Orphan train by christina baker kline, paperback barnes. You want books that are thoughtprovoking and intelligent but still approachable. Would they be adopted by a kind and loving family, or would they face a childhood and adolescence. May 17, 2015 since orphan train was my book club choice for the year, i had to provide the discussion questions. 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. Christina answers top 10 book club questions youtube.
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. 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. Not only that, but theyre both members of the lions club, and they were a. Orphan train tackles some pretty heavy themes, such as finding family and figuring out your identity. Your browser does not currently recognize any of the video formats available. Orphan train by christina baker kline book club discussion. A novel by christina baker kline conversation starters limited time offer. Brought together by mollys community service sentence, seventeenyearold molly learns that she has much more in common with ninetyoneyearold vivian than she first thought. These questions about the novel can help foster discussion in your group. These book discussion questions are highly detailed and will ruin plot points if you have not read the book. 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. Lesson plans and resources for orphan train free library of.
Orphan train riders, from the riders on the orphan train multimedia performance at union depot in st. 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. 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. Between 1854 and 1929, over 250,000 orphans and surrendered children were placed out across the country. If you are the publisher or author of this book and feel that the. Beyond the orphan train series, volumes 14 by arleta richardson. Lesson plans and resources for orphan train table of contents 1. Kline tells this enlightening and emotionally engaging story based on true accounts of the orphan train movement in early 20th century america. Book club questions for the orphan train by christina baker. The orphans tale by pam jenoff reading guidebook club. 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. Click here to visit our frequently asked questions about html5. 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 portaging from one river to another, wabanakis had to carry their canoes and all other possessions. Choosing a book for your book club to read can be challenging. After tragedy, young girl shipped west on orphan train. Our discussion of christina baker klines orphan train begins today and will continue through friday.
The train riders themselves, many of them kept quiet about what. In real life, orphan trains were intended to save children from the streets, but sometimes. Online resources and questions for your book club to connect your groups lives, interests and personal experiences to books you discuss, friday. 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. So, please respond, ladies heres some general questions to get the discussion going. A lot of the women in this group liked the book along with our strong male contingency of one but not as much as i did. After my book club chose orphan train for our next meetup, i picked up my copy and. 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. 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. We didnt talk about all of them, but we did hit on most of the main ones. She served as writerinresidence at fordham university from 2007 to 2011 and. Orphan train by christina baker kline is a book that has many themes. 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. I love when i find a winner with my book club and this is definitely a winner.
Map of united states showing number of orphan train riders. Everyone knew the value of traveling light and understood that it required leaving some things behind. One of the books protagonists, an irish orphan, is packed onto a train and sent to the midwest. Available in a special hardcover edition, christina baker klines smash bestseller that is a lovely novel about the search for family that also happens to illuminate a fascinating and forgotten chapter of american history ann packer. Book club books book nerd orphan train book orphan quotes the wild geese happy stories united states map history projects old west. Map of united states showing number of orphan train riders in book club books, book. But in interviews, and on her blog, kline says one of the major themes she wanted to tackle. The main difference between the two versions, other than length, is the protagonists age. 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. She is chosen along with twenty other children to join the orphan train that will travel west.
Author interview christina baker kline, author of orphan train. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides for challenging works of literature. When a divorce sends kathryn reeling back to the maine town where she grew up, the young journalist finds herself facetoface. Orphan train is a book set in both the present day and the late 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s. Conditions of the adoption is to cloth, educate and feed the child as. One of the book s protagonists, an irish orphan, is packed onto a train and sent to the midwest. The orphan train has several threads for book clubs to discuss. A young irish immigrant orphaned in new york city, vivian was put on a train to the midwest with hundreds of other children.
In women of the dawn, a nonfiction book about the lives of four wabanaki indians excerpted in the epigraph, bunny mcbride writes. From the teeming streets of new york among a crush of immigrants. 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. 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. 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.
