Orphan Trains: An Interactive History Adventure

Description

In the early 1900s, adults hoped to find parents for homeless city children by sending them west on trains. Most of these children had no idea whether they would find kind adoptive families or be forced to work like slaves. Will you: Head west after living on the streets of New York City? Search for a home for you and your three younger siblings? Try to care for yourself and your baby sister on your own?

Elizabeth Raum has written over two-dozen nonfiction books for young readers, including a biography of Louis Armstrong for Capstone Press. Over the years, she has worked as a middle school and high school English teacher, an elementary school librarian, and a college library director. Elizabeth Raum has written many nonfiction books for children. Two of her Capstone You Choose books, Orphan Trains: An Interactive History Adventure (2011) and Can You Survive Storm Chasing? (2012), are Junior Library Guild selections. Elizabeth lives in Michigan with her husband, Richard.

This excellent series takes students back in time. Readers have the option of choosing which path they want each of three characters to take. Each character is a child or young adult who faces tough situations and decisions that are typical of the time period. For example, in The Salem Witch Trials, the reader can choose to read about someone accused of witchcraft, be the relative of an accused witch, or be the accuser. What makes this series stand out is the historical background provided. Illustrations are scattered throughout the pages. In Orphan Trains actual photographs are used as well. The quick pace of the stories will appeal to reluctant readers, as will the option for them to choose what will happen next.-- "Library Media Connection"