The Railway Children (Legend Classics)

By E. Nesbit

“Her child characters are remarkable because they are so entirely human. They are intelligent, vain, aggressive, humorous, witty, cruel, compassionate... in fact, they are like adults” - Gore Vidal

The Railway Children, a much-loved children's classic, was first published in 1906 and has never been out of print. It is a classic tale of humanity, eternal love, and kindness. The lives of Roberta, Peter and Phyllis are shattered when their father is falsely accused of spying, forcing them to move away from their London home to a cottage in rural Yorkshire. They soon become enchanted with a railway that runs nearby. There follows a series of many adventures, including saving a train from disaster and befriending an old Gentleman (a daily commuter), who helps them in their struggle to prove their father's innocence.

One of the most famous stories of all time, enjoyed by millions of children and adults across the world.

The Legend Classics series:
Around the World in Eighty Days
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
The Importance of Being Earnest
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
The Metamorphosis
The Railway Children
The Hound of the Baskervilles
Frankenstein
Wuthering Heights
Three Men in a Boat
The Time Machine
Little Women
Anne of Green Gables
The Jungle Book
The Yellow Wallpaper and Other Stories
Dracula
A Study in Scarlet
Leaves of Grass
The Secret Garden
The War of the Worlds
A Christmas Carol
Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
Heart of Darkness
The Scarlet Letter
This Side of Paradise
Oliver Twist
The Picture of Dorian Gray
Treasure Island
The Turn of the Screw
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Emma
The Trial
A Selection of Short Stories by Edgar Allan Poe
Grimm Fairy Tales
The Awakening
Mrs Dalloway
Gulliver’s Travels
The Castle of Otranto
Silas Marner
Hard Times

• Language: English
• Publisher: Legend Press
• Release date: Jun 1, 2017
• ISBN: 9781787198968

E. Nesbit

E. Nesbit (1858–1924) began writing for young adults after a successful career in magazines. Using her own unconventional childhood as a jumping-off point, she published novels that combined reality, fantasy, and humor. Expanded from a series of articles in the Strand Magazine, Five Children and It was published as a novel in 1902 and is the first in a trilogy that includes The Phoenix and the Carpet and The Story of the Amulet. Together with her husband, Nesbit was a founding member of the socialist Fabian Society, and her home became a hub for some of the greatest authors and thinkers of the time, including George Bernard Shaw and H. G. Wells.

Book preview

End

CHAPTER I

The Beginning of Things

They were not railway children to begin with. I don’t suppose they had ever thought about railways except as a means of getting to Maskelyne and Cook’s, the Pantomime, Zoological Gardens, and Madame Tussaud’s. They were just ordinary suburban children, and they lived with their Father and Mother in an ordinary red-brick-fronted villa, with coloured glass in the front door, a tiled passage that was called a hall, a bath-room with hot and cold water, electric bells, French windows, and a good deal of white paint, and ‘every modern convenience’, as the house-agents say.

There were three of them. Roberta was the eldest. Of course, Mothers never have favourites, but if their Mother had had a favourite, it might have been Roberta. Next came Peter, who wished to be an Engineer when he grew up; and the youngest was Phyllis, who meant extremely well.

Mother did not spend all her time in paying dull calls to dull ladies, and sitting dully at home waiting for dull ladies to pay calls to her. She was almost always there, ready to play with the children, and read to them, and help them to do their home-lessons. Besides this she used to write stories for them while they were at school, and read them aloud after tea, and she always made up funny pieces of poetry for their birthdays and for other great occasions, such as the christening of the new kittens, or the refurnishing of the doll’s house, or the time when they were getting over the mumps.

These three lucky children always had everything they needed: pretty clothes, good fires, a lovely nursery with heaps of toys, and a Mother Goose wall-paper. They had a kind and merry nursemaid, and a dog who was called James, and who was their very own. They also had a Father who was just perfect—never cross, never unjust, and always ready for a game—at least, if at any time he was not ready, he always had an excellent reason for it, and explained the reason to the children so interestingly and funnily that they felt sure he couldn’t help himself.

