A Family Apart (Orphan Train Adventures)

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FOR LOVERS OF HISTORICAL ADVENTURE, A FAMILY APART IS THE MIDDLE-GRADE ANSWER TO CHRISTINA BAKER KLINE'S NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING ORPHAN TRAIN. Imagine being taken from your home. Imagine your mother is the one who lets it happen. This is the fate that befalls the Kelly children. It’s 1856, and their widowed mother has sent them west from New York City because she’s convinced that she can’t give them the life they deserve.  The Kellys board an “orphan train” and are taken to St. Joseph, Missouri, where their problems only grow worse. It was bad enough that they had to say goodbye to their mother, but now they’re forced to part ways with their fellow siblings as well. Thirteen-year-old Frances won’t stand for it. She’s going to protect her brothers and sisters, even if it means dressing up like a boy and putting herself in danger. Will Frances be able to save her siblings? And what about her mom—was splitting up their family really her greatest act of love? Ride the rails with Frances and her siblings to find out! “This is as close to a perfect book as you’ll buy this year.” –VOYA

Lexile Measure: 820L (What's this?)

Series: Orphan Train Adventures (Book 1)

Paperback: 176 pages

Publisher: Laurel Leaf; Reprint edition (December 18, 1995)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0440226767

ISBN-13: 978-0440226765

Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 0.5 x 6.9 inches

Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)

Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (57 customer reviews)

Best Sellers Rank: #89,329 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #46 in Books > Teens > Historical Fiction > United States > 19th Century #136 in Books > Children's Books > Literature & Fiction > Historical Fiction > United States > 1800s #166 in Books > Children's Books > Growing Up & Facts of Life > Family Life > Orphans & Foster Homes

Age Range: 12 and up

Grade Level: 7 and up

This book has got to be one of my favorites. My fifth grade teacher read the whole series to us that year. the other books in the series are as followes- 1) A Family Apart, 2)Caught in the Act, 3) In the face of Danger, 4)A Place to Belong, 5) A Dangerous Promise, 6) Keeping Secrets, and 7)Circle of Love. There is also a series called the Orpan Train Children which is based on the book Circle of love. the books in that series are as follows 1)Lucy's Wish, 2)Wills Choice, 3)Aggie's Home, and 4)David's Search. I hope u enjoy all of these books as much as i have

I thought that A FAMILY APART was a really good book. It helped me to understand what a poor teenager's life was like in the mid 1800's. The story was mainly about a thirteen year old girl named Frances, who lived with her mother and five siblings in New York. After Frances' father died, the family lived in poverty. The mother worked at all hours of the day to support her family. Therefore,she never had time to properly care for her six children, so she sent them on an orphan train to St. Joseph's, Missouri to live with farm families who could feed them and care for them. The children were very upset to leave their mother. They were upset because they would be separated from their brothers and sisters also. Frances did however get placed in a home with her six year old brother, Petey. Frances learned to cope with, and love her new family. Frances had some very exciting adventures while she was living with her new family in Missouri. This book helps the reader understand love, sacrifice and trust. If I were you, I'd sacrifice a little bit of time to read A FAMILY APART.

“Don’t dawdle here with your betters where you don't belong.”—page 11How could I resist this pitch in goodreads.com’s synopsis:“FOR LOVERS OF HISTORICAL ADVENTURE, A FAMILY APART IS THE MIDDLE-GRADE ANSWER TO CHRISTINA BAKER KLINE’S NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING ORPHAN TRAIN.”I simply couldn’t. I loved Christina Baker Kline’s novel, Orphan Train (almost as much as I enjoy typing her musical name), and the temptation of a whole series of Orphan Train Adventures was just too much not to at least dabble…Adventure is the operative word in the title A Family Apart (Orphan Train Adventures #1), by Joan Lowery Nixon. The series is intended for the eight to fifteen year old crowd; and it takes a bit of exciting adventure to grab and hold that audience. That said, A Family Apart has the ring of a genuine historical novel, with a lot of entertainment and information to share with all audiences.Recommendation: Coax your kids to pick up on this series. They’ll learn stuff while enjoying an adventurous story. And enjoy a quick romp in middle-grade reading, yourself, while you’re at it.“. . . and that’s the all of it.”—page 16 (among others)Kindle edition, 162 pages

Good Book! It has action, adventure, and helps you learn about history all in one book. I enjoyed reading it and if you read this book, be sure to check out the rest of the series, too! People of all ages would love it. I'd recomend this book to everyone I meet!

My mom bought me the orphan train adventures series a long time ago, and I never really read them because I wasn't that much into reading. But now, after I read this book, I am reading all the stories in this series 30 minutes a day! This would really be a good book to read. The story is about a 13 year old girl named Frances Mary Kelly who lives with her mom and her brothers and sisters named Megan, Mike, Danny, Peg and Petey. The family is very poor and the mother realizes that she cannot afford to keep all of them. So, to solve that problem she sends them on an orphan train to live in the west with more wealthy families. Each of the children gets separated into different families and the second part of the story tells how Frances and Petey get along with their new family. I thought that the story was very interesting and when I finished one chapter I was so curious that I had to read more than one. What I also liked about the book was that it was very easy to understand what is happening. I have read many other books including Harry Potter where there are so many things that are happening at once that it's just to hard to keep track of everything so that's another good point of the story. The other books in this series include: Caught In the Act, In the Face Of Danger, A Place To Belong, A Dangerous Promise, Keeping Secrets and Circle Of Love. The other books tell you the stories of the other kids and I also recommend them. This was one of the best books I have read so far and I am going to read the whole series!!!

This was a thrilling book about a poor family that live in newyork the family has to deal with many problems first the dad dies, then the 3rd eldest gets in to some trouble because he is a copper thief Mike (the copper thief) is sent to a hearing The judge announces under there mothers wishes that the children ( Petey, Peg, Danny, Mike, Megan, and Frances) are to be sent west on the orphan train. Before the train leaves Frances the eldest child overhears that two kids in the same family are more likely to be adopted if they are boys. So Frances promising her mother that she would take care of her youngest brother cuts her hair and pretends to be a boy named Frankie. That's just the beginning Frances and her brothers and sisters encounter many other things on there quest to the west. Read this fantastic book and your eyes will open up to a whole new world of adventure thieves, slaves, fear, and depression it's sure to make your heart ache.This is a book you will always remember.

I AM STARTING TO READ THE JOAN LOWERY NIXON BOOKS. WANT TO READ THE WHOLE SERIES AS IT IS SOMETHING THAT MOST PEOPLE DON'T KNOW ANY THING ABOUT. HAVE GOTTEN ALL MY FRIENDS INTERESTED IN THIS SUBJECT.

We read this book when I was in 5th grade. I never forgot it. I had looked for it all over and was most pleased when I got it back. It is a tale of great adventure, happiness, love and sorrow. I think every young adult should read it. (And possibly re-read it a few more times as an adult. ;) )

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