets of new york among a crush of immigrants. May 23, 2014 map of united states showing number of orphan train riders in 18531910. Pdf orphan train riders pdf download read online free. For other news and our upcoming schedule, visit our facebook page and click on events. Articles about about orphan train history, rider stories, and organization news. Union station, chicago, 1929 in christina baker klines orphan train. Pdf orphan train riders ebooks includes pdf, epub and. Most had lived in new york citys streets and slums with little or no hope of a successful future. Discusses the placement of over 200,000 orphaned or abandoned children in homes throughout the midwest from 1854 to 1929 by. Content includes books from bestselling, midlist and debut authors. Christina baker kline is a novelist, nonfiction writer and editor.
After tragedy, young girl shipped west on orphan train. This 38page guide for orphan train by christina baker kline includes detailed chapter summaries and analysis covering 7 parts, as well as several more indepth. Orphan train is a specifically american story of mobility and rootlessness, highlighting a littleknown but historically significant moment in our countrys past. When molly comes to vivians house to organize vivians attic as part of community service to avoid. As this is where the author and her family make their home, she often attends informal book club meetings and joins in the discussion of her books. They started their journey in new york and were given away in train stations across the country. If you enjoy this book, listen to orphan train riders kathleens vision this historical chapter book comes with a unit study at the end. The orphan trains operated between 1854 and 1929, relocating about 200,000 orphaned, abandoned, abused, or homeless children. This book is equal parts heartwrenching and heartwarming. Apr 02, 20 orphan train by christina baker kline 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. Teach your students to analyze literature like litcharts does.