Orphan Train - a novel by Christina Baker Kline

 Orphan Train - a novel  by Christina Baker Kline

Non-fiction and historical fiction reading for young adults has improved greatly in the last few years.  The variety of books that try to portray actual events throughout history offer so many perspectives for so many different kinds of readers.  Some of the most recent I can think of off the top of my head include, The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys, and Tangled Threads: a Hmong Girl's Story by Pegi Deitz Shea.  These don't even include many great realistic fiction books that help build reader empathy as characters have to deal with challenges of life such as poverty, bullying, physical and cognitive disabilities, and other social issues.

In the book Orphan Train, author Christina Baker Kline combines two characters and their stories simultaneously to explain the history of the Orphan Trains in America during the 1920s, and the social dilemma of being a teenage orphan in 2011.  Seventeen year old Molly Ayer is all too familiar with the social service system. She is a juvenile delinquent, most recently for stealing a book, and probably in danger of being relocated into another foster home. Her sentence is to serve community service, cleaning the attic of ninety-three year old Vivian Daly.  Vivian is also familiar with the social service system in her day.  As an orphaned Irish immigrant, Vivian was placed on the Orphan Train on the east coast, and was sent to America's growing midwest region with the hopes to finding a safe home, and possibly a family.

These two unlikely friends eventually develop trust in each other. They begin to share their experiences as participants in the social system of their time. Kline intertwines the past stories of Vivian's life as an orphan in 1930 with the present day predicament of Molly Ayer.  The reader begins to see a change in both characters, as they become dependent on each other, Vivian trying to curate the events of her past, and Molly her present and future.

The Ledge: Experience a wonderfully dangerous adventure

THE LEDGE by Jim Davidson and Kevin Vaughan.
An adventure story of friendship and survival on Mr. Rainier.

In July of 2013 my family and I took a trip to Seattle, Washington.  We went on many different tours during our stay, but hiking 7,200 feet up Mt. Rainier was one of the most exciting things I have ever done.  The pictures and video in this blog are just a sample of the views that we encountered during our days on the Mountain.  Even though we only climbed about halfway up Mt. Rainier's 14,409 foot peak, we were close enough to appreciate the effort it would take to climb to the top. We could actually see groups of mountaineers on their way to and from the summit. We joked about the next time we visit, that we would go all the way to the top, so my sister-in-law bought me the book, The Ledge, by Jim Davidson and Kevin Vaughan as a Christmas gift.  After reading about Jim Davidson's harrowing adventure on his summit climb in 1992, I have a new understanding, and renewed respect for what it would take to me to summit Mt. Rainier and survive.

Jim Davidson and his friend, Mike Price were expert climbers.  Together they had climbed some of the most difficult mountains in North and South America. They were a team, and their experiences made them as accomplished as climbers could be, but as a team, they had yet to conquer one of the prized summits in the United States, Mt. Rainier.  In this narrative, Jim Davidson takes the reader back to his days working with his dad as a specialty painter on structures like bridges, high voltage power stations, and high voltage transmission towers.  His experiences working under such strenuous conditions, became the groundwork for other adventurous endeavors including climbing and mountaineering.  As Jim and Mike finally conquer the summit of Mt. Rainier, tragedy strikes, and Jim is required to rely on every lesson his father has ever taught him, pushing his physical and mental limits, in order to get off the mountain alive.

I have read a few books about survival such as Hatchet by Gary Paulsen, Avalanche by Arthur Roth, Everest by Gordan Korman, and a few others.  First of all, this book is nonfiction. It is a true narrative about Jim's survival.  Secondly, it is very recent, and my experience on Mt. Rainier made his story seem so much more believeable. Text to self connections are some of the easiest thinking strategies kids can make.  The problem is that they often are so literal and rarely promote further thinking.  Consider reading a book set in a place that you have visited, or even one set in your hometown.  Think about how your text to self connections might promote higher level thinking.  What if you read a murder mystery that took place at Menominee Park? How would your thinking be different than if the setting was somewhere you didn't know?

Every High School Student Should Read This Book

The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Teens by Sean Covey - Every once in a while I read a professional book that was recommend to me by my colleagues, or other adults, that think I might benefit from or enjoy the insight the book has to offer.  Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephan Covey was one of those books.  My wife and principal are just two of the people I know that continue to quote and comment on the message that Stephan Covey conveys in his book.  When Sean Covey's book came to our attention recently, my wife bought three copies for each of my children, ages 12 through 16. The hope is that the thinking and motivation derived from Stephan Covey's book for adults will have the same effect on our teenage children after reading Sean Covey's book for teens. Needless to say, since it has been recommended by my wife and I, my kids are not very motivated to read it. Yet. I hope I get the chance to promote this book to others as well.