You will think that they ought to have been very happy. And so they were, but they did not know how happy till the pretty life in the Red Villa was over and done with, and they had to live a very different life indeed.

The dreadful change came quite suddenly.

Peter had a birthday—his tenth. Among his other presents was a model engine more perfect than you could ever have dreamed of. The other presents were full of charm, but the Engine was fuller of charm than any of the others were.

Its charm lasted in its full perfection for exactly three days. Then, owing either to Peter’s inexperience or Phyllis’s good intentions, which had been rather pressing, or to some other cause, the Engine suddenly went off with a bang. James was so frightened that he went out and did not come back all day. All the Noah’s Ark people who were in the tender were broken to bits, but nothing else was hurt except the poor little engine and the feelings of Peter. The others said he cried over it—but of course boys of ten do not cry, however terrible the tragedies may be which darken their lot. He said that his eyes were red because he had a cold. This turned out to be true, though Peter did not know it was when he said it, the next day he had to go to bed and stay there. Mother began to be afraid that he might be sickening for measles, when suddenly he sat up in bed and said:

"I hate gruel—I hate barley water—I hate bread and milk. I want to get up and have something real to eat."

What would you like? Mother asked.

A pigeon-pie, said Peter, eagerly, a large pigeon-pie. A very large one.

So Mother asked the Cook to make a large pigeon-pie. The pie was made. And when the pie was made, it was cooked. And when it was cooked, Peter ate some of it. After that his cold was better. Mother made a piece of poetry to amuse him while the pie was being made. It began by saying what an unfortunate but worthy boy Peter was, then it went on:

He had an engine that he loved

With all his heart and soul,

And if he had a wish on earth

It was to keep it whole.

One day—my friends, prepare your minds;

I’m coming to the worst—

Quite suddenly a screw went mad,

And then the boiler burst!

With gloomy face he picked it up

And took it to his Mother,

Though even he could not suppose

That she could make another;

For those who perished on the line

He did not seem to care,

His engine being more to him

Than all the people there.

And now you see the reason why

Our Peter has been ill:

He soothes his soul with pigeon-pie

His gnawing grief to kill.

He wraps himself in blankets warm

And sleeps in bed till late,

Determined thus to overcome

His miserable fate.

And if his eyes are rather red,

His cold must just excuse it:

Offer him pie; you may be sure

He never will refuse it.

Father had been away in the country for three or four days. All Peter’s hopes for the curing of his afflicted Engine were now fixed on his Father, for Father was most wonderfully clever with his fingers. He could mend all sorts of things. He had often acted as veterinary surgeon to the wooden rocking-horse; once he had saved its life when all human aid was despaired of, and the poor creature was given up for lost, and even the carpenter said he didn’t see his way to do anything. And it was Father who mended the doll’s cradle when no one else could; and with a little glue and some bits of wood and a pen-knife made all the Noah’s Ark beasts as strong on their pins as ever they were, if not stronger.

Peter, with heroic unselfishness, did not say anything about his Engine till after Father had had his dinner and his after-dinner cigar. The unselfishness was Mother’s idea—but it was Peter who carried it out. And needed a good deal of patience, too.

At last Mother said to Father, Now, dear, if you’re quite rested, and quite comfy, we want to tell you about the great railway accident, and ask your advice.

All right, said Father, fire away!

So then Peter told the sad tale, and fetched what was left of the Engine.

Hum, said Father, when he had looked the Engine over very carefully.

The children held their breaths.

"Is there no hope?" said Peter, in a low, unsteady voice.

Hope? Rather! Tons of it, said Father, cheerfully; but it’ll want something besides hope—a bit of brazing say, or some solder, and a new valve. I think we’d better keep it for a rainy day. In other words, I’ll give up Saturday afternoon to it, and you shall all help me.

"Can girls help to mend engines?" Peter asked doubtfully.

Of course they can. Girls are just as clever as boys, and don’t you forget it! How would you like to be an engine-driver, Phil?