May 23, 2014 map of united states showing number of orphan train riders in 18531910. The orphan train by christina baker kline questions. Wisconsin orphan train rider biographies, research queries, and lists and dates of orphan trains stopping in wisconsin. A site dedicated to book lovers providing a forum to discover and share commentary about the books and authors they enjoy. 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. Since orphan train was my book club choice for the year, i had to provide the discussion questions. The brave journey of an orphan train rider, which chronicles the true life story of his paternal grandmother an orphan train rider sent to. 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. Orphan train was a mix of favorite childhood books of mine such as anne of green gables, heidi, and understood betsy, and ms. Book club kit discussion guide orphan train by christina. The following topics are just a beginning to form a conversation around 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 penobscot indian molly ayer is close to aging out out of the foster care. Orphan train research person for this site is clark kidder author of emilys story. How did most train riders ultimately feel about having been put on a. 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.
Let your group channel the discussion in ways meaningful to your members. May 27, 20 our discussion of christina baker klines orphan train begins today and will continue through friday. 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 has become an international bestseller, having sold over two million copies in thirtyfive countries. How did most train riders ultimately feel about having been put on a train.
Orphan train historical background from the authors website. 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. Collect all four volumes of the beyond the orphan train series. Poll book tally orphan train by christina baker kline rounded up to 4 stars. Bird in hand, the way life should be, desire lines and sweet water. Orphan train by christina baker kline is a historical fiction story that tells about the period. On the surface, vivians and mollys lives couldnt be more different. She was deposited with the byrnes, who wanted only child labor in a dressmaking enterprise.
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. Many train riders ended up with their names changed more than once. 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. Luckily, there were some provided in the back of the book which i have listed below.
Feel free to respond to one, two, or all of them as well as share your overall thoughts. More than 200,000 homeless children were sent west on the trains. Molly discovers that she has the power to help vivian find answers to mysteries that have haunted her for her entire life answers that will ultimately free them both. Our discussion leader, tamara welch will kick things off this morning. Did the research for this book give you a bleak perspective of human nature. In addition to orphan train 2011 and a piece of the world 2017, her novels include bird in hand. Author bio birth1964 raisedin maine and tennessee, usa, and the uk educationb. Feb 25, 2016 however, vivian was an orphan during the great depression and molly is an orphan today. Discussion questions for orphan train by christina baker kline.
Two of us had heard of orphan trains before reading this book. To ask other readers questions about orphan train, please sign up. Moving between contemporary maine and depressionera minnesota, orphan train is a powerful novel of upheaval and resilience, of second chances, and unexpected friendship. I had no idea that this happened with orphans in america. Riders on the orphan train is an historical novel about a littleknown piece of american history. Its been ten years since then, but kathryn still feels the conspicuous void in her lifeand the nagging, guilty sense that she has failed her friend. Your group may want to focus more on the story in the novel or more on the historical context or ties to the lives of your group members. We didnt get a lot responses last month, so this month will determine whether or not we continue the book club. They started their journey in new york and were given away in train stations across the country. Christina baker kline is a novelist, nonfiction writer and editor. As always, there is no cost to join and no longterm commitment.
See more ideas about orphan train, orphan and history. Apr 11, 20 on the night of her high school graduation in 1986, kathryn campbells best friend, jennifer, vanished without a trace. May 23, 2014 information about orphan trains and the book, orphan train by christina baker kline. Questions every book club asks, the story behind the writing of orphan train, and more.
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. We will be discussing the novel with our online book club and would consider it an honor if you would join us. Christina answers the top ten questions book clubs ask. Christina baker klines adapts her bestselling orphan train for young readers with orphan train girl. Content includes books from bestselling, midlist and debut authors. After tragedy, young girl shipped west on orphan train christina baker klines new novel incorporates a true piece of american history. Christina baker klines novel orphan train has ridden the new york times. Orphan train book club ideas part 1 have you read this incredible story about our history in america. Kline reminds us that we never really lose anyone or anything orperhaps most importantlyourselves. See more ideas about orphan train, orphan train book and orphan. In orphan train, christina baker kline seamlessly knits together the past and present of two women, one young and one old. On the night of her high school graduation in 1986, kathryn campbells best friend, jennifer, vanished without a trace. Riders on the orphan train chronicles the lives of two children among approximately 250,000 young people placed out between 1854 and 1929.