Orphan Train

This is a touching and tough subject.  It is hard to imagine that we as a nation really had orphan trains.  I was first introduced to this through the "Orphan Train Adventure Series" by Joan Lowery Nixon.
Christina Baker Kline's novel Orphan Train is described like this:

 Penobscot Indian Molly Ayer is close to “aging out” out of the foster care system. A community service position helping an elderly woman clean out her home is the only thing keeping Molly out of juvie and worse...

As she helps Vivian sort through her possessions and memories, Molly learns that she and Vivian aren't as different as they seem to be. A young Irish immigrant orphaned in New York City, Vivian was put on a train to the Midwest with hundreds of other children whose destinies would be determined by luck and chance.

Molly discovers that she has the power to help Vivian find answers to mysteries that have haunted her for her entire life – answers that will ultimately free them both.

Enjoy this look at our past and how we have moved from a system of orphanages to foster care

Christina Baker Kline is an American novelist, essayist, and editor. She is the author of five novels and has co-authored or co-edited five non-fiction books. Kline is the recipient of several Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation Fellowships