Author: Isabelle Holland
Genre: Historical Fiction
Call No: F Hol
Maggie knew they would have to go at some point. She just couldn’t face the truth that they had to go. 11 year old Maggie and 7 year old Annie were two of the many orphans who went west to find a new home on the Orphan Train. When the 2 sisters set out to Kansas when their mother died of consumption, they are faced with a terrible problem: no one wants both of them, they want only one or the other. Maggie had promised to stay with her sister, and soon the 2 of them are the only ones left. Luckily, a couple takes them both. Maggie is forced to adapt to a new life. Once, she was a carefree little girl in Ireland for few happy years. After her Dad died, she, her Mom and Annie lived in a gritty apartment room, and had no money to pay the rent while they tried to take care of her mother. and now here she was, on a farm instead of the streets of New York, in a new country with new people, religions, habits, and chores. Annie is happy at their new home with aunt Priscilla, Uncle James, and Spot, the guard dog. Maggie has to endure new schools and harsh judging on religion in silent anger. All she wanted was a loving family for her sister- and most of all, to let the 2 of them stay together as they learn the new life of Kansas. Follow them, as they struggle through the real journey home- the journey to show that they were just the same as everyone else.
I recommend this book to people who like to read about orphans in historical fiction, and people who like reading about the orphan train. I give it 5 stars, it was really interesting as it described the train, the houses, the people and everything, in vivid detail. This is a captivating read which is suspenseful in it’s own way. I highly recommend this book, but I’m not sure if it’s at the library.
JMM Chapuis