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Riding the Rails: Homer's Quest
On his thirteenth birthday, Homer learns that he’s an orphan. He was two and a half years old when Aaron and Linda Meiers got him off an orphan train that came through northwestern Iowa from New York City in 1929.
Homer was devastated. His entire life he’d always thought that they were his real parents. They’d never given him any reason to think otherwise. Homer knew about orphans. They were kids no one wanted. How could he be one? How could that happen to him?
Late the next night, he sneaked into his best friend Jamie Williams’s bedroom, woke and then convinced him to hop on a freight train with him that was going east to New York City on a quest to find his real parents and ask them why they didn’t want him. Jamie thought that was the craziest idea Homer ever had, but Jamie’s bond of friendship with Homer was so strong that he couldn’t let Homer go by himself. Jamie left a note for his parents and the boys walked to the railroad station in town.
The boys climbed into a box car on a train that appeared to be going east to New York, but by morning it had turned south to Kansas City instead. When they were arrested by a railroad detective who then tried to assault them, they were rescued by a hobo named Smilin’ Jack who became their mentor and guide to New York. In Ohio, Smilin’ Jack died of a heart attack and Homer and Jamie had to finish Homer’s quest alone. Each step of the way, the boys were helped by a variety of people so that by the time they reached New York City, Homer had discovered what a family was and was ready to return to Iowa to his real family.
Homer was devastated. His entire life he’d always thought that they were his real parents. They’d never given him any reason to think otherwise. Homer knew about orphans. They were kids no one wanted. How could he be one? How could that happen to him?
Late the next night, he sneaked into his best friend Jamie Williams’s bedroom, woke and then convinced him to hop on a freight train with him that was going east to New York City on a quest to find his real parents and ask them why they didn’t want him. Jamie thought that was the craziest idea Homer ever had, but Jamie’s bond of friendship with Homer was so strong that he couldn’t let Homer go by himself. Jamie left a note for his parents and the boys walked to the railroad station in town.
The boys climbed into a box car on a train that appeared to be going east to New York, but by morning it had turned south to Kansas City instead. When they were arrested by a railroad detective who then tried to assault them, they were rescued by a hobo named Smilin’ Jack who became their mentor and guide to New York. In Ohio, Smilin’ Jack died of a heart attack and Homer and Jamie had to finish Homer’s quest alone. Each step of the way, the boys were helped by a variety of people so that by the time they reached New York City, Homer had discovered what a family was and was ready to return to Iowa to his real family.
286 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 24, 2017
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