The orphan trains operated between 1854 and 1929, relocating about 200,000 orphaned, abandoned, abused, or homeless children. May 23, 2014 information about orphan trains and the book, orphan train by christina baker kline. Orphan train riders, from the riders on the orphan train multimedia performance at union depot in st. Orphan train was a mix of favorite childhood books of mine such as anne of green gables, heidi, and understood betsy, and ms. Orphan train theme wheel data visualization from litcharts. Christina baker kline is a novelist, nonfiction writer and editor. 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. Orphan train by christina baker kline is a book that has many themes.
Ballet perform pieces inspired by the themes in orphan train, rodzina. After tragedy, young girl shipped west on orphan train. 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. But in interviews, and on her blog, kline says one of. She served as writerinresidence at fordham university from 2007 to 2011 and. Its dorothys birthday, shes living with the miserable, dysfunctional grote. To represent this, i made two story maps that connect when the stories collide. Since 2003, one book, one philadelphia obop has united the city into one giant.
Theyre only accessible on tablets, laptops, or desktop computers, so check them out on a compatible device. Content includes books from bestselling, midlist and debut authors. Oct 20, 2014 i love when i find a winner with my book club and this is definitely a winner. Determine two or more themes or central ideas of a text and analyze their. It of course was a sad story, so there were definitely tears. One of the books protagonists, an irish orphan, is packed onto a train and sent to the midwest. One of the book s protagonists, an irish orphan, is packed onto a train and sent to the midwest. More than 200,000 homeless children were sent west on the trains. The book, the orphan train, by christina baker kline is a wellknown bestselling novel, right.
Orphan train is a book set in both the present day and the late 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s. Any, or all, of these recipes would be suitable for the book club that focuses on dessert. Since orphan train was my book club choice for the year, i had to provide the discussion questions. After tragedy, young girl shipped west on orphan train christina baker klines new novel incorporates a true piece of american history. 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. Take our free orphan train quiz below, with 25 multiple choice questions that help you test your knowledge.
Orphan train book club ideas part 1 food ideas for wonder book club by j. Orphan train riders of new york organization honorary president. Orphan train by christina baker kline, paperback barnes. 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. Orphan train will hold you in its grip as their fascinating tales unfold. Book club food ideas, the lion the witch and the wardrobe, delicious reads, menu we read station eleven by emily st. Recipient of the founders award presented by the national orphan train complex for her eminent presentations on the orphan trains and. Orphan train recipes for book clubs tosas allcity read. For book clubs 1929 train itinerary international editions. The whole idea behind this menu was to think organic camping f. Wonderful descriptions of the art of cooking and the love of good food.
Portaging in this novel, the theme of portaging takes on both literal and symbolic meanings. Adapted and condensed for a young audience, orphan train girl includes an authors note and archival photos from the orphan train era. Ive devoured all of christina baker klines books back to back starting with orphan train and just. Orphan train by christina baker kline content rating and. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Apr 11, 20 after tragedy, young girl shipped west on orphan train christina baker klines new novel incorporates a true piece of american history. Orphan train is an unforgettable story, at times disturbing and painful, at other times hopeful and redemptive. If you are the publisher or author of this book and. Through reading the book and completing any of the suggested activities, students can achieve any. 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. In this stunning novel, george goes behind the glitter of paris in 1927 and takes you to the rooftops, the skinny alleyways, the flowerstrewn parks, and darkened bar rooms to mine the wisdom of humanity. 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. My step mother is half irish and has spoken of the bias towards the irish before, but i never learned about it in school. Find all the books, read about the author, and more.
Molly reports that the thibodeaus are her twelfth foster family. 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. For example, both molly and vivian have literally moved many times, taking all of their belongings with them. Therefore in nine years she hasmoved all of her things twelve times. Read anne of green gables if you are looking for a happier, lighter story about orphans.
Moving between contemporary maine and depressionera minnesota, orphan train is a powerful novel of upheaval and resilience, of second chances, and unexpected friendship. 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. Choosing a book for your book club to read can be challenging. 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.
One week molly took over the kitchen and made her kind of food. The orphan train society of america was founded in 1986 and still hosts reunions. We didnt talk about all of them, but we did hit on most of the main ones. Book club questions for the orphan train by christina baker. Looks like youre viewing this page on a mobile device. 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. Would they be adopted by a kind and loving family, or would they face a childhood and adolescence. Fall book club menu book club menu, book club food, book. Orphan train themes from litcharts the creators of sparknotes. The national orphan train complex opened in 2007 in concordia, kansas and is dedicated to preserving the history.
