Orphan train was a mix of favorite childhood books of mine such as anne of green gables, heidi, and understood betsy, and ms. Any, or all, of these recipes would be suitable for the book club that focuses on dessert. Lesson plans and resources for orphan train free library of. Orphan train is a best book club book for discussion, the novel of a woman with a hidden past as an orphan train rider and a teenage girl seeking answers about her life. 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. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. After tragedy, young girl shipped west on orphan train. And many teenage boys and girls went to orphan train sponsoring organizations simply in search of work or a free ticket out of the city.
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. Discussion questions book club recommendationsdiscussion. She was deposited with the byrnes, who wanted only child labor in a dressmaking enterprise. 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. Her vegetarian diet was only one thing about her that her foster parents, especially her impossibletoplease foster mother dina, refused to accept about her. 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. Orphan train is a fascinating story of friendship between women from two generations. See more ideas about orphan train, orphan and train. Emilys story the brave journey of an orphan train rider.
Orphan train by christina baker kline is a book that has many themes. Bird in hand, the way life should be, desire lines and sweet water. Discussion questions for orphan train by christina baker kline. Book club books book lists books to read orphan train county library historical fiction good thoughts so little time brave. From 1854 to 1929 an estimated 250,000 orphaned, abandoned, and homeless children were placed throughout the united states and canada during the orphan train movement. Jul 16, 2014 orphan train on surprise trip up the bestseller list. A site dedicated to book lovers providing a forum to discover and share commentary about the books and authors they enjoy.
Moving between contemporary maine and depressionera minnesota, orphan train is a powerful novel of upheaval and resilience, of second chances, and unexpected friendship. Lesson plans and resources for orphan train table of contents 1. These book discussion questions are highly detailed and will ruin plot points if you have not read the book. See more ideas about orphan train, orphan train book and orphan. 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 runaway bestseller that has swept the nation, with more than one million copies soldbetween 1854 and 1929, socalled orphan trains ran regularly from the. 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. Book club questions for the orphan train by christina baker. Would they be adopted by a kind and loving family, or would they face a childhood and adolescence. 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. One week molly took over the kitchen and made her kind of food. Orphan train by christina baker kline find this book on amazon.
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. She served as writerinresidence at fordham university from 2007 to 2011 and. Beyond the orphan train series, volumes 14 by arleta richardson. Orphan train by christina baker kline book club discussion. After my book club chose orphan train for our next meetup, i picked up my copy.
I have quite a bit of experience with this kind of. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. My novel traces the journey of vivian daly, a now90yearold woman, from a small. Welcome to a book club just for those who love family history. Orphan train book club ideas part 1 book club books.
A novel christina baker kline, 20 harpercollins 278 pp. 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. Read orphan train absolutely for free at readanybook. A long journey from home and the struggle to find it again form the heart of the intertwined stories. 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. 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. Riders on the orphan train kindle edition by moore, alison. Orphan train book club ideas part 2 delicious reads. I think i was drawn to the orphan train story in part because two of my own grandparents were orphans who spoke little about their early lives. Christina baker kline is a novelist, nonfiction writer and editor. The story of this ambitious and finally controversial effort to rescue poor and homeless children begins in the when thousands of children roamed the streets of new york in search of money, food and shelterprey to disease and crime. Warren intercuts the story of one childs experience with being an orphan train rider with a general history of the trains.
Between 1854 and 1929, socalled orphan trains ran regularly from the cities of the east coast to the farmlands of the midwest, carrying. In orphan train, vivian dalys firstperson, pasttense account of her experience on the orphan train and her journey from irishcatholic immigrant to protestant midwesterner alternates with the presentday, presenttense, thirdpersonlimited story of vivians life on the maine coast. However, on the plus side, i had no idea about the things that happened to children like vivian. 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 the brief prologue, narrator vivian introduces the concept of ghosts, stating her belief that ghosts haunt the. 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 book set in both the present day and the late 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s. The main narrative about vivian, an orphan train rider, was excellent.
Orphan trains in united states in to 1929 relocated orphans. Go one step beyond the usual wine, cheese and crackers with a menu that matches the theme of your book clubs latest selection. Its dorothys birthday, shes living with the miserable, dysfunctional grote. The orphan train movement transported around needy, neglected, and orphaned children from new york to other regions of the united states and canada from 1854 to inspired by the roughly orphaned children calling the streets of new york home. Belonging and connection molly ayer and vivian daly, two women born in different places and eras and who were orphaned as young children, both struggle to find a sense of home and belonging. Your book club could also go veggie in honor of molly. There are a couple of references to other childrens experiences, but its mostly just the one example. Dutchy has a very particular idea about the orphan train and what will happen to the kids on it. Niamh pronounced neev was an irish immigrant girl sent on an orphan train from new york city to minnesota in the late 1920s. 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.
The orphan train by christina baker kline questions. Homes wanted orphan train, orphan train book, book club books. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading riders on the orphan train. Through reading the book and completing any of the suggested activities. When the orphan train movement began, it was estimated that 30,000 abandoned children were living on the streets of new york city. One of the books protagonists, an irish orphan, is packed. I really did enjoy this one and i do love to be taken on an emotional journey and i. When vivian goes to live with the byrnes fanny offers her food and advises, you got to learn to take what people are willing to give. The term orphan trains is also misleading because a substantial number of the placedout children never took the railroad to their new homes, or even traveled very far. 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.
Vivians journey west was aboard an orphan train, a bit of misguided. Go one step beyond the usual wine, cheese and crackers with a menu that matches the theme of your book club s latest selection. 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. Book club kit discussion guide orphan train by christina. The idea of going west seems very permanent, as if those making the journey know they are leaving behind everything they once knew.
I had no idea there were orphaned children that faced this fate. Collect all four volumes of the beyond the orphan train series. Recommending new books each month to spark lively conversation. Content includes books from bestselling, midlist and debut authors. Orphan train book club ideas part 1 have you read this incredible story about our history in america. 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. Orphan train historical background christina baker kline. Orphan train book club ideas part 1 delicious reads. 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. My own background is partly irish, and so i decided that i wanted to write about an irish girl who has kept silent about the circumstances that led her to the orphan train. Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested. I had no idea that this happened with orphans in america.
Orphan train themes from litcharts the creators of sparknotes. Here we share our top picks for fiction and nonfiction from authors around the world. Christina baker kline, orphan train orphan train by christina baker kline is a book that has many themes. Orphan train recipes for book clubs tosas allcity read. The journey to easter cards stand included we love jesus. 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. New book club party food families ideas party club friends 35 ideas for 2019 mystery playground. Orphan train on surprise trip up the bestseller list. Litcharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in orphan train, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
638 689 482 763 1051 69 1354 1453 1361 58 798 1373 1388 79 760 999 575 1011 944 1405 1 22 1441 618 200 809 217 181 816 1009 1350 15 782