My face would be always dirty, wouldn’t it? said Phyllis, in unenthusiastic tones, and I expect I should break something.

I should just love it, said Roberta—do you think I could when I’m grown up, Daddy? Or even a stoker?

You mean a fireman, said Daddy, pulling and twisting at the engine. Well, if you still wish it, when you’re grown up, we’ll see about making you a fire-woman. I remember when I was a boy—

Just then there was a knock at the front door.

Who on earth! said Father. An Englishman’s house is his castle, of course, but I do wish they built semi-detached villas with moats and drawbridges.

Ruth—she was the parlour-maid and had red hair—came in and said that two gentlemen wanted to see the master.

I’ve shown them into the Library, Sir, said she.

I expect it’s the subscription to the Vicar’s testimonial, said Mother, or else it’s the choir holiday fund. Get rid of them quickly, dear. It does break up an evening so, and it’s nearly the children’s bedtime.

But Father did not seem to be able to get rid of the gentlemen at all quickly.

"I wish we had got a moat and drawbridge, said Roberta; then, when we didn’t want people, we could just pull up the drawbridge and no one else could get in. I expect Father will have forgotten about when he was a boy if they stay much longer."

Mother tried to make the time pass by telling them a new fairy story about a Princess with green eyes, but it was difficult because they could hear the voices of Father and the gentlemen in the Library, and Father’s voice sounded louder and different to the voice he generally used to people who came about testimonials and holiday funds.

Then the Library bell rang, and everyone heaved a breath of relief.

They’re going now, said Phyllis; he’s rung to have them shown out.

But instead of showing anybody out, Ruth showed herself in, and she looked queer, the children thought.

Please’m, she said, the Master wants you to just step into the study. He looks like the dead, mum; I think he’s had bad news. You’d best prepare yourself for the worst, ‘m—p’raps it’s a death in the family or a bank busted or—

That’ll do, Ruth, said Mother gently; you can go.

Then Mother went into the Library. There was more talking. Then the bell rang again, and Ruth fetched a cab. The children heard boots go out and down the steps. The cab drove away, and the front door shut. Then Mother came in. Her dear face was as white as her lace collar, and her eyes looked very big and shining. Her mouth looked like just a line of pale red—her lips were thin and not their proper shape at all.

It’s bedtime, she said. Ruth will put you to bed.

But you promised we should sit up late tonight because Father’s come home, said Phyllis.

Father’s been called away—on business, said Mother. Come, darlings, go at once.

They kissed her and went. Roberta lingered to give Mother an extra hug and to whisper:

It wasn’t bad news, Mammy, was it? Is anyone dead—or—

Nobody’s dead—no, said Mother, and she almost seemed to push Roberta away. "I can’t tell you anything tonight, my pet. Go, dear, go now."

So Roberta went.

Ruth brushed the girls’ hair and helped them to undress. (Mother almost always did this herself.) When she had turned down the gas and left them she found Peter, still dressed, waiting on the stairs.

I say, Ruth, what’s up? he asked.

Don’t ask me no questions and I won’t tell you no lies, the red-headed Ruth replied. You’ll know soon enough.

Late that night Mother came up and kissed all three children as they lay asleep. But Roberta was the only one whom the kiss woke, and she lay mousey-still, and said nothing.

If Mother doesn’t want us to know she’s been crying, she said to herself as she heard through the dark the catching of her Mother’s breath, "we won’t know it. That’s all."

When they came down to breakfast the next morning, Mother had already gone out.

To London, Ruth said, and left them to their breakfast.

There’s something awful the matter, said Peter, breaking his egg. Ruth told me last night we should know soon enough.

"Did you ask her?" said Roberta, with scorn.

Yes, I did! said Peter, angrily. If you could go to bed without caring whether Mother was worried or not, I couldn’t. So there.

I don’t think we ought to ask the servants things Mother doesn’t tell us, said Roberta.

That’s right, Miss Goody-goody, said Peter, preach away.

"I’m not goody, said Phyllis, but I think Bobbie’s right this time."

Of course. She always is. In her own opinion, said Peter.

