LATEST HAPPENINGS!
POTENTIAL MOVIE DEAL:
The screen rights to FLY LITTLE BIRD, FLY! and BEYOND THE ORPHAN TRAIN have been optioned by Los Angeles screenwriter William Rotko (BREACH, Universal Pictures). He will now work to bring the story of Oliver Nordmark and the Orphan Train Movement of 1854-1929 to the big screen for family viewing!
GREAT NEW BOOKS REVIEW
On April 23, 2008 Fly Little Bird, Fly! and Beyond The Orphan Train received high praise from GREAT NEW BOOKS stating that these are "Two excellent books that every kid growing up in the U.S. should read." The reviewer is Peter N. Jones, Ph.D. Cultural Anthropologist and Director of the BAUU Institute. Please check out the full review at www.newgreatbooks.blogspot.com/2008/04/trains-plains-and-history-two-books.html
NEXT BOOK:
The third book in this series, based on the lives of Oliver's children, is well underway and is scheduled for publication in 2008.
AUDIOBOOK:
The audiobook version of FLY LITTLE BIRD, FLY! and BEYOND THE ORPHAN TRAIN is in production. Both books will be included on one CD. Stay tuned for updates and availability.
FLY LITTLE BIRD, FLY! The True Story of Oliver Nordmark & America's Orphan Trains ISBN# 1932852-07-7 Ages 8+ RL 6.1
Holding tight to one another, vowing never to be separated, Oliver and Edward board the Orphan Train headed west to find a new home. The year is 1906 and the boys have been told that their mother has died and they are now alone. Follow the adventures of the Nordmark brothers as they travel on America's Orphan Train from the streets of New York City to the vast farmlands of the Midwest. Will they find a family to love? Will they be able to keep their promise? The future that awaits them will be full of twists and turns, surprises and anguish, all of which will shape their lives forever!
BEYOND THE ORPHAN TRAIN A True Adventure ISBN#1-932852-94-8 Ages 8+ RL 6.1
Oliver and Edward Nordmark are young boys in 1906 when they are plucked from their New York orphanage and placed on one of America's Orphan Trains to Kansas. After being sent to different farms, the brothers lose track of one another. In 1913, fifteen-year-old Oliver decides to hop a freight train and strike out on his own in hopes of finding his lost brother. Follow Oliver's true story of adventure and discovery as he learns to live by his wits and survive on his own - a child alone in a man's world. Where will he go? How will he earn a living? What kind of people will he meet along the way? Will he be able to find Edward? All your lingering questions will be answered in this, the companion story to the author's first book, FLY LITTLE BIRD, FLY!
COMING SOON......
PEANUT BUTTER FOR CUPCAKES, A True Story From The Great Depression
After the stock market crashes on October 29, 1929, Oliver fears for his job at the local silk mill. When his nightmare comes true and the mill shuts down, thousands of workers are suddenly out of a job. As the father of six young children, Oliver is hesitant to allow his wife, Estella, to take a job at the local coffee shop. When he finally gives in, with tragic results, Oliver and his children struggle to survive and scrape through as the Great Depression takes its grip on the country.
PEANUT BUTTER FOR CUPCAKES is the continuing true story of Oliver Nordmark, the subject of the author’s first two books, FLY LITTLE BIRD, FLY! and BEYOND THE ORPHAN TRAIN. Find out what lies ahead for May, Margaret, Bud, Oliver, Jr., Jim, and Benny as they learn their life lessons from a father who never had a parent of his own. Life with Oliver is full of fun and adventure one minute, but marked with poverty and abandonment the next. A story that will leave you with a deeper understanding of what life was like during the 1930’s, and how “boys will be boys” even in the hardest of times!
PURCHASE THE BOOKS
Sold individually, each book is $10.00 + $3.00 s&h. If purchasing both books, the cost is $18.00 + $4.00 s&h. Please specify if you would like your books signed.
Send check or money order to: Donna Aviles, P.O. Box 1303, Hockessin, DE 19707
Make an online payment via www.paypal.com to daviles@comcast.net
Books can also be purchased at BOOKS AND BEYOND in the Shoppes of Hockessin or online at www.amazon.com , www.barnesandnoble.com , and other online outlets.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
A resident of Hockessin, Delaware, Donna Nordmark Aviles is the granddaughter of Oliver Nordmark, the protagonist of her first two books. She has worked in many fields including foreign exchange, social services and business. After raising three children, Aviles returned to her early love of writing and is currently working on her third book. She enjoys speaking to school students and organizations about the Orphan Train Movement and welcomes your questions or comments in the GUESTBOOK section of this website.
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