In her own magical way author Christina Baker Kline manages to capture the essence of the twenty first century in Orphan Train, while also giving the reader a glance of an often forgotten time in America’s past.

The novel follows the story of 17 year old foster child Molly Ayer who gets in trouble and needs to perform community service.  To complete her hours, Molly must clean out 91 year old Vivian’s attic. Once they meet, the novel switches to tell the story of Vivian’s days of being an orphan in the nineteenth century. Through the many dusty boxes of trinkets, Vivian and Molly discover just how alike they really are.

Baker Kline keeps the attention of readers by creating suspense and emotions on every page.  She engages readers with her ability to paint the picture of America’s past in such a horrific, but factual way.  The characters are interesting and will having you laughing and crying, sometimes even on the same page!

The way that Baker Kline weaves in facts through Vivian’s experiences not only adds to the novel, but it creates a whole other dimension.  The fact that readers can make connections between the characters though they are from different time periods is impressive and heartwarming.  If you love realistic/historical fiction and are in the mood for a page-turner, Orphan Train is the book for you!