"Oh, don’t! cried Roberta, putting down her egg-spoon; don’t let’s be horrid to each other. I’m sure some dire calamity is happening. Don’t let’s make it worse!"

Who began, I should like to know? said Peter.

Roberta made an effort, and answered:—

I did, I suppose, but—

Well, then, said Peter, triumphantly. But before he went to school he thumped his sister between the shoulders and told her to cheer up.

The children came home to one o’clock dinner, but Mother was not there. And she was not there at tea-time.

It was nearly seven before she came in, looking so ill and tired that the children felt they could not ask her any questions. She sank into an arm-chair. Phyllis took the long pins out of her hat, while Roberta took off her gloves, and Peter unfastened her walking-shoes and fetched her soft velvety slippers for her.

When she had had a cup of tea, and Roberta had put eau-de-Cologne on her poor head that ached, Mother said:—

Now, my darlings, I want to tell you something. Those men last night did bring very bad news, and Father will be away for some time. I am very worried about it, and I want you all to help me, and not to make things harder for me.

As if we would! said Roberta, holding Mother’s hand against her face.

You can help me very much, said Mother, by being good and happy and not quarrelling when I’m away—Roberta and Peter exchanged guilty glances—for I shall have to be away a good deal.

We won’t quarrel. Indeed we won’t, said everybody. And meant it, too.

Then, Mother went on, I want you not to ask me any questions about this trouble; and not to ask anybody else any questions.

Peter cringed and shuffled his boots on the carpet.

You’ll promise this, too, won’t you? said Mother.

I did ask Ruth, said Peter, suddenly. I’m very sorry, but I did.

And what did she say?

She said I should know soon enough.

It isn’t necessary for you to know anything about it, said Mother; it’s about business, and you never do understand business, do you?

No, said Roberta; is it something to do with Government? For Father was in a Government Office.

Yes, said Mother. "Now it’s bed-time, my darlings. And don’t you worry. It’ll all come right in the end."

"Then don’t you worry either, Mother, said Phyllis, and we’ll all be as good as gold."

Mother sighed and kissed them.

We’ll begin being good the first thing tomorrow morning, said Peter, as they went upstairs.

"Why not now?" said Roberta.

"There’s nothing to be good about now, silly," said Peter.

"We might begin to try to feel good, said Phyllis, and not call names."

Who’s calling names? said Peter. Bobbie knows right enough that when I say ‘silly’, it’s just the same as if I said Bobbie.

"Well," said Roberta.

No, I don’t mean what you mean. I mean it’s just a—what is it Father calls it?—a germ of endearment! Good night.

The girls folded up their clothes with more than usual neatness—which was the only way of being good that they could think of.

I say, said Phyllis, smoothing out her pinafore, "you used to say it was so dull—nothing happening, like in books. Now something has happened."

I never wanted things to happen to make Mother unhappy, said Roberta. Everything’s perfectly horrid.

Everything continued to be perfectly horrid for some weeks.

Mother was nearly always out. Meals were dull and dirty. The between-maid was sent away, and Aunt Emma came on a visit. Aunt Emma was much older than Mother. She was going abroad to be a governess. She was very busy getting her clothes ready, and they were very ugly, dingy clothes, and she had them always littering about, and the sewing-machine seemed to whir—on and on all day and most of the night. Aunt Emma believed in keeping children in their proper places. And they more than returned the compliment. Their idea of Aunt Emma’s proper place was anywhere where they were not. So they saw very little of her. They preferred the company of the servants, who were more amusing. Cook, if in a good temper, could sing comic songs, and the housemaid, if she happened not to be offended with you, could imitate a hen that has laid an egg, a bottle of champagne being opened, and could mew like two cats fighting. The servants never told the children what the bad news was that the gentlemen had brought to Father. But they kept hinting that they could tell a great deal if they chose—and this was not comfortable.

One day when Peter had made a booby trap over the bath-room door, and it had acted beautifully as Ruth passed through, that red-haired parlour-maid caught him and boxed his ears.

