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Summary
Summary
Agatha Mae Vaughn is 12 years old in 1866, and she lives in the Asylum for Homeless Waifs, where she's always in trouble or in the way. So when she's told she's being sent west on the orphan train, Aggie isn't sad. She's looking forward to starting fresh and finding the family she's never had. But instead of young parents and maybe even a little brother or sister, Aggie gets the Bradons. Bertha and Eldon Bradon are an elderly couple who live on a farm with their two older children--Leon, a budding inventor, and Penelope, a crusader for women's right to vote. This is not the family Aggie had in mind. Will she ever fit in?
Author Notes
Joan Lowery Nixon was born in Los Angeles, California. She attended the University of Southern California where she received a B.A. in journalism and later an education certificate from California State.
She has written over 100 mystery books for young adults. She is known for her Orphan Train Adventure Series and other titles including A Family Apart, The Seance and Other Side of the Dark. Her works have earned her the honor of being the only writer to win four Edgar Allen Poe awards and in addition, two Spurs from Western Writers of America. She was a past President of the Mystery Writers of America.
She died from complications of pancreatic cancer on June 28, 2003, in Houston, Texas. She was 76.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (3)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 4-7-Aggie, an orphan since birth, wants a real home. The director of the Asylum for Homeless Waifs predicts that nobody will want the 12 year old, who has a temper and the propensity to speak her mind. Still, Aggie knows that her absent mother loved her once, years ago, and that someone can love her again. When the Children's Aid Society sends her west on an orphan train, her first experiences are not promising. She snaps at would-be parents, declaring that she's not a housemaid out for hire. But at the last stop, Aggie meets the Bradons, an elderly couple with grown children who want another daughter. Their son is a would-be inventor and their daughter fights for the women's suffrage movement. Aggie tries to fit in with this unconventional family but feels as though she is always doing the wrong thing. She soon realizes, however, that the Bradons don't want her to be anything other than herself. Aggie is a strong, endearing character, and the mishaps that befall her could happen to anyone. Readers will enjoy watching this spirited child stick up for herself despite the consequences. The addition of historical material on the women's suffrage movement and the orphan trains, complete with black-and-white photos and the address of the Children's Aid Society, make this book a fulfilling historical adventure.-Linda Bindner, formerly at Athens Clarke County Library, GA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book Review
Each novel tells about a child who rides an orphan train to Missouri in 1866. Independent Aggie finds a home with a like-minded family and discovers the women's suffrage movement. David encounters the Ku Klux Klan because of an ex-slave friend, but he too finds his niche. The protagonists and their stories are appealing, though predictable, and will likely attract younger readers of historical fiction. Background information is appended. From HORN BOOK Spring 1999, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
Gr. 3^-6. Twelve-year-old, Agatha "Aggie" Vaughn, who was abandoned as an infant, is an unhappy resident of the Asylum for Homeless Waifs in New York City. Despite being told that no one will ever want her, Aggie dreams that one day her mother will come to reclaim her. Then she is sent west on an orphan train and adopted by the eccentric Bradon family. Although she initially misunderstands some of the subtleties of family life, she comes to love and appreciate her unusual new family. Nixon's research into this subject is evident, with the inclusion of maps, handbills, period photos, and explanations of the orphan trains and the woman's suffrage movement. Like many series books, this entry in the Orphan Train Children series suffers from a transparent plot and under-developed characters. Still, this will fit the bill for those looking for a quick, pleasant, and undemanding read. --Kay Weisman