The Orphan Train Children series, a spin-off of the Orphan Train Adventures Series, tells the story of children who were sent West on “orphan trains” to be fostered by townspeople. The children in this series are fictional; the orphan trains themselves are not.
In Will’s Choice, twelve-year-old Will, whose mother died when he was four, travels with his father who works in a circus. When Will shows no signs of being talented enough to earn a living with the circus (okay, he’s rather clumsy), his father tells him that he has arranged for him to go “on a grand adventure”—to live with a foster family in the West. The father tells Will he will have a better life. Will continues to believe his father will come looking for him as the circus travels through the country.
Will is placed with a loving couple. They ask Will to tell them about what he likes to do, and they ask him if he would like them to seek custody for a six-month trial period. Will agrees, sure that his birth father will come for him before then.
Dr. Otto Wallace and his wife Sara have raised several boys to adulthood and “miss having a boy around the house”. Will enjoys helping Sara in the vegetable garden and caring for the doctor’s horse and buggy. They tell him that all boys his age go through a clumsy phase. They recognize his academic strengths and Sara tutors him to win the school spelling bee (over the boy who has taunted him about his “unknown parentage”, disbelieving Will’s statement that he has a father.) When the Wallaces’ grown sons and their families come home for Christmas, they easily refer to Will as “brother”.
Will also accompanies Dr. Wallace on sick calls, in two cases performing valuable service to the injured patients. The book displays other values here: Will learns from the different families they visit, but Dr. Wallace says a doctor heals without judging.
Doctor Wallace tells Will he has the potential to be a doctor someday, and says that he and his wife will help him finance his education. Will’s self-esteem grows as he realizes that he is good at calming sick and injured people, but he still holds back from getting close to the Wallaces because he is waiting for the circus to bring his father.
This being fiction, the circus does come the next spring. Will is crushed to notice that his father, parading through town, does not seem to be looking for him. Nevertheless he finds his father later, and convinces him that he has grown big enough to earn a paycheck with the circus. Will runs away the next night to join his father. Will makes the first of two main choices when he stops to help an injured boy although he realizes he may miss the circus train by doing so. When Dr. Wallace arrives and the injured boy is safe, the doctor tells Will that he and Sara have guessed that the circus rider is Will’s father. He says that he and Sara will mourn Will’s departure, but offers to drive him to his father if Will wishes.
Will surprises Dr. Wallace, his father and even himself when he realizes that he just wants to say goodbye to his father Jesse–he wants to stay with the Wallaces. Dr. Wallace and Will acknowledge that Will will always love his birth father. Dr. Wallace is moved when Will later addresses him as “father”.
I was going to say that because of the subject matter, I would say these books are appropriate for age 9 and up, but the reading level is easy for that age and the books are large print. I’ve just checked and found out that The School Library Journal agrees with me, saying the books are for grades 3-6 (presumably ages 8-12) but the reading level is ages 4-8. Perhaps these books could help fill that elusive niche of books for older beginning or struggling readers who do not want to read “little kid” books.
As always, I recommend that parents of adopted kids preview this and any book with adoption themes and be prepared to discuss any issues or feelings your child may bring up. I also recommend that parents of non-adopted kids find some more contemporary reading material on adoption to balance out this version.
Please see these related blogs:
Anne of Green Gables — L.M. Montgomery
Anne of Avonlea, Anne of the Island, Anne of Windy Poplars – L.M. Montgomery