orphan trains

In 1854, a group of children who come from different circumstances to the Children's Aid Society in New York come under the care of Rev. Charles Brace, who eventually finds homes for them in Cowagiac, Michigan.

As a child in early twentieth century America, Vivian Daly is sent to the Midwest toward an uncertain future. Decades later, Vivian has a life of her own on the East Coast, and when teenager Molly Ayer arrives to help her clean out her attic in order to fulfill her community service requirement, the two locate mementos and keepsakes from Vivian's past that reveal the two are not so different.

Rory Fitzpatrick has always taken care of her sister, Violet, since their parents died and they were sent to live at the Sisters of Charity Foundling Hospital in New York, but when Rory discovers that the nuns plan on sending Violet to a family out West, Rory becomes determined to follow her.

"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. 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."--from publisher's description.

Nineteen-year-old Frances Mary Kelly, herself an orphan train rider six years before, returns to New York and agrees to escort a group of orphans west to find new homes.

Sent away on an orphan train by his self-centered father Jessie, Will keeps hoping Jessie will return to claim him, even though the people he lives with care for him far more.

Ten-year-old Lucy, an orphan who wants a little sister more than anything, finds a very special one in the less than perfect family which she joins.

Eleven-year-old orphan train rider David Howard settles with a strict Texas farm family, and his best friend is an ex-slave who is threatened by the growing presence of the Ku Klux Klan.