I picked this up from a local little free library. I plan on reading it and releasing it back into the world.

#1 New York Times Bestseller

Available in a special hardcover edition, Christina Baker Kline’s smash bestseller that is “a lovely novel about the search for family that also happens to illuminate a fascinating and forgotten chapter of American history” (Ann Packer).

Between 1854 and 1929, so-called 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. Would they be adopted by a kind and loving family, or would they face a childhood and adolescence of hard labor and servitude?

As a young Irish immigrant, Vivian Daly was one such child, sent by rail from New York City to an uncertain future a world away. Returning east later in life, Vivian leads a quiet, peaceful existence on the coast of Maine, the memories of her upbringing rendered a hazy blur. But in her attic, hidden in trunks, are vestiges of a turbulent past.

Seventeen-year-old Molly Ayer knows that a community-service position helping an elderly widow clean out her attic is the only thing keeping her out of juvenile hall. But as Molly helps Vivian sort through her keepsakes and possessions, she discovers that she and Vivian aren’t as different as they appear. A Penobscot Indian who has spent her youth in and out of foster homes, Molly is also an outsider being raised by strangers, and she, too, has unanswered questions about the past.

Moving between contemporary Maine and Depression-era Minnesota, Orphan Train is a powerful tale of upheaval and resilience, second chances, and unexpected friendship.

I really loved this book. I didn't know about the orphan trains that went through the country in the late nineteen and early twentieth century to rehome orphan children from overcrowded urban areas to more rural areas. It was interesting to read about the challenges faced by Niamh as she went from family to family until she found a place that accepted her. I also really enjoyed the similarities between Vivian (Niamh) and teenager Molly who has come to help her organize her attic as community service hours.

I am glad that I picked this up to read.

Left in the little free library