We Rode the Orphan Trains (Hardcover)

by Andrea Warren (Author) "SHORTLY AFTER HER BIRTH in 1922, Lorraine Williams was put in a New York City orphanage; she was there until she was four..." (more)
Key Phrases: orphan train riders, orphan trains, Children's Aid Society, New York City, Sister Justina (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Warren (Orphan Train Rider) here interviews eight orphan train riders concerning their childhood experiences during "the largest children's migration in history" between 1854 and 1929 as part of a "placing out" program run by the Children's Aid Society of New York City. The stories reflect the diversity of the train itself, from Nettie, who discusses how she and her identical twin, Nellie, escaped their first sadistic adoptive mother to find a loving home with an older couple, to Art Smith, whose daydreams of an actress mother were shattered when he discovered he was a baby "left in a basket in Gimbel's Department Store." Many of the profiles include well-chosen details that will tug at readers' heartstrings, such as Sister Justina, who celebrated the wrong birth date for 57 years, or little Ruth, who initially refused to take her arms off the dinner table after years of protecting her food from grabby, hungry orphans. Black-and-white photographs effectively highlight the stories. Though some of the accounts focus too much on adult discoveries, ultimately the anecdotes about these brave and lonely children will keep readers traveling on this train. Ages 9-12.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Gr 4-8-Warren's story of nine-year-old Lee Nailling in Orphan Train Rider (Houghton, 1996) opened a window onto a disturbing period of American history in which children were both victims and heroes. In this follow-up volume, she relates the personal histories of eight men and women-now senior citizens-who were orphaned or abandoned as children and later traveled across the country in trains to meet strangers who would become their new family members. An introductory chapter describes the appalling numbers of homeless children in 19th-century America's large eastern cities and explains how poverty and disease as well as high rates of alcohol and drug addiction contributed to a problem that continued into the 20th century. The personal histories, based on interviews that Warren conducted with her subjects, are rich and compelling and so full of dramatic twists and turns that they could have been conceived by Charles Dickens. Hunger, fear, and isolation are the most common recollections of the men and women who speak from these pages. Fortunately these stories all have happy endings, testimony to the resilience of children and the kindness of strangers. The author also includes information about early social activists such as Charles Loring Brace, who established New York City's Children's Aid Society in 1853. These remarkable stories have enormous human-interest appeal and will provoke serious discussion about just how much life has really changed for children from the last century until today.

William McLoughlin, Brookside School, Worthington, OH

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children (October 29, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0618117121
• ISBN-13: 978-0618117123
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #146,641 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #11 in	Books > Children's Books > Issues > Adoption > Nonfiction
  #79 in	Books > Children's Books > History & Historical Fiction > United States > 1800s

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Exciting and Terrifying Adventure, October 26, 2005

A Kid's Review

Imagine you're on a train to a place you don't know, with hundreds of other children riding with you. At the next stop you get off and you're on display for people to see. Complete strangers come over to examine you and scrutinize over whether to adopt you, one of the orphan train riders, into their homes. We Rode the Orphan Trains by Andrea Warren narrates the accounts of seven riders who experienced what is was like to ride the orphan trains. First the author gives a short review of what the orphan trains are all about and the life of one agent who rode with the children to their new homes. Any child who was orphaned or abandoned could be put on the orphan train. These trains then went from town to town where the children, some infants, others in their teens, were put on display and the townspeople wanting to adopt would come over. After that any child wanted by a family would go and live with them. In the case of Arthur Field this worked out well and he grew up living a happy life. Nettie and Nellie Enns suffered under a cruel mother and were promptly taken to a new home where they found happiness. We Rode the Orphan Trains is quite engaging and leads you into the minds of those people who rode the Orphan Trains.

The book is packed with useful information and invaluable to anyone learning about the orphan trains. Two introductory chapters help you understand what the orphan trains is all about. The next seven chapters deal with the lives of seven riders and include excerpts and background on each rider. The last chapter discusses briefly the future of the orphan trains. You don't have to wade through a huge, heavy book on the history of orphans to learn about the orphan trains. We Rode the Orphan Trains presents the material in an enjoyable manner and whether you're writing a paper or reading just for pleasure, this book fulfills both tasks.

The novel is very well written and thought provoking. Not all people agreed with the orphan trains. Some thought it unfair and cruel to "give away" children to complete strangers. Many times siblings could not be taken together. Others argued that the orphan trains were the best way to find homes for orphaned children. Shelters and orphanages were often poor and overcrowded with kids. Also, after children were placed in a home, an agent came every year to check on them, much like modern day adoption.

We Rode the Orphan Trains is, unlike some history books, fun and easy to read and understand. If you're enjoying something it's likely you'll get more out of it. Fast paced and overall fascinating are adjectives I'd use to describe this book. The narratives of the various people interviewed are interesting to read and lead you into the mind of the orphans who rode the orphan trains.

I highly recommend We Rode the Orphan Trains. It contains great historical information presented in a lucid and engaging style.

A.Marshall

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Short Book, November 24, 2007

By	S. Marcantelli - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: We Rode the Orphan Trains (Paperback)

I enjoyed this book but I had not known it was so short. There are less than 125 pages. It is typed double-spaced and there are many pictures, some of them taking up a full page. I greatly enjoyed the pictures but I just hadn't expected a book I could go through so quickly.

4.0 out of 5 stars Well written!, May 3, 2009

By	A. Wilson (Fort Collins, CO United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is a great book. It's well written, personal, and educational. The stories are told in a narrative and are easy to read.