From the Bookshelf of 2017 Reading Challenge…

Orphan Train

Christina Baker Kline

Start date: May 8, 2016

Finish date: May 24, 2016

Discussion: North America

Why we're reading this: This was an enjoyable and fast read. Really interesting introduction to a complicated and little known pi…more
[close] This was an enjoyable and fast read. Really interesting introduction to a complicated and little known piece of American history. The book allowed me to learn a little about the orphan trains of the late 19th and early 20th century. I know desire to read more about them. I wouldn't say that this was a particularly deep insight kind of book. It would be good for young readers or those who are just entering historic fiction as a genre.

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North America

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By Anne · 15 posts · 111 views

last updated Jun 11, 2016 01:54PM

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What Members Thought

Jul 06, 2018 Natalie [genreneutralreader] rated it really liked it

Shelves: audio-books, listened-and-read

This was a sweet little book. I can see why everyone loves it. I was late to the game in reading it, but am glad I finally did. I can't wait to learn more about the history of these Orphan Trains. This is one of the reasons I appreciate the genre of historical fiction so much. I learn teasers about history that I have little knowledge of that lead me on scavenger hunts to learn more. Who doesn't love a good scavenger hunt??

I only gave it 4 stars instead of 5 because most of the characters were v ...more

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Oct 17, 2016 Rachel rated it it was amazing

I really loved this book! I was reading it for my book club at the library. I really like how this book is written. The story is told from two different perspective. The first perspective comes from Molly, who is living with her foster parents. Her home life is not good because she and her foster mom don't get along. Things escalate when Molly steals a copy of Jane Eyre from the library. She gets on and is put on probation. In order not get sent back into foster care, she agrees to help clean ou ...more

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Mar 26, 2017 Cinder rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I really loved this book from the character development, to the story itself, and to the bond between Molly and Vivian. Naturally, there were some unsettling aspects but overall, the story was amazing. The only thing that really bothered me was how the author would switch tenses in her writing in the same sentence or paragraph. If you're describing something in past tense you don't end the sentence in present (and I'm not referring to descriptions of present day material). However, this is just ...more

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Oct 29, 2018 Ann Galton rated it it was amazing

Wonderful

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Dec 03, 2014 Chantal rated it liked it

This one was a little off the rails for me, no pun intended. There was something missing - such an important subject yet a it suffered from a dearth of depth. I really liked Molly, then she disappeared for a while. Her foster mother was not well developed and therefore not credible. It felt like a collection of false starts and dead ends. The flow was severely interrupted and therefore so was my enjoyment of this novel.
I would recommend this for young readers, specifically tweens.

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