Upcoming Events!
FEB 10, 2012 - THE TOME SCHOOL, North East, MD
FEB 11, 2012 - Downstate Genealogical Society, Dover, DE (DHF EVENT)
FEB 22, 2012 - GRANITE FARMS ESTATES Retirement Community, Media, PA
March 14, 2012 - The College School, I Love To READ Month! Newark, DE
March, 2012 - THE TATNALL SCHOOL, Greenville, DE
June 4, 2012 - Brittany Point Retirement Community, Lansdale, PA
WHAT'S NEW?!?
PEANUT BUTTER FOR CUPCAKES has been chosen to receive the B.R.A.G. MEDALLION! Book Readers Appreciation Group honors deserving independently published books and works to promote greater recognition for these "Must Reads!"
USA TODAY Newspaper published a great story on the ORPHAN TRAINS on January 25th. You can check it out HERE: http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/story/2012-01-23/orphan-train/52779412/1
The DiMenna Children's History Museum, featuring an area devoted to the orphan train riders is now OPEN FOR BUSINESS! Located in NYC, it is part of the NY Historical Society. DON'T MISS THIS STOP on your NYC visit!
Last Fall I auditioned for and was accepted as a member of the DE HUMANITIES FORUM Speakers Bureau. My presentation, The Orphan Train Movement of 1854-1929, is included in the 2012 catalog and I have already received many requests to speak as a representative of the forum. DHF speaking engagements will be noted under my "upcoming events" listings. Check out their website at www.dhf.org for more information!
**SCENES FROM THE BOOK TOUR!** (CAPTURED IN THE LINK ABOVE)
**SKYPE PRESENTATIONS** Available For Classrooms Beginning With the 2010-11 School Year! Click Here http://skypeanauthor.wetpaint.com/page/Donna+Aviles For More Details or Email Me Directly!
**FLY LITTLE BIRD, FLY!, BEYOND THE ORPHAN TRAIN & PEANUT BUTTER FOR CUPCAKES ARE NOW AVAILABLE IN KINDLE FORMAT FROM AMAZON.COM!**
**Check out my BLOG @ www.orphantrainbook.blogspot.com Here you will find ongoing posts about the history of the Orphan Train Movement in America, as well as updates on my efforts, and the efforts of others, to bring back this lost piece of American history and restore the riders' rightful place in our collective conscience. Happy Reading!!**
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Display Booth - 1st Annual SPBE in NYC
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BOOKS BY DONNA NORDMARK AVILES
MEMBER OF THE INDEPENDENT AUTHORS GUILD
FLY LITTLE BIRD, FLY! The True Story of Oliver Nordmark & America's Orphan Trains ISBN# 1932852-07-7 Ages 9 and up RL 6.1 WINNER of the 2009 BEST BOOKS Award sponsored by USA Book News (Audiobook Format)
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 9 and up RL 6.1 WINNER of the 2009 BEST BOOKS Award sponsored by USA Book News (Audiobook Format)
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!
PEANUT BUTTER FOR CUPCAKES, A True Story From The Great Depression, ISBN# 978-1-60047-216-9 Ages 9 and up RL 6.9 WINNER of the 2009 Literary Foundation's CHRISTOPHER ROBIN AWARD for Children's Literature. FINALIST in the 2009 Next Generation Indie Book Award as well as the 2009 BEST BOOKS Award.
As the stock market crashes on October 29, 1929, Oliver Nordmark fears for his job at the silk mill. When his nightmare comes true and the mill shuts down, 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 six young children struggle to survive as the Great Depression takes its grip on the country.
PEANUT BUTTER FOR CUPCAKES is the true story of the Nordmark children. Their father, Oliver Nordmark, is 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, Bud, Margaret, 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!
"Engaging, informative and educational, Peanut Butter For Cupcakes brings alive the life and times of one of the most difficult periods of U.S. history. Unlike standard history text, or those big biographical tomes typical of books covering the Great Depression, author Donna Aviles delivers a story written to capture the heart and soul of the reader."
Peter N. Jones, PhD Cultural Anthropologist
Potential Movie Deal
The option contract for the screen rights to Fly Little Bird, Fly! and Beyond The Orphan Train has expired. Los Angeles screenwriter William Rotko (BREACH, Univ. Pictures) held the rights for eighteen months but shortly after the contract was signed, his pilot for a new series with A&E was picked up, so that project, of course, took precedence. I currently retain the publishing rights, as well as the screen and stage rights and would welcome the opportunity to talk with other screenwriters, producers, etc. who recognize the uniqueness of Oliver's story as well as the relevence it has in today's world.
I am now scheduling for the 20111-12 school year and look forward to bringing the story of the Orphan Train Movement to many more students. Although I focus on the tri-state area, I am more than happy to travel to bring this lost piece of history to your school. If you'd like to plan a visit to your school or organization, just click on the link at the top of this page to find out how!
Library Display at Wilmington Christian School
Donna Aviles - Author Presentation, WCS, Hockessin, DE
WCS Students - Young Readers Day Presentation
HOW TO PURCHASE BOOKS
FLY LITTLE BIRD, FLY! $9.00
BEYOND THE ORPHAN TRAIN $9.00
PEANUT BUTTER FOR CUPCAKES $14.00
COMPLETE SET $30.00
AUDIOBOOK (Fly! & Beyond) $20.00
Send a check or money order to Donna Aviles, P.O. Box 1303, Hockessin, DE 19707. Please indicate if you would like your books signed and add $3.00 per book for shipping.
Books can also be purchased from www.amazon.com , www.barnesandnoble.com or ordered from any larger bookstore.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
A resident of Wilmington, 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 enjoys speaking to school students and organizations about the Orphan Train Movement and The Great Depression. She welcomes your questions or comments in the GUESTBOOK section of this website. To view student artwork illustrating Fly Little Bird, Fly! click on the "view photo album" link on the left hand side of the page. To contact Donna Aviles, send an email to: daviles@comcast.net.
