This young readers’ edition of Christina Baker Kline’s #1 New York Times bestselling novel Orphan Train follows a twelve-year-old 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. This book is especially perfect for mother/daughter reading groups.
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 a wealthy elderly woman clean out her attic for community service, Molly is wary.
But from the moment they meet, Molly realizes that Vivian isn’t like any of the adults she’s encountered before. Vivian asks Molly questions about her life and actually listens to the answers.
Soon Molly 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 so-called "orphan 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.
Two lonely girls, generations apart, discover they have more in common than they ever imagined.
- A Dual Timeline Story: The story alternates between Molly’s life in present-day Maine and Vivian’s journey as a young Irish immigrant on an orphan train in 1929.
- Found Family: As Vivian shares the story of her past, the two discover that family is something you can build, not just something you are born into.
- Coming of Age: A powerful tale of resilience, forgiveness, and finding your place in the world, perfect for middle grade readers who feel like they don’t quite fit in.
- For Mother-Daughter Book Clubs: With themes of shared history and understanding, this is an ideal pick for starting meaningful conversations across generations.
