Online resources and questions for your book club to connect your groups lives, interests and personal experiences to books you discuss, friday, april 11, 2014 orphan train book discussion guide. Before the discussion began we were told to pick a picture from the. Find resources for your book club, whether it meets in your living room or across cyberspace. Christina baker kline is a novelist, nonfiction writer and editor. These questions about the novel can help foster discussion in your group. Orphan train was a mix of favorite childhood books of mine such as anne of green gables, heidi, and understood betsy, and ms. Discussion questions book club recommendationsdiscussion. We announce the book selection on the first monday of the month and discuss on the last monday of the month at. Orphan train girl by christina baker kline reading guide.
Orphan train book discussion guide book discussions. Apr 11, 2014 online resources and questions for your book club to connect your groups lives, interests and personal experiences to books you discuss, friday, april 11, 2014 orphan train book discussion guide. Since orphan train was my book club choice for the year, i had to provide the discussion questions. 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. Vivian traveled from nyc to minnesota as a young girl on one of the infamous orphan trains that was used to get orphans out of the cities into the country where they might have a better opportunity to find families and to be able to make a good life. The orphan train by christina baker kline questions. Book club questions for the orphan train by christina baker. If you are the publisher or author of this book and feel that the. A lot of the women in this group liked the book along with our strong male contingency of one but not as much as i did. Many books have reading guides at the end of the book that are perfect to use for your book club. Molly ayer has been in foster care since she was eight years old. Rich in detail and epic in scope, orphan train by christina baker kline is a powerful novel of upheaval and resilience, of unexpected friendship, and of the secrets we carry that keep us from finding out who we are. Orphan train by christina baker kline reading group guides.
Luckily, there were some provided in the back of the book which i have listed below. Some authors artfully employ alternating voices such as in orphan train or in the five points of view barbara kingsolver uses in the poisonwood bible. In orphan train, vivian dalys firstperson, pasttense account of her experience on the orphan train and her journey from irishcatholic immigrant to protestant midwesterner alternates with the presentday, presenttense, thirdpersonlimited story of vivians life on the maine coast. I love when i find a winner with my book club and this is definitely a winner. The first concerns a frustrated, angry teen who has been bounced around the foster care system from one uncaring home to another, unloved and generally unwanted. Niamh pronounced neev was an irish immigrant girl sent on an orphan train from new york city to minnesota in the late 1920s. Christina baker klines novel orphan train has ridden the new york times bestseller list for the past 15 weeks, becoming a favorite of book clubs across the country. Content includes books from bestselling, midlist and debut authors. The reality of this heartbreaking time provided for an interesting storyline.
Orphan train by christina baker kline is a book that has many themes. Feel free to respond to one, two, or all of them as well as share your overall thoughts. Book club resources and questions to get you started and keep your discussion going. Orphan train is a best book club book for discussion, the novel of a woman with a hidden past as an orphan train rider and a teenage girl seeking answers about her life. Christina answers top 10 book club questions youtube. Questions every book club asks, the story behind the writing of orphan train, and more.
Poll book tally orphan train by christina baker kline rounded up to 4 stars. Orphan train thanks for joining us as we start the our final book of the summer reading book club, orphan train by christina baker kline. Bird in hand, the way life should be, desire lines and sweet water. Thoughtful, poignant, sobering summary from publisher.
Online resources and questions for your book club to connect your groups lives, interests and personal experiences to books you discuss, friday. On the surface, vivians and mollys lives couldnt be more different. Molly, half indian, has stolen a library book and is. Christina baker klines orphan train is an unforgettable story of friendship and second chances that highlights a littleknown but historically significant movement in americas pastand it includes a special ps section for book clubs featuring insights, interviews, and more penobscot indian molly ayer is close to aging out out of. The orphan train by christina baker kline questions thoughtco. The orphan train has several threads for book clubs to discuss. Orphan train is a young adult historical fiction novel about the relationship between seventeen yearold molly ayer and ninetyone yearold vivian daly who, as the result of spending time together and sharing their experiences, form a bond, learn from each other, and change in significant ways. Aug 18, 2018 the orphan train by christina baker kline moves back and forth between two stories that of a young orphan girl in the early twentieth century and that of a teenager in the modernday foster care system. I remember at the age of 10 or so reading a novel about the late19th and early 20thcentury orphan trains, which took children and babies. The orphans tale by pam jenoff was a very moving read. The orphan train by christina baker kline moves back and forth between two stories that of a young orphan girl in the early twentieth century and that of a teenager in the modernday foster care. A young irish immigrant orphaned in new york city, vivian was put on a train to the midwest with hundreds of other children. Orphan train girl by christina baker kline reading guidebook. Orphan train is a best book club book for discussion, the novel of a woman with a hidden past as an orphantrain rider and a teenage girl seeking answers about her life.
A novel christina baker kline, 20 harpercollins 278 pp. If not, you can visit the publisher or authors website and find online reading guides. This part of our american history was unknown to a few of our readers. Molly ayer is living with ralph and dina in their home in spruce harbor, maine. One is a seventeen years old living in foster care. Orphan train post meeting discussion the augusta book. We didnt talk about all of them, but we did hit on most of the main ones. Orphan train by christina baker kline reading guidebook. Today, we welcome christina to the blog to discuss her experience with book clubs and the three most common questions that clubs have asked her about the novel.
