Orphan Train by Kline, Christina Baker

The #1 New York Times Bestseller

"A lovely novel about the search for family that also happens to illuminate a fascinating and forgotten chapter of America's history. Beautiful."--Ann Packer

Moving between contemporary Maine and Depression-era Minnesota, Orphan Train is a powerful novel of upheaval and resilience, of second chances, and unexpected friendship.

Between 1854 and 1929, so-called 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. Would they be adopted by a kind and loving family, or would they face a childhood and adolescence of hard labor and servitude?

As a young Irish immigrant, Vivian Daly was one such child, sent by rail from New York City to an uncertain future a world away. Returning east later in life, Vivian leads a quiet, peaceful existence on the coast of Maine, the memories of her upbringing rendered a hazy blur. But in her attic, hidden in trunks, are vestiges of a turbulent past.

Seventeen-year-old Molly Ayer knows that a community service position helping an elderly woman clean out her home is the only thing keeping her out of juvenile hall. But as Molly helps Vivian sort through her keepsakes and possessions, she discovers that she and Vivian aren't as different as they appear. A Penobscot Indian who has spent her youth in and out of foster homes, Molly is also an outsider being raised by strangers, and she, too, has unanswered questions about the past.

Author: Christina Baker Kline
Publisher: Mariner Books
Published: 01/10/2017
Pages: 320
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.55lbs
Size: 7.80h x 5.30w x 0.90d
ISBN: 9780061950728

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 5.6
Point Value: 13
Interest Level: Upper Grade
Quiz #/Name: 168412 / Orphan Train


Review Citation(s):
Library Journal 11/15/2012 pg. 59
Kirkus Reviews 02/01/2013
Publishers Weekly 02/11/2013 pg. 37
Romantic Times 04/01/2013 pg. 36 - Excellent
Booklist 03/15/2013 pg. 48
Library Journal 04/01/2013 pg. 74
People Weekly 04/08/2013 pg. 56
New York Times Book Review 06/09/2013 pg. 34
New York Times Book Review 02/22/2015 pg. 28