Trains to Concordia — Marilyn Campbell

A coming of age story about Charley O'Brien who rode the orphan train from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Concordia, Kansas in 1895. He fights to protect his sister when their parents are killed in a train accident, but learns that conditions in the foster family, with whom they are placed, is a bigger threat to their safety. Christina Batachi, their fiery and independent friend who also rides the train to Concordia, has difficulty letting go of the thieving skills she learned on the streets of Pittsburgh and is almost sent back to the orphanage. She later steals Charley's heart. The steam engines going to and from Concordia bring the trio surprises and heartaches. But along the way they discover what being in a family is really about.