The year is 2011 and molly is in trouble with the law. Book discussion, book group, books to read, discussion questions. A site dedicated to book lovers providing a forum to discover and share commentary about the books and authors they enjoy. Find out in this lesson, which will go over a summary of orphan train by christina baker kline and discuss one of the major themes. Carmine, whom she had to take care of while on the orphan train. Orphan train by christina baker kline tells the story of molly and vivian, two people who seem very different, but discover that they have similar stories. The orphan train transported a reported 200,000 children from the east coast to the midwest between 1854 and 1929. Orphan train book club ideas part 2 delicious reads.
Nyt best selling author christina baker kline answers the top ten questions book clubs ask about orphan train. Reminiscent of elizabeth strouts amy and isabel, this orphan train carries us along until the stories of these two women become one. Everything is horrible and wonderful author stephanie wittels wachs met hoopla book club readers at the pearland library of the brazoria county library system, located in texas. Molly ayer has been in foster care since she was eight years. Christina baker klines novel orphan train has ridden the new york times bestseller list for the past 15 weeks, becoming a favorite of book clubs. We meet in a private facebook group and chat about a new book every month. This is the book ive most been looking forward to reading this summer, so im ready to jump in with both feet. Orphan train by christina baker kline reading guidebook club. Orphan train is a book set in both the present day and the late 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s. Orphan train by christina baker kline book club discussion. Orphan train by christina baker kline, paperback barnes. I also feel that, though the story is fiction, the subjectmatter explored, is not.
Not only is it entertaining and educational, it is also an excellent discussion book. Jan 31, 2014 nyt best selling author christina baker kline answers the top ten questions book clubs ask about orphan train. If you enjoy historical fiction, check out this quick, easy read. Recommending new books each month to spark lively conversation. These book discussion questions are highly detailed and will ruin plot points if you have not read the book. Yes a little reminiscent of that powerful book the nightingale by kristin hannah, however very different in its own right. Ask and answer questions about the novel or view study guides, literature essays and more.
Delve deeper into the books making the charts, and get tips for keeping your reading group engaged. I found orphan train to be 100% accurate in its exploration of how orphans were treated yesterday and today. May 23, 2014 information about orphan trains and the book, orphan train by christina baker kline. In the prologue vivian mentions that her true love died when she was 23, but she doesnt mention the other big secret in the book. Want to see these questions in action, and join a fun monthly online book club no awkward silences, promise. Two of us had heard of orphan trains before reading this book. She served as writerinresidence at fordham university from 2007 to 2011 and. Moving between contemporary maine and depressionera minnesota, orphan train is a powerful novel of upheaval and resilience, of second chances, and unexpected friendship.
We didnt get a lot responses last month, so this month will determine whether or not we continue the book club. Penobscot indian molly ayer is close to aging out out of the foster care system. Kline has written six other novels orphan train, orphan train girl, the way life should be, sweet water, bird in hand, and desire lines and written or edited five works of nonfiction. Check out the video of this event to enjoy a discussion on hooplas fall 2018 book club spotlight title. So, please respond, ladies heres some general questions to get the discussion going. She was deposited with the byrnes, who wanted only child labor in a dressmaking enterprise. Adapted and condensed for a young audience, orphan train girl includes an authors note and archival photos from the orphan train era. Book club kit discussion guide orphan train by christina. I may be biased, but moms book nook is the best online moms book club youll find. Between 1854 and 1929, socalled orphan trains ran regularly from the cities of the east coast to the farmlands of the midwest, carrying thousands of abandoned children whose. Sep 05, 2016 when you choose a popular book club book, you can often find a wealth of book discussion questions already written for you. Online resources and questions for your book club to connect your groups. Orphan train tells the intertwined stories of two orphans born nearly a century apart. This book focuses as eloquently as anything hemingway ever wrote on the horrors of being an orphan, both today and 100 years ago.
Orphan train by christina baker kline i remember at the age of 10 or so reading a novel about the late19th and early 20thcentury orphan trains, which took children and babies from east coast slums and brought them to the midwest, where they were given an opportunity for a potentially prosperous new life in the fresh rural air. Orphan train post meeting discussion the augusta book club. The two women astrid a jewish woman hiding and sheltered in a circus and noa a younger woman who was cast out from her home in the netherlands when she became pregnant. See more ideas about orphan train, orphan train book and orphan. Vivians journey west was aboard an orphan train, a bit of misguided 1900sera social engineering moving homeless, destitute city children, mostly immigrants, into midwest families. Today, we welcome christina to the blog to discuss her experience with book clubs and the three most common questions that clubs have asked. Some authors artfully employ alternating voices such as in orphan train or in the five points of. Christina baker klines orphan train is an unforgettable story of friendship and second chances that highlights a littleknown but historically significant movement in americas pastand it includes a special ps section for book clubs featuring insights, interviews, and more.
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