The tale of what happens between a very young boy and the girl who was his fellow orphan train passenger comes about in a surprising fashion but not until other events charm the reader. Read anne of green gables if you are looking for a happier, lighter story about orphans. May 09, 20 today we have a recipe inspired by this months book club selection, orphan train, and created by chef ingrid of edible tapestry. Target chose orphan train as one of its club picks the promotion features a collection of titles the retailer arguably gears toward book clubs, and it is open only to paperbacks, and this. Book description courtesy of goodreads from pulitzer prizewinner katherine boo, a landmark work of narrative nonfiction that tells the dramatic and sometimes heartbreaking story of families striving toward a better life in one of the twentyfirst centurys great, unequal cities. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides for challenging works of literature. See more ideas about orphan train, orphan train book and orphan. They take niamh to the childrens aid society, and the agency sends niamh out to the midwest on an 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. I had no idea that this happened with orphans in america. Today we have a recipe inspired by this months book club selection, orphan train, and created by chef ingrid of edible tapestry. Orphan train summary from litcharts the creators of. However, it was ruined by a small, and to some, insignificant character and. We thought it fitting to provide this for the she reads book clubs that will meet throughout the month to discuss the novel.
It is as smooth running as an ozark stream and just as appealing. 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. Orphan train by christina baker kline is a book that has many themes. Beyond the orphan train series, volumes 14 by arleta richardson. On the train, niamh befriends dutchy, a twelveyearold boy, and takes care of carmine, a toddler. May 17, 2015 since orphan train was my book club choice for the year, i had to provide the discussion questions. 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. Preston holtry, author of the morgan westphal mystery series. The orphan train by christina baker kline questions. 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. Change has been the defining principle in the lives of these two children.
If you are the publisher or author of this book and. Book clubs tend to enjoy world war ii novels, and this one covers two stories the german circus owner and the box car of jewish babies that probably arent familiar to them. A community service position helping an elderly woman clean out her home is the only thing keeping molly out of juvie and worse. Just before dutchy goes home with a farmer in minneapolis, minnesota, he and niamh promise to find each other again someday. Collect all four volumes of the beyond the orphan train series.
Orphan train is a book set in both the present day and the late 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s. Christina baker kline is a novelist, nonfiction writer and editor. See more ideas about orphan train, orphan and train. 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. Molly uses food as a part of her identity by choosing. 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. Food ideas for wonder by rj palacio book club food, book club. Book club kit discussion guide orphan train by christina. It of course was a sad story, so there were definitely tears. The nightingale, kristin hannah, the nightingale book club, delicious reads, the. Orphan train by christina baker kline book club discussion. When vivian goes to live with the byrnes fanny offers her food and advises, you got to. Lesson plans and resources for orphan train free library of. 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.
The orphan trains operated between 1854 and 1929, relocating about 200,000 orphaned, abandoned, abused, or homeless children. After my book club chose orphan train for our next meetup, i picked up my copy. 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. Would they be adopted by a kind and loving family, or would they face a. 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. We didnt talk about all of them, but we did hit on most of the main ones. Palacio including a sack lunch food swap orphan train bookready player one bookboys in the boatal recipepizza. Orphan train by christina baker kline, paperback barnes. The orphan train is a wellwritten and compelling story that is difficult to put down once you start.
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. The orphans tale by pam jenoff reading guidebook club. Adapted and condensed for a young audience, orphan train girl includes an authors note and archival photos from the orphan train era. Orphan train book club ideas part 2 delicious reads. Luckily, there were some provided in the back of the book which i have listed below. May 23, 2014 information about orphan trains and the book, orphan train by christina baker kline.
Christina baker klines novel orphan train has ridden the new york times bestseller. Questions every book club asks, the story behind the writing of orphan train, and more. How did you feel about the way the author ended the story. Choosing a book for your book club to read can be challenging. 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.
One week molly took over the kitchen and made her kind of food. You want books that are thoughtprovoking and intelligent but still approachable. Apr 11, 2014 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. This book follows two characters, and i loved reading the flashbacks from the perspective. Orphan train book club ideas part 1 have you read this incredible story about our history in america. Orphan train was a mix of favorite childhood books of mine such as anne of green gables, heidi, and understood betsy, and ms. 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. Her vegetarian diet was only one thing about her that her foster parents, especially her impossibletoplease foster mother dina, refused to accept about her. These book discussion questions are highly detailed and will ruin plot points if you have not read the book. Special 26m 55s between 1854 and 1929, socalled orphan trains ran regularly from the cities of the east coast to the. Seventeen years old at the time the novel is set, narration. Apr 10, 2014 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. I wasnt as gripped by the language or that particular character a troubled. A site dedicated to book lovers providing a forum to discover and share commentary about the books and authors they enjoy.
While i was researching the orphan trains i jotted down ideas that. Content includes books from bestselling, midlist and debut authors. Orphan train characters from litcharts the creators of. 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. After tragedy, young girl shipped west on orphan train. More than 200,000 homeless children were sent west on the trains. After tragedy, young girl shipped west on orphan train christina baker klines new novel incorporates a true piece of american history.
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 recipes for book clubs tosas allcity read. Examine the way the author uses dialogue and other details to develop dinas character. 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. Mar 03, 2014 the orphan train by steve brigman comes off as a midwestern classic. Orphan train riders, from the riders on the orphan train multimedia performance at union depot in st. Christina baker kline is an american novelist, essayist, and editor. 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. Since orphan train was my book club choice for the year, i had to provide the discussion questions. Through reading the book and completing any of the suggested activities. One of the books protagonists, an irish orphan, is packed. She served as writerinresidence at fordham university from 2007 to 2011 and. Your book club could also go veggie in honor of molly. Special 26m 55s between 1854 and 1929, socalled orphan trains ran regularly from the cities of the east coast to the farmlands of the midwest or face a childhood.
She is smart, strict, and authoritative, but wishes the children well and does her best to take care of their needs on the train. Orphan train meets the standard for range of reading and level of text complexity for grades. We hope you find the book and this dish equally delicious. 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. Christina baker kline, foster care, historical fiction, orphan train, orphans. 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.
From a very young age, both children learn to adapt and inhabit new identities. 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. On the surface, vivians and mollys lives couldnt be more different. Moving between contemporary maine and depressionera minnesota, orphan train is a powerful novel of upheaval and resilience, of second chances, and unexpected friendship. She served as writer in residence at fordham university from 2007 to 2011 and. Subscribe to the oprahs book club newsletter sign up for the. 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.
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. An o rphan train story uncovers the individual stories of two orphan train riders, johnny and sophia, who encompass great historical change and upheaval. 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. Kline reminds us that we never really lose anyone or anything orperhaps most importantlyourselves. Apr 11, 20 after tragedy, young girl shipped west on orphan train christina baker klines new novel incorporates a true piece of american history. Scatcherd is the matron of the orphan train during vivianniamh, dutchy and carmine s ride. There is the theme of foster care, adoption, family history, unexpected. 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. 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. 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. In orphan train, christina baker kline seamlessly knits together the past and present of two women, one young and one old. I do recommend this book, however, due to the disturbing, mature content in certain scenes, only for upper high school students and adults. Bird in hand, the way life should be, desire lines and sweet water.
Orphan train summary from litcharts the creators of sparknotes. My step mother is half irish and has spoken of the bias towards the irish before, but i never learned about it in school. 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 by christina baker kline content rating and.
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