Orphan Train

The #1 New York Times Bestseller Now featuring a sneak peek at Christina's forthcoming novel The Exiles, coming August 2020. “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 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

Ein bewegender Roman über ein vergessenes Kapitel der amerikanischen Geschichte New York, 1929: Mit neun Jahren verliert Vivian Daly, Tochter irischer Einwanderer, bei einem Wohnungsbrand ihre gesamte Familie. Gemeinsam mit anderen Waisen wird sie kurzerhand in einen Zug verfrachtet und in den Mittleren Westen geschickt, wo die Kinder auf dem Land ein neues Zuhause finden sollen. Doch es ist eine Reise ins Ungewisse, denn nur die wenigsten von ihnen erwartet ein liebevolles Heim. Und auch Vivian stehen schwere Bewährungsproben bevor ... Erst viele Jahrzehnte später eröffnet sich für die inzwischen Einundneunzigjährige in der Begegnung mit der rebellischen Molly die Möglichkeit, das Schweigen über ihr Schicksal zu brechen.

Learn about the homeless city children who were taken out West to have new homes in the early 1900s.

The true story behind Christina Baker Kline’s bestselling novel is revealed in this “engaging and thoughtful history” of the Children’s Aid Society (Los Angeles Times). A powerful blend of history, biography, and adventure, Orphan Trains fills a grievous gap in the American story. Tracing the evolution of the Children’s Aid Society, this dramatic narrative tells the fascinating tale of one of the most famous—and sometimes infamous—child welfare programs: the orphan trains, which spirited away some two hundred fifty thousand abandoned children into the homes of rural families in the Midwest. In mid-nineteenth-century New York, vagrant children, whether orphans or runaways, filled the streets. The city’s solution for years had been to sweep these children into prisons or almshouses. But a young minister named Charles Loring Brace took a different tack. With the creation of the Children’s Aid Society in 1853, he provided homeless youngsters with shelter, education, and, for many, a new family out west. The family matching process was haphazard, to say the least: at town meetings, farming families took their pick of the orphan train riders. Some children, such as James Brady, who became governor of Alaska, found loving homes, while others, such as Charley Miller, who shot

Illustrations and rhyming text tell the story of a sister and two brothers who become orphans, are taken in, and make a journey aboard an orphan train to separate new homes.

Discusses the placement of over 200,000 orphaned or abandoned children in homes throughout the Midwest from 1854 to 1929 by recounting the story of one boy and his brothers.

TEN-YEAR-OLD JAMES CANNOT IMAGINE THE FATE THAT AWAITS HIM AND THE PRETTY LITTLE GIRL WHO SITS NEXT TO HIM ON THE INFAMOUS ORPHAN TRAIN. ..".a superb, coarse-grained voice that makes you want more...the Ozark's new narrator who will stand with Alan Le May, A.B. Guthrie, and of course, the above-mentioned Greg Matthews."-Reavis Z. Wortham, author of the "Red River Mystery Series." James is ten when he is taken from a New York orphanage and sent out west on one of the infamous orphan trains, meeting a pretty little girl on his journey who will one day become the core of his existence and the source of his deepest despair. "Gripping from the first sentence to the last-I could not put this book down...An outstanding debut novel from author Steve Brigman."-Diane Moody, author of "Of Windmills and War" and "A Runaway Pastor's Wife." "Brigman is an excellent writer. I could see the characters vividly in my mind as I read the story."-Rolland Love, author of "Blue Hole" and "River's Edge."

Describes the journey many orphan children took looking for families and homes to call their own.

Christina Baker Kline wanted to do something she’d never done before: write a work of fiction based on historically accurate information. And if that’s not difficult enough, she faced incredible heartache in the midst of writing the book. But, Kline never gave up on her writing, pushing through the pain until Orphan Train was published. Her novel has enjoyed great success—in part because it discusses feelings many can relate to: neglect, rejection, hope, redemption. It isn’t a fairytale; rather, Kline created a work of authenticity—a work about struggle and hope and new beginnings. Orphan Train is also a fictional account of a real time in US history in which orphans were relocated to various homesteads in the Midwest. The journeys these children had to make involved much more than a train ride and Kline does a brilliant job illustrating what they went through. Orphan Train is a masterpiece in every way and a creative account of a very real time in US history. Experience: The Behind the Story Effect After reading a BTS... You feel inspired to follow your hearts and dreams... — Arshi Ever been backstage at a concert? Here you go -- in written form. — Author, Editor

1990 – In his upscale New York residence, Harvey is not surprised when Jim visits him. He has been expecting him for seventy years. They met on a trip of the « Orphan Train Riders ». They were among the tens of thousands kids from the streets who were sent to the American West where people were looking for children to love – as well as cheap labour force. 1920 – This is the story of their long journey, made of friendship, mutual assistance... but also betrayal. The journey of those who, despite of being well born, would do anything to be well adopted.