Questions every book club asks, the story behind the writing of orphan train, and more. Sarah burghardt orphan train is a unique book because it tells two stories that come together in the end. Poll book tally orphan train by christina baker kline rounded up to 4 stars. I do recommend this book, however, due to the disturbing, mature content in certain scenes, only for upper high school students and adults. In real life, orphan trains were intended to save children from the streets, but sometimes. Orphan train tackles some pretty heavy themes, such as finding family and figuring out your identity. You want books that are thoughtprovoking and intelligent but still approachable. Bird in hand, the way life should be, desire lines and sweet water.
These book discussion questions are highly detailed and will ruin plot points if you have not read the book. Renee wendinger is from minnesota and is the youngest of five children. 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. As a midwesterner, i was really interested in this book after hearing it featured on npr. Orphan train themes from litcharts the creators of. Orphan train book club ideas part 1 have you read this incredible story about our history in america. But in interviews, and on her blog, kline says one of the major themes she wanted to tackle. 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. 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. 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. Vivian also treasures the meaning of the symbols on the claddagh. The orphans tale by pam jenoff reading guidebook club.
Orphan train is a gripping story of friendship and second chances from christina baker kline, author of bird in hand and the way life should be penobscot indian molly ayer is close to aging out out of the foster care system. The way life should be by christina baker kline goodreads. Will schwalbe, author of the end of your life book club and books for living. One book, one philadelphia 2015 begins phillyvoice. I had no idea that this happened with orphans in america. Her mother, sophia kaminsky hillesheim, 1917 orphan train rider, was one of the children of the orphan trains taking part in a phenomenal journey from new york city to the midwest. Dinner and a book dinner and a book go one step beyond the usual wine, cheese and crackers with a menu that matches the theme of your book clubs latest selection. Determine which chapters, themes and styles you already know and what you need to study for your upcoming essay, midterm, or final exam. Her vegetarian diet was only one thing about her that her foster parents, especially her impossibletoplease foster mother dina, refused to accept about her. One of the books protagonists, an irish orphan, is packed. Orphan train by christina baker kline book club discussion. Luckily, there were some provided in the back of the book which i have listed below. Book club kit discussion guide orphan train by christina. Litcharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in orphan train, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Read christina baker klines orphan train in citywide book club. Lesson plans and resources for orphan train free library of. She was deposited with the byrnes, who wanted only child labor in a dressmaking enterprise. Does you book club have trouble choosing a novel that everybody will enjoy. The orphan train by christina baker kline questions. 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.
The orphan train theme wheel is a beautiful super helpful visualization of where the themes occur throughout the text. Niamh pronounced neev was an irish immigrant girl sent on an orphan train from new york city to minnesota in the late 1920s. Recipient of the new york foundling award 2004 and 2018 presented by othsa and the national orphan train complex for preservation of orphan train history. See more ideas about orphan train, orphan train book and orphan.
I love when i find a winner with my book club and this is definitely a winner. 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. Christina baker kline, foster care, historical fiction, orphan train, orphans. The main narrative about vivian, an orphan train rider, was excellent. A site dedicated to book lovers providing a forum to discover and share commentary about the books and authors they enjoy. A community service position helping an elderly woman clean out her home is the only thing keeping molly out of juvie and worse. Literary terms orphan train climax molly and dina get in a fight and she is forced to. 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. Moving back and forth between modern day spruce harbor in maine and new york and the midwest in the 19201930s, kline ties up the narratives of goth girl molly, who is aging out of foster care, and irish orphan niamh, who rides the orphan train to a presumably better life after suffering a family tragedy. 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. 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. For vivian, the cross reminds her of family and home. 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.
Claddagh cross vivian treasures a pewter claddagh cross given to her by her grandmother shortly before the family immigrated to the united states when she was 7 years old. There is the theme of foster care, adoption, family history, unexpected. Gail martin is joined by cohost rebecca kubacki to discuss the fates of the children looking for a new home in orphan train by christina. 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. Orphan train book club ideas part 2 delicious reads. 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. Cathy marie buchanan, nyt bestselling author of the day the falls stood still and the painted girls i loved this book. 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. Although this particular story of molly and vivian is fictional, the orphan trains were real, and a piece of history i had never heard of. 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.
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