Orphan Train

Orphan Train is a captivating novel from Christina Baker Kline that intertwines both past and present. Present day orphan Molly Ayers is struggling with her less than satisfactory foster family and gets into some minor trouble that lands her fifty hours of community service helping an elderly lady clean out her attic. When Molly first meets Vivian Daly, they are not overly fond of each other and Molly just focuses on getting her hours done. But soon the two start to develop a relationship together as Molly begins to uncover Vivian's past that she has hidden away in the attic. It seems that the pair are not as different as they originally thought.

Interspersed with the tale of Molly and Vivian's budding relationship is the story of young Vivian as she was an orphan being hurdled around on an orphan train. This historical part of the novel is the most thought provoking. I personally did not know about orphan trains of the past so it was interesting to learn about this part of history. Thousands of orphans were just put on a train in New York and shipped to the Midwest, making stops along the way in hopes that a family would pick them. For the children, it was based purely on luck. Some would end up with a nice family, but many others were taken in to be child laborers. Siblings and friends were ripped apart from each other as some children were chosen and others were put back on the train to head to the next stop. As the story in the past continues, we find that the young girl is actually the Vivian Daly of the present.

Molly's foster family was pretty stereotypical, but there would have been no story if they weren't. The reason Molly met Vivian was because she was unhappy with her foster parents and got into some minor trouble that landed her community service. The story of imperfect foster care systems are what led the two to develop an understanding for one another. The novel reads as part YA and part adult which I liked. This was a very powerful story and I look forward to reading more from this author!