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this is a heart wrenching story about some children who have to overcome adversity, good for fourth grade and up. ( )

The Orphan Train saga begins in 1856 in New York City, where Mrs. Kelly, a young widow, realizes that she cannot give her 6 children the life they deserve. Mrs. Kelly makes the ultimate sacrifice of love and sends them west on the orphan train to find better lives with new families. The children, especially 13-year-old Frances Mary, feel an overwhelming sense of betrayal and abandonment. Their arrival in St. Joseph, MO separates the children not only fromtheir mother, but from each other as well.

This book depicts the experience of traveling on the Orphan Train from New York west. The story tells of a widow who decides to hand over her 6 children to organizers of sending orphans west to be adopted by families who wanted and needed children to work on the farms. The book has the reader experience poverty, discrimination, desperation, and in this book, a happy ending. In this first book in the series, Frances pretends to be a boy in order to be placed in the same household as her younger brother. Since she grew up doing many chores, fulfilling the jobs of a boy isn't hard for her. In the end, she helps slaves escape through the underground railroad to freedom. Students love the excitement in this book and empathize with the mother who gives up her children and Frances, who is trying to be strong for her siblings. ( )