The moonlight grew stronger, and soon Mr. Friedrich appeared again. In one hand he carried the lantern. In the other he held a shovel. He began to walk toward the hill. Suddenly, as though he were aware that someone was watching, he looked up at the house. Mike ducked so quickly that he banged his forehead against the windowsill. He crouched below the window, rubbing his aching head and hoping that Mr. Friedrich hadn't seen him. He waited for the sound of the back
door closing
Mike watched at the window until his eyes grew too heavy to keep open. He felt himself dozing and forced himself to stay awake. With the barn door open and Mr. Friedrich outside somewhere, Mike knew that whatever had taken place wasn't over. He forced back the worries and fears that tried to crowd into his mind, not allowing himself to guess at what had happened.
The Orphan Train Quartet follows the story of the six Kelly children, whose widowed mother has sent them west from New York City in 1856 because she realizes she cannot give them the life they deserve.
Mike Kelly, almost 12, is adopted by the Friedrichs, a German immigrant farm family living in Missouri. His new stepmother is kind but his stepfather is very strict. And as for their son, Gunter, he's just a bully who finds countless ways to get Mike in deep trouble.
Mike knows he has no alternative but to try to make the best of his new life. When he begins to suspect that the Friedrichs are hiding something, however, he vows to uncover their secret. Can Mike find a way to expose the truth without risking his own life?
"Plot is the story's strength... the lively course of events that keeps the pages turning!'- Booklist
"Nixon leaves readers hungering for the next volume in the saga!'-The Book Report
