Orphan Train is a novel so well researched that it could be categorized a historical novel. Kline was able to interview four actual train riders when they were in their late 90s. Other works of fiction by Christina Baker Kline are Sweet Water, Desire Lines, The way Life Should Be and Bird in Hand.

Orphan train problems So-called “train children” were frequently bullied and ostracized in their new communities. Some were rejected and never found a home. Others were mistreated by adoptive families or misused as free farm labor, leading to many instances of runaways.

The train is filled with dozens of other children who have lost their families in one way or another; they are now hoping that their journey will connect them with new parents and a new, better life. Kline's book is fictional, but it's based on the very true history of thousands of children shipped to the Midwest.

Christina Baker Kline wrote Orphan Train when the protagonist, Molly Ayers, is in high school. In Orphan Train Girl, Molly is in middle school. Orphan Train Girl is primarily from Molly's point of view and is written primarily for adolescents.