About this item
"A terrific contribution to the literature on orphan trains from the descendant of a train rider." CHRISTINA BAKER KLINE, Author NY Times Bestseller, ORPHAN TRAINHolding tight to one another, vowing never to be separated, Oliver and Edward board the Orphan Train, headed west to start a new life. Will their promise prove impossible to keep, or will they find a home together? From 1854-1929, America's Orphan Train Movement relocated over 250,000 homeless and neglected children from East Coast cities, to farming communities in the West. Known at the time as "placing out," it was believed that the children would have a better future in the morally upright home of a Christian farmer. With a success rate of over 80%, this ambitious experiment is now recognized as the beginning of Foster Care in America.
About the Author
PLEASE NOTE* ORPHAN TRAIN TO KANSAS - A TRUE STORY, released January, 2018, is a reissue of my first two books (Fly Little Bird, Fly! and Beyond The Orphan Train) . ORPHAN TRAIN TO KANSAS contains additional information, pictures, lesson plans, etc. As a descendant, I am always researching this topic and felt it would be better if this story was ONE BOOK.
A resident of Pike Creek Delaware, Donna Nordmark Aviles is the granddaughter of orphan train rider, Oliver Nordmark. Based on Oliver's oral history, ORPHAN TRAIN TO KANSAS tells the story of Oliver's early life as an orphan train rider from NYC to Kansas in 1908. The companion book, PEANUT BUTTER FOR CUPCAKES: A TRUE STORY FROM THE GREAT DEPRESSION is the story of Oliver's children and the creative ways he cared for them during the Great Depression after the sudden loss of his young wife. This book has been selected as a 2012 indieBRAG MEDALLION Honoree. Additionally, it was named a 2009 Next Generation Indie Book Award FINALIST.
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. Aviles recently completed a book tour to central Kansas - sponsored by the Salina Arts & Humanities Commission. Donna Aviles is a member of both the Orphan Train Historical Society of America and The Delaware Humanities Forum Speakers Bureau. To learn more about Aviles' books and the Orphan Train Movement, visit the author's website at www.orphantrainbook.com.
