This young readers’ edition of Christina Baker Kline’s #1 New York Times bestselling novel Orphan Train follows a young foster girl who forms an unlikely bond with a ninety-one-year-old woman. Adapted and condensed for a young audience, Orphan Train Girl includes an author’s note and archival photos from the orphan train era.
You can order signed copies of Orphan Train Girl at Watchung Booksellers, Christina’s favorite indie bookstore. On the check out page, while purchasing a copy, there is a space for Comments at the bottom. You can request a signed copy, and a personalized message, as well!
Molly Ayer has been in foster care since she was eight years old. Most of the time, Molly knows it’s her attitude that’s the problem, but after being shipped from one family to another, she’s had her fair share of adults treating her like an inconvenience. So when Molly’s forced to help an elderly woman clean out her attic for community service, Molly is wary. Just another adult to treat her like a troublemaker.
But from the very moment they meet, Molly realizes that Vivian, a well-off ninety-one-year-old, isn’t like any of the adults she’s encountered before. Vivian asks Molly questions about her life and actually listens when Molly responds. Molly soon sees they have more in common than she thought. Vivian was once an orphan, too—an Irish immigrant to New York City who was put on a train to the Midwest with hundreds of other children—and she can understand, better than anyone else, the emotional binds that have been making Molly’s life so hard. Together, they not only clear boxes of past mementos from Vivian’s attic, but forge a path of friendship, forgiveness, and new beginnings for their future.
PRAISE
“Kline’s prose is fluid and draws readers into the characters, and each chapter’s cliffhanger ending keeps the pages turning. Part coming-of-age novel, part historical fiction, this book will appeal to a wide range of readers.” — BookPage
“In this middle-grade adaptation of Kline’s best-selling adult novel, half Penobscot Molly, a modern foster kid in rural Maine, finds a kindred spirit in the wealthy nonagenarian Vivian. Quietly moving.” — Booklist
Q&A WITH THE AUTHOR
Mother Daughter Book Club Guide
LEARN MORE
Looking for a reading group guide, historical information, or interviews with Christina Baker Kline about Orphan Train? Check out the Orphan Train page, here.
For lesson plans, study guides, quizzes, and more on Orphan Train, head to BookRags.com.
Want to schedule an event with Christina? Please contact Christina’s publicist, Olivia Russo, at olivia.russo@harpercollins.com and Christina’s assistant, Carolyn Fagan, at bakerklinebooks@gmail.com.
