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. 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. 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. Its dorothys birthday, shes living with the miserable, dysfunctional grote. Orphan trains in united states in to 1929 relocated orphans. When the orphan train movement began, it was estimated that 30,000 abandoned children were living on the streets of new york city. The orphan train by christina baker kline questions.
Dutchy has a very particular idea about the orphan train and what will happen to the kids on it. 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. 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. 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. Any, or all, of these recipes would be suitable for the book club that focuses on dessert. The idea of going west seems very permanent, as if those making the journey know they are leaving behind everything they once knew. Discussion questions book club recommendationsdiscussion. Orphan train by christina baker kline find this book on amazon. Christina baker kline, orphan train orphan train by christina baker kline is a book that has many themes. Homes wanted orphan train, orphan train book, book club books. Her vegetarian diet was only one thing about her that her foster parents, especially her impossibletoplease foster mother dina, refused to accept about her. 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.
See more ideas about orphan train, orphan train book and orphan. After my book club chose orphan train for our next meetup, i picked up my copy. Vivians journey west was aboard an orphan train, a bit of misguided. Here we share our top picks for fiction and nonfiction from authors around the world. Moving between contemporary maine and depressionera minnesota, orphan train is a powerful novel of upheaval and resilience, of second chances, and unexpected friendship. Discussion questions for orphan train by christina baker kline. I have quite a bit of experience with this kind of. Orphan train is a book set in both the present day and the late 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s. New book club party food families ideas party club friends 35 ideas for 2019 mystery playground. In the brief prologue, narrator vivian introduces the concept of ghosts, stating her belief that ghosts haunt the.
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. 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. However, on the plus side, i had no idea about the things that happened to children like vivian. 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. She was deposited with the byrnes, who wanted only child labor in a dressmaking enterprise. Orphan train by christina baker kline is a book that has many themes. Riders on the orphan train kindle edition by moore, alison. The journey to easter cards stand included we love jesus. Go one step beyond the usual wine, cheese and crackers with a menu that matches the theme of your book clubs latest selection. Lesson plans and resources for orphan train table of contents 1. Go one step beyond the usual wine, cheese and crackers with a menu that matches the theme of your book club s latest selection.
A long journey from home and the struggle to find it again form the heart of the intertwined stories. 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. Orphan train book club ideas part 1 delicious reads. Orphan train historical background christina baker kline. 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. 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 and train. Emilys story the brave journey of an orphan train rider.
Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Orphan train is a fascinating story of friendship between women from two generations. After tragedy, young girl shipped west on orphan train christina baker klines new novel incorporates a true piece of american history. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading riders on the orphan train. 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. 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. Orphan train was a mix of favorite childhood books of mine such as anne of green gables, heidi, and understood betsy, and ms. Christina baker kline is a novelist, nonfiction writer and editor. Litcharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in orphan train, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work. 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.
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. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Book club kit discussion guide orphan train by christina. Orphan train book club ideas part 1 have you read this incredible story about our history in america.
Jul 16, 2014 orphan train on surprise trip up the bestseller list. 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. One week molly took over the kitchen and made her kind of food. Niamh pronounced neev was an irish immigrant girl sent on an orphan train from new york city to minnesota in the late 1920s. A novel christina baker kline, 20 harpercollins 278 pp. 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. 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. 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. Orphan train themes from litcharts the creators of sparknotes. Bird in hand, the way life should be, desire lines and sweet water. There are a couple of references to other childrens experiences, but its mostly just the one example. 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. Through reading the book and completing any of the suggested activities.
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. She served as writerinresidence at fordham university from 2007 to 2011 and. Content includes books from bestselling, midlist and debut authors. Collect all four volumes of the beyond the orphan train series. The main narrative about vivian, an orphan train rider, was excellent. I really did enjoy this one and i do love to be taken on an emotional journey and i. 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. 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. Recommending new books each month to spark lively conversation. A site dedicated to book lovers providing a forum to discover and share commentary about the books and authors they enjoy. Between 1854 and 1929, socalled orphan trains ran regularly from the cities of the east coast to the farmlands of the midwest, carrying. Lesson plans and resources for orphan train free library of.
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. 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. Orphan train on surprise trip up the bestseller list. Read orphan train absolutely for free at readanybook. Orphan train by christina baker kline book club discussion. Beyond the orphan train series, volumes 14 by arleta richardson. Book club books book lists books to read orphan train county library historical fiction good thoughts so little time brave. Orphan train book club ideas part 1 book club books. I had no idea that this happened with orphans in america. I had no idea there were orphaned children that faced this fate. Welcome to a book club just for those who love family history. Warren intercuts the story of one childs experience with being an orphan train rider with a general history of the trains. 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.
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. Your book club could also go veggie in honor of molly. Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested. My novel traces the journey of vivian daly, a now90yearold woman, from a small. One of the books protagonists, an irish orphan, is packed.
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