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Written by Paul Mosier
I loved this book because it was so different than anything else I have read for middle graders. In a word, it was tender. Rydr (we never learn her real name) is traveling by train from California to Chicago to go live with a relative she has never met. As the book progresses we learn the story of her life, and that she is strong, brave, clever, all the while hiding from many difficult memories. We also learn about some other people she meets on the train as she tries to get through the days with no money for food, facing a future that is very unknown. But she has survived her past and she will survive the future. This book is sad, funny, and hopeful. The writing is so beautiful. I never wanted it to end.
Review by Terrie Bishop, Academy Park Media Center
Rating: ★★★★½ (4.5 stars)
Interest Level: Grades 4-8
A masterly woven tale of overcoming the negative impact of childhood abandonment and how a caring group of strangers traveling by train step in to take the role of family and aid in the healing process of a teenage girl suffering from grief and facing an unknown journey.
Review by Christine Neilson, Hillside Elementary Community Member
Rating: ★★★✩✩ (3 stars)
Interest Level: 3rd-6th Grade
Train I Ride
Written by Paul Mosier
Harper, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers
181 pages
Release Date: January 24, 2017
A review copy was provided by the publisher.
