Nettie and Nellie Crook : orphan train sisters

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Title:

Nettie and Nellie Crook : orphan train sisters

Author:

Abbott, E. F., author.

Hansen, Clint, illustrator.

Series:

Based on a true story.

Summary:

Twin sisters Nettie and Nellie Crook are taken away from their disfunctional parents in 1910 when they are only five years old, and placed in an orphanage--at six they are put on the orphan train by the Children's Aid Society and moved from New York City to Kansas, ending up in a household where they are treated more as servants than children.

Edition:

First edition.

Physical Description:

161 pages : illustrations ; 22 cm.

Genre:

Biographical fiction.

Historical fiction.

Corporate Subject:

Children's Aid Society (New York, N.Y.) -- Juvenile fiction.

Subject Term:

Orphan trains -- Juvenile fiction.

Orphans -- Juvenile fiction.

Twins -- Juvenile fiction.

Sisters -- Juvenile fiction.

Child abuse -- Juvenile fiction.

Geographic Term:

New York (N.Y.) -- History -- Juvenile fiction.

Kansas -- History -- Juvenile fiction.

Author(s):

Hansen, Clint,

Publisher:

Feiwel and Friends,

Publication Date:

2016

ISBN:

9781250068354

Publication Information:

New York : Feiwel and Friends, 2016.

Call Number:

M ABBOTT

Holds: Copies:

Available:*

Item Barcode	Collection	Call Number	Status	Item Holds
33607003173559	Middle Fiction	ABBOTT	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

Can you imagine being placed in an orphanage while your parents are still alive? That's what happens to Nettie and Nellie Crook, who are only five years old in 1910 when they are removed from their home in New York.

No one tells Nettie and Nellie why their parents can no longer care for them, and later, no one explains why the orphans are put on a train headed west. The girls soon find themselves put on display in various small towns, where prospective parents examine and select children for adoption. Nettie and Nellie are taken by Mr. and Mrs. Chapin--will this be a happy ending for the twins?

Based on a True Story books by E.F. Abbott are exciting historical fiction about real children who lived through extraordinary times in American History. This title has Common Core connections.

Author Notes

E. F. Abbott is a pseudonym for Susan Hill, the author of many books for children, including a picture book adaptation of Lassie Come-Home . She lives in Portland, Oregon.

Reviews (1)

School Library Journal Review

Gr 3-5-The lives of "real" children growing up during extraordinary circumstances are documented here in these slightly flawed fictionalized biographies. In Orphan Train Sisters, five-year-old twins Nettie and Nellie Crook are sent west on an orphan train after their neglectful parents are deemed unfit to care for them. They end up in an abusive household, only to get rescued once again and moved to yet another home, the trauma of which isn't adequately captured. The book lacks in-depth characterization and has uninspired dialogue that fails to entirely engage. Primary source photographs and maps as well as vintage-looking black-and-white drawings add an authentic element but also somewhat distract from the narrative. In Civil War Drummer Boy, nine-year-old John Lincoln Clem, who eventually becomes known as "Johnny Shiloh," runs away from home to join the Union Army but is rejected because of his age. He eventually becomes a drummer boy, fights in battle, and gets captured and sent to the Andersonville Prison. What should be a riveting story falls flat with inaccurate use of language (the word moron didn't exist at the time), clunky vernacular such as the use of the term idjit in some places and idiot in others, and excessive and repetitive use of the word fellas. A glossary of terms and drummer's calls is appended. An author's note in each book briefly describes the time period and concludes with a summary of the adult life of the main character/real person. Elementary-aged readers might do better to look for the "Dear America," "My Name is America," and "I Survived" series (all Scholastic) or even the nonfiction "Who Was?" series (Penguin) instead. VERDICT These title will appeal only to the most die-hard fans of historical fiction.-Madeline J. Bryant, Los Angeles Public Library © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.