What's the Name of That Book??? discussion

I think this book came out in the 2000's and was set in an American town in the early to mid 20th century. It's a time when it was relatively easy to jump onto a moving train and ride in an empty car.

A woman takes her son on a long train ride, and leaves him to stay with relatives. She was previously well off or comfortable, but has fallen on hard time (widowed? sick?), and can't take care of him. The boy is very smart, bookish, and small. The relatives are somewhat crude, and his large cousins frequently bully him.

The boy often watches the trains go by. An older teen or young man befriends him and teaches him to jump on trains and they ride around. At one point, they visit a nearby small community (the older boy knew them I think), and something significant happens.

The boy eventually moves in with a teacher from his school, who is married to a banker or bank manager.

I thought of this book when I read the Orphan Train, but it's not related to those stories.

Children's, YA, or adult?
Author female or male?

It was a full length book, probably adult, but I don't think there was anything objectionable for teens. Woman or man - couldn't say.

I remember thinking it might be a good book for a book club. I already looked at Oprah's lists and nothing seemed right.

I was just looking at a list of Newberry award winners - there was something about that round sticker that jogged my mind - and i noticed that they were longer than I expected children's books to be. So maybe this book was a young adult or children's book too.

Since Harry Potter, it's not uncommon for children's books to be over 300 pages.

A round sticker could also be the Prinz, so you might check that list as well. There are a bunch of awards that put stickers on books, so it might be worth checking other award listings. A good place to start might be the ALA awards list: http://www.ala.org/awardsgrants/award...

Kelly wrote: "Since Harry Potter, it's not uncommon for children's books to be over 300 pages.

A round sticker could also be the Prinz, so you might check that list as well. There are a bunch of awards that pu..."

Thanks Kelly. I'll check those out.

Also, whenever I see a book that sounds or looks remotely similar, I look to see what else that author has done.

NancyJ, is there any mention of a war or specific technologies (re: time period)?

Any clues about the location/U.S. region (e.g., coast, prairies, mountains, weather)?

What do you remember about the boy's father?

These books turned up while searching on www.worldcat.org/advancedsearch, but they don't seem to be a close match:

- The Train Jumper by Don Brown?
- Jump Into the Sky by Shelley Pearsall?

Just throwing this out there, some parts match, others not so much:
Some Small Magic

Kris wrote: "NancyJ, is there any mention of a war or specific technologies (re: time period)?

Any clues about the location/U.S. region (e.g., coast, prairies, mountains, weather)?

What do you remember about ..."

They don't match, but thanks for searching!

My memories are inconsistent. For some reason I think the mother started out in Seattle, but my perception of the cousin's house was southern, so that doesn't make sense. The train ride wasn't that long, I don't recall water or mountains, so maybe it was central or northern California. I don't remember any snow, but I think it was cold out when they made him sleep on the porch.

The race is white. I think the cousins/uncle were described as blonde and ruddy. They were poor, and lived in the country, but they were better off than the mother. I don't recall animals (like a farm) but the uncle was outside a lot. The town and school were nearby.

The banker was full of himself, so it might have been a one-bank town.

I think the husband/father died (or left), but I don't recall anything else that might relate to a war. I picture the mother in a trim blue suit on the train, and the women all wore dresses. So I'm thinking 1930's or 1950's, maybe 1960's.

Andria wrote: "Just throwing this out there, some parts match, others not so much:
Some Small Magic"

Lovely cover! This looks like something I'd like to read, but it's not it. I don't think there was anything magical or spiritual.

Education/intelligence was the magic that helped connect the boy with a new family.

Thanks for searching!

Every time I see another book about orphans, adoption, or trains, I think about this book. Any ideas?

What year did you read the book?

Still out there, Nancy?

No response, moving to Abandoned folder.

NancyJ (OP) last posted in the group in September 2020.