Beyond The Orphan Train [Paperback]

Donna Nordmark Aviles (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up

Oliver and Edward Nordmark are young boys in 1906 when they are plucked from their New York orphanage and placed on one of America's Orphan Trains to Kansas. After being sent to different farms, the brothers lose track of one another. In 1913, fifteen-year-old Oliver decides to hop a freight train and strike out on his own in hopes of finding his lost brother. Follow Oliver's true story of adventure and discovery as he learns to live by his wits and survive on his own - a child alone in a man's world. Where will he go? How will he earn a living? What kind of people will he meet along the way? Will he be able to find Edward? All your lingering questions will be answered in this, the companion story to the author's first book, Fly Little Bird, Fly!

Editorial Reviews

From the Author

FLY LITTLE BIRD, FLY! and BEYOND THE ORPHAN TRAIN have recently been optioned by Los Angeles screenwriter William Rotko (BREACH, Universal Pictures) who is interested in making a movie that will bring the story of the orphan train movement to a larger audience. "It's very American - their journeys to find their places in the world. I'm attracted to true stories and these have a lot of heart. When you get into the minutiae of characters, you find a wellspring of drama, humor and adventure," he said.

About the Author

Donna Nordmark Aviles is the granddaughter of Oliver and Estella Nordmark and lives in Delaware with her husband and three children. She is currently working on the third and final book in this series, OLIVER'S CHILDREN.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Paperback: 132 pages
• Publisher: Wasteland Press (December 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1932852948
• ISBN-13: 978-1932852943
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,515,387 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

NEW FOR SCHOOLS!! SKYPE AN AUTHOR VISITS - A FUN WAY TO INVITE AN AUTHOR INTO YOUR CLASSROOM FOR A FRACTION OF THE COST, AND STUDENTS LOVE IT!! VISIT MY LINK @ http://skypeanauthor.wetpaint.com/page/Donna+Aviles

A resident of Hockessin Delaware, Donna Nordmark Aviles is the granddaughter of Oliver Nordmark, the protagonist of her first two books, FLY LITTLE BIRD, FLY! and BEYOND THE ORPHAN TRAIN. Based on Oliver's oral history, these books tell the story of his early life as an orphan train rider from NYC to Kansas in 1906 in search of a home. Her third book, PEANUT BUTTER FOR CUPCAKES: A TRUE STORY FROM THE GREAT DEPRESSION is the story of Oliver's children and has been named the WINNER of the 2009 National Literary Foundation's Christopher Robin Award for Children's Literature. Additionally, it was named a 2009 Next Generation Indie Book Award FINALIST.

The AUDIOBOOK version of FLY LITTLE BIRD, FLY! and BEYOND THE ORPHAN TRAIN(available through the author's website- www.orphantrainbook.com) was named the WINNER in the 2009 BEST BOOKS AWARD sponsored by USA Book News.

Aviles has worked in many fields including foreign exchange, social services and business. After raising three children, she returned to her early love of writing, being inspired by Oliver's story. She enjoys speaking to school students and organizations about the Orphan Train Movement of 1854-1929 and The Great Depression and will be on a book tour to central Kansas in April, 2010 - sponsored by the Salina Arts & Humanities Commission. Donna Aviles is a founding member of the Independent Authors Guild, a member of the Orphan Train Historical Society of America and a contributing member of the PODBRAM Review Team (a popular online review site that offers cost free, honest reviews of deserving independent books). To learn more about Aviles' books and the Orphan Train Movement, visit the author's website at www.orphantrainbook.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Sequel, February 13, 2005

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Beyond The Orphan Train (Paperback)

This is a great story for readeres of all ages! When Oliver and his younger brother are sent on an orphan train in 1906 to live with farmers in Kansas, they promise to stick together and never be separated again. When that promise proves to be out of their control, Oliver takes matters into his own hands and hops a freight train headed out of town in a hopeful search for 12 year old Edward. Oliver's TRUE coming of age adventures are captured in this heart warming - sometimes heart wrenching companion story to FLY LITTLE BIRD, FLY! This is a must read for anyone interested in this period of America's history when the Children's Aid Society sent more than 100,000 children west in search of homes - the forerunner of today's foster care system. The book includes many photos of Oliver, his family, Kansas towns at the turn of the century, The Children's Village Orphanage in NY, and more.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An American Adventure, January 6, 2008

By 

D. Salerni (Chester County, Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beyond The Orphan Train (Paperback)

Oliver Nordmark is fifteen years old when he decides to jump on a moving train and "ride the rails" through Kansas, looking for work and a better life. Beyond the Orphan Train picks up the story of Oliver's life where Fly Little Bird, Fly leaves off. Oliver is an orphan, a former rider of the "orphan trains" which transported children from overcrowded orphanages in the east to Midwestern towns where they were generally taken on as farm laborers. Yes, small children - used for labor.

At fifteen, Oliver realizes that after seven years of free labor for Farmer McCammon, he has nothing he can call his own. He makes a snap decision to strike out on his own, hoping to earn money which he plans to use to locate his younger brother Edward, whom he hasn't seen in half a dozen years. Oliver is haunted by a promise he made to Edward when they were children together on the orphan train -- that he would not allow them to be separated - a promise that he had been unable to keep.

Beyond the Orphan Train is the true story of the author's grandfather's life, and it was a sad and difficult life for certain. Sometimes it seems as if Oliver and his brother must have been terribly unlucky to have so much unwarranted misfortune in their lives. And yet, through it all, Oliver maintains his dignity, his determination, and his sense of humor. "Nothing ventured, nothing gained" is his philosophy. Sadly, Edward does not develop the same positive moral character as his brother, which the reader will come to find out before the end of the book.

A wonderful depiction of American life in the early days of the twentieth century, Beyond the Orphan Train will be sure to educate and entertain readers of all ages. Oliver Nordmark represents the all-around American youth - optimistic, keen to learn, and willing to make his way in the world through hard work and resourcefulness.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too, December 27, 2007

By 

TeensReadToo "Eat. Drink. Read. Be Merrier." (All Over the US & Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beyond The Orphan Train (Paperback)

The Orphan Trains that brought thousands of young children from the east side of the United States to live with farming families in the growing west split many families in the 1800-1900s. One such set of siblings, Oliver and Edward Nordmark, rode the train to Kansas in 1906. Separated from his younger brother for several years, the now 15-year-old Oliver has left his adoptive family to make his way in the world and locate the lost Edward.

Riding the rails, he finds himself near the Colorado-Kansas border, and lands steady ranch work with three different brothers. Oliver learns how to harvest and even build houses made from sod before securing enough money to begin his search. Will he and Edward ever be together again, as he promised?

This inspiring story is made all the more incredible by the fact that it is based on the real life events of the author's grandfather. Photos of Oliver and the places he lived bring the tale to life in ways that will surely pique the interest of any who never thought history could be interesting.

Although the introduction claims that it is not necessary to have read the first volume (Fly Little Bird, Fly! ) to enjoy this story, I wish that I had read it, since this book picks up where the last one left off. I hope to review Fly Little Bird, Fly! sometime in the near future.

Reviewed by: Allison Fraclose