Riders on the Orphan trainor

Kansas Riders on the Orphan TrainInteresting I guess but fell kind if flat Riders on the Orphan Train Historical fiction is what this book is There was a recording of Alison and her husband Phil Lancaster at the St Tammany Parish Library The presentation was pieced together and based upon the American Experience Documentary about the orphan train riders I suggest watching Ms Moore s presentation before reading the book In the presentation there were a number of interviews with family members of the train riders Each story is unique and in each presentation local descendants are invited to share their story There was a lot of history in the book As a recent move brought me within miles of a Harvey house.

Riders on the Orphan trainworks

4. The orphan train book series 5 What an amazing story about a little known piece of American history Between 1854 and 1929 over 250000 orphans and surrendered children were placed out across the country They started their journey in New York and were given away in train stations in every state in the continental United States This is the story of two children from very different backgrounds who find themselves on the same train heading West in 1918 Their odyssey is a story of dislocation loss and the search for home that is at the heart of the American experience Riders on the Orphan Train Alison Moore s writing is excellent Research seems to be well done and true to the time and place Her characters are multi faceted and her setting as character is amazing I loved the constant flow of figurative language that seemed beautifully literary in spite of the sometimes sad and confusing topic of Orphan Trains and the millions of children who rode them Riders on the Orphan Train Riders on the Orphan Train is an historical novel about a little known piece of American history Between 1854 and 1929 over 250000 orphans and surrendered children were placed out across the country They started their journey in New York and were given away in train stations across the country The novel is the story of the journey of two children from very different backgrounds who find themselves on the same train heading West in 1918 Ezra Duval age 11 was left in an orphanage Ezra s father a widower left his son behind for an opportunity to be a part of an archaeological expedition in Egypt Maud Farrell age 12 arrives in America from the west of Ireland to join her father a sand hog excavating the subway and discovers she must make her own way as a singing girl on the streets Both Ezra and Maud are scheduled to be sent out on a train to find new homes in the West by the Children s Aid Society Their brief friendship makes a life long impression on them both and though they are initially taken by people in different states Arkansas and Texas their experiences like separated twins run uncannily parallel This is a story of dislocation loss and the search for home that is at the heart of the American experience Beginning on the eve of America s entry into World War I and spanning the period of time until the Great Depression these children encounter and learn from people also looking for a way to belong in a rapidly changing world The novel s locations include New York City Arkansas the Big Bend region of Texas central New Mexico and southeastern Arizona The novel began with a short story that is at the heart of a multi media presentation called Riders on the Orphan Train that the author has been performing in libraries and museums since 1998 The program was originally developed for the Orphan Train Heritage Society of America Inc in Springdale Arkansas and now serves as the official touring outreach program for The National Orphan Train Complex Museum and Research Center in Concordia it was an unexpected treat to also get a bit of history on the pre cursor to the Howard Johnson hotels Couldn t put the book down Looking to find the PBS American Experience documentary that inspired both book and live presentation Riders on the Orphan Train Two children from very different circumstances become riders of the orphan trains in the time around world war I and this story traces their lives after their brief encounter on the train Maud later Elizabeth came from Ireland to meet with her photographer father after her mother deserted her family and dies a victim of a German U boat Ezra has lived a privileged life in a hotel but with a distant father who surrenders him for a chance to go to Egypt in the King Tut search But these childhood beginnings are a small part of the story though they establish some coincidences between their lives The two meet on an orphan train for just a day but remember each other always Elizabeth never really finds a family but becomes her own strength as she passes through many different experiences in Arkansas Texas and Nevada Ezra is blessed with a new father and a vocation in New Mexico and farther points west The story not only brings to light the facts of orphan trains but also the depression the dust bowl wars and immigration The two are meant to meet again but it doesn t happen until late in their lives They both survived and prospered and that second moment in time is enough Riders on the Orphan Train It was filled with information and I enjoyed learning about this time in history. Riders on the Orphan Train ebooks online the writing style and the way it was developed wasn t perfection but I did learn alot and am glad I read it, Riders on the Orphan trainty Riders on the Orphan Train Great historical book that I had no idea about Loved the rhythm of the story Riders on the Orphan Train