Orphan Train is a fascinating and moving novel, successfully weaving together two different stories into one powerful whole. 
 The historical piece of the storyline follows Vivian, a young girl in 1929 who is transported as part of the orphan train program from New York to Minnesota, where she endures a string of horrible placements with people who don't only want her as a servant, or worse. Meanwhile, in contemporary Maine, we meet Molly, a teen foster child who has never had a home in which she feels wanted or secure. As the two threads come together, we get to know the two main characters, understand their suffering, and see how they support and strengthen one another. 
 The only reason this isn't a 5-star read for me is because of one plot element that I found unbelievable. (view spoiler)[ I simply did not believe that Vivian, newly widowed after the wartime death of her husband, would give up their baby for adoption. I understand that she was suffering horrible pain and grief at the time, but she wasn't alone. She had adoptive parents who surely would have supported her. She was a widow; there would have been no scandal in keeping the baby, and financially, she was secure. I just didn't buy that in the intensity of labor, she'd decide to give up the baby, her last connection to the love of her life, and not take the time to reconsider -- or to be talked out of it -- afterward. (hide spoiler)] 
 Beyond that one factor, I found this a terrific read, interesting and emotional and informative as well. Highly recommended.