Author Visit

Its not every day you get to meet the author of a book you read, a few weeks ago I got that opportunity.  In my English, class we read Orphan Train, Telling  telling the story of a orphan Train rider.  The Author Christina Baker Kline, then came to our school to give a talk about the book.  The Kline talked to us about the amount of time she spent doing research on the book. She she attended Orphan Train reunions, and interviewed the last of the Orphan Train riders.  The book ended up having some connections I didn't ever realize that would be in the book.  These mostly came from Jane Eyre and The Wizard of Oz.


It was very interesting for me to be able to hear an author talk about her book. This is because she talked about the work she did prior to writing the book, and how she did her homework to make sure the end product is very good.  Also, it was great to have the opportunity to communicate with an author, and relate to it.  You were also able to ask them questions that can not be answered  through reading the book.


Her presentation had some influence over my interpretation of the book. I felt with the knowledge I gained through her presentation I was able to relate to the book, and figure out why some things happened the way the happened.  I thought it was very interesting how some passengers on the trains thought that they were the only train ever going to the mid west with orphans, and never really talked about cause of embarrassment.  This changed how I felt about a few point in the book.    

Overall, I enjoyed listening to the author about her presentation on the book, Orphan Train.