The national orphan train complex opened in 2007 in concordia, kansas and is dedicated to preserving the history of the orphan train movement. 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. Surviving train riders are now in their eighties and. Find out in this lesson, which will go over a summary of orphan train by christina baker kline. Andrea warrens books about children are the result of her passion for history and her interest in young readers.
Spruce harbor, maine, 2011 union station, chicago, 1929 summary. They take niamh to the childrens aid society, and the agency sends niamh out to the midwest on an orphan train. The orphans tale, by pam jenoff pam jenoffs new novel follows two women who sign on with a german traveling circus and the jewish baby theyre both determined to protect as. These notes were contributed by members of the gradesaver community. Cathy marie buchanan, nyt bestselling author of the day the falls stood still and the painted girls i loved this book. 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 on surprise trip up the bestseller list. Perfect for acing essays, tests, and quizzes, as well as for writing lesson plans. 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. Founded in 1958 by clifton keith hillegass, cliffsnotes is the original company that produced study guides and book summaries ranging from. Dec 16, 20 orphan train weaves together the stories of two lost girlsthe elderly vivian who once went by the name niamh, and teenager molly, whos just about to age out of the foster care system. Orphan train by christian baker kline is the story of a surprising friendship between two women troubled.
Orphan train summary from litcharts the creators of. The orphan train community note includes chapterbychapter summary. Its so bad, i thought that i might be the victim a literary candid camera type gag, where i would get to the last page and read ha ha ha you just read the fake parody version of orphan train. Orphan train wreck the book i just read was terrible. Goodreads members who liked orphan train also liked. The orphans tale, by pam jenoff pam jenoffs new novel follows two women who sign on with a german traveling circus and. Find books like orphan train from the worlds largest community of readers. Reminiscent of elizabeth strouts amy and isabel, this orphan train carries us along until the stories of these two women become one. Jul 14, 2017 orphan train girl is an interesting read about the little known practice of the orphan trains in the united states. I think a lot of readers are looking for a book they can. Tell me something true orphan train is so beautifully written, and the characters are inspiring. She coauthored a book on feminist mothers and daughters, the. 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 by christina baker kline, paperback barnes.
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. Scatcherd is the matron of the orphan train during vivianniamh, dutchy and carmine. The novel begins with 91 yearold vivians first person narration. 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. Orphan train is a powerful novel of upheaval and resilience, of second chances, and unexpected friendship. Her first book for houghton mifflin, orphan train rider, won the 1996 boston globe horn book award for nonfiction. Eight year old vivian is left entirely alone and sent to an orphanage.
Each and every character was straight out of central casting. Orphan train characters from litcharts the creators of. Orphan train girl is an interesting read about the little known practice of the orphan trains in the united states. Spruce harbor, maine, 2011 union station, chicago, 1929 summary orphan train by christina baker kline spruce harbor, maine, 2011 union station, chicago, 1929 summary and analysis. The novels parallel storyline begins in 1929 and features vivians life story as niamh power, a nineyearold girl who.
She served as writerinresidence at fordham university from 2007 to 2011 and. Peniston, a miserly woman who refuses to give her niece an allowance. On the train, niamh befriends dutchy, a twelveyearold boy, and takes care of carmine, a toddler. Written by julia wolf orphan train is a novel which shows how important it is to trust in a better future, fight your fears, and just be kind and compassionate. Jul 16, 2014 orphan train on surprise trip up the bestseller list. A novel christina baker kline, 20 harpercollins 278 pp. Read orphan train absolutely for free at readanybook. Overview of the entire book introduction to the important people in the book summary and analysis of all the chapters in the book key takeaways of the book a readers perspective. Christina baker kline sets herself a stark challenge in her new novel giving flesh to the back story of the woman who crawls across a desolate field in andrew wyeths iconic painting. She tried to steal a book from the spruce harbor public library, an act which. Orphan train is a book set in both the present day and the late 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s. The train, carrying niamh and about half a dozen other orphans, arrives in the small town of albans. Christina baker kline writes exquisitely about two unlikely friends. It should appeal to a limited younger audience interested in historical fiction.
Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides for challenging works of literature. Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of anne of green gables and what it means. It was called the orphan train, and took the children into the midwest to be. A dangerous promise orphan train adventures, book 4 the orphan train adventures by joan lowery nixon and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at.
The orphan trains operated between 1854 and 1929, relocating about 200,000 orphaned, abandoned, abused, or homeless children. Orphan train summary from litcharts the creators of sparknotes. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers. Summary orphan train by christina baker kline summary and analysis. If you are the publisher or author of this book and feel that the. She has been a professional writer for twenty years and works from her home office in the kansas city area. Find helpful summaries and analyses for every chapter in christina baker klines. 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. Orphan train was a mix of favorite childhood books of mine such as anne of green gables, heidi, and understood betsy, and ms. Paperback original orphan train is a gripping story of friendship and second chances from christina baker kline, author of bird in hand and. 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.
Books similar to orphan train goodreads share book. Overview of the entire book introduction to the important people in the book summary and analysis of all the chapters in the book. Cliffsnotes study guides are written by real teachers and professors, so no matter what youre studying, cliffsnotes can ease your homework headaches and help you score high on exams. 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. Between 1854 and 1929, socalled orphan trains ran regularly from the cities of the east coast to the. Albans, minnesota, 1929 in christina baker klines orphan train. Orphan train is so beautifully written, and the characters are inspiring. 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. Orphan train by christina baker kline harpercollins childrens books 2017 228 pp.
She was deposited with the byrnes, who wanted only child labor in a dressmaking enterprise. With her red hair and freckles, she is told she is undesirable and may be hard to place in a new home. Orphan train weaves together the stories of two lost girlsthe elderly vivian who once went by the name niamh, and teenager molly, whos just about to age out of the foster care system. Christina baker kline is a novelist, nonfiction writer and editor.
No one knows who they are or what they are doingor, at least, the bakers wife doesnt know these things because the mysterious children refuse to give her any info. This is a summary of the book and not the original book. We are thankful for their contributions and encourage you to make your own. What message would you like your readers to take away from orphan train. Spruce harbor, maine, 2011 union station, chicago, 1929.
History courses, christina baker klines novel orphan train is the perfect addition to your curriculum. Well give you a good storyer, at least, the run down of one. Orphan train by christina baker kline a 30minute summary. Jan 24, 2015 a few days ago i posted my thoughts on orphan train by christina baker kline. One is a seventeen years old living in foster care. The orphan train community note includes chapterbychapter summary and analysis, character list, theme list, historical context, author biography and quizzes written by community members like you. Operatingprimarily as a historical novel, orphan train is grounded in the. Curran is the second adult supervisor of the orphan train. Book club kit discussion guide orphan train by christina. Check out our revolutionary sidebyside summary and analysis.
Cliffsnotes is the original and most widely imitated study guide. How similar can the stories of two orphans, born years apart, be. In three sentences, how would you describe your book. Bird in hand, the way life should be, desire lines and sweet water. 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. As our story opens, four hungry children stand outside a bakery eyeing the cakes.
A teachers guide to christina baker klines orphan train 3 if you have been looking for a contemporary novel to engage students and build multidisciplinary connections between american literature and u. Nothing special happens till the day molly decides to steal a book. She is chosen along with twenty other children to join the orphan train that will travel west. Find out in this lesson, which will go over a summary of orphan train by christina baker kline and discuss one of the major themes. In addition to orphan train 2011 and a piece of the world 2017, her. Just before dutchy goes home with a farmer in minneapolis, minnesota, he and niamh promise to find each other again someday. 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. Orphan train will hold you in its grip as their fascinating tales unfold. Book summary lily is twentynine years old and worries that her physical beauty is fading, which means that her chances for marrying an eligible wealthy man are also becoming slimmer. It will stop at several towns and folks looking to adopt or hire a child, will choose one of the children to come live with them. So, its been four years since his mom died, and tenyearold bud caldwell takes off from his third foster home in search of a better way to live his life.
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