You’ll come to a bad end, she said furiously, you nasty little limb, you! If you don’t mend your ways, you’ll go where your precious Father’s gone, so I tell you straight!

Roberta repeated this to her Mother, and next day Ruth was sent away.

Then came the time when Mother came home and went to bed and stayed there two days and the Doctor came, and the children crept wretchedly about the house and wondered if the world was coming to an end.

Mother came down one morning to breakfast, very pale and with lines on her face that used not to be there. And she smiled, as well as she

Reviews for The Railway Children (Legend Classics)

[john257hopper · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This classic children's novel from 1905 is a delight to read, and gently humourous in many places as our heroes, Peter, Phyllis (Phil for short) and Roberta (Bobbie for short) get up to all kinds of adventures in and around the railway, preventing train crashes, putting out fires, rescuing people from dark and dank tunnels and, slightly incongruously, meeting a Russian dissident. There are some nice illustrations in this edition also. I've never seen any of the TV and film adaptations of this, but I intend to seek them out.

[fliss88_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A book I've been meaning to read for a very long time. These days the language of the book is a little dated but I can see how, in 1906 when it was first published, it would have become very popular with the targeted audience. A lovely tale of three children learning to deal with what life throws at them, at times overly sentimental but that could just be me, reading a children's book in 2016, that is over 100 years old.

[laviniarossetti · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book was all about the life of three children: Phyllis, Peter and Roberta (though she likes to be called Bobbie instead). The children's father mysteriously goes away, and none of them know why except Mother. They move house into the countryside and begin to live very poor. There the children make good friends with the people of the railway, and love the railway itself.

Their father goes for a very long time. When the children wave to an old friend of theirs, which they call 'The Old Gentleman', they are doing it for the purpose of him to send their love to Father.

With many rescues and great journeys, the children have great fun and a brilliant time. But they are also sad - they miss Father so much, and yet they don't think Mother is happy. "How can we cheer her up?" they ask each other. "If she's not happy, she never will be until Father comes back, will she?" and the simple questions are: WILL Father come back? And if not, WILL the children or Mother be happy again?

Wonderful book! Terrific! I like the phrases Nesbit uses - "don't let's quarrel, now!" - "Oh, rot!" - "Yes, Mother. Of course we will, ducky-dear." - it's all very funny, since we usually don't speak like that anymore, but it also gives a touch of what Nesbit DID speak like when she was still around.

[electrascaife · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I very much liked this story of three children who must move with their mother from the comfort of their well-to-do London home to a small cottage in the country and "play at being poor" while their father is mysteriously away. A bit saccharine, maybe, but a well-written and comfy read nonetheless, with nicely-drawn and sometimes hilarious characters.

[jkessluk · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A very interesting story that's over 100 years old. It is a third person story where the narrator describes the life of three children who come from a wealthy family, until their dad is taken from then and they have to move into a poor town. The children have to stop going to school, and in turn learn all about railroads, and become hero's. The language is fantastic and confusing at time, but you must remember that this tale of bravery takes place and the beginning of the 20th century in Great Britain.

[mariaalhambra · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A delightful and multi-layered children's adventure, focused on three London children who suddenly have to move to the countryside as their father mysteriously goes away. The pathos of the story lies in the cotrast between the children's enthusiams for theit new surroundings and the slow realization of

[antiquary_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is one of Nesbit's most popular stories, but not one of my favorites --I prefer her fantasies. This is a relatively realistic book about a family of a mother and 3 children who go to live in a little cottage near a railway station after the father of the family is imprisoned for an obscure crime. The children make friends with the railway staff and with an old gentleman ( railway commuter) who turns out to have enough influence to get their father's case investigated, and he is found innocent. One interesting point is that the mother shares many characteristics with Helen, Philip's sister in The Magic City (my favorite Nesbit) --they are both delightful people with an understanding of children and a gift for storytelling (the mother in this story supports herself by writing children's stories after her husband is imprisoned.) The cover of this version is based on a film version by EMI.

[lindz2012 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I love this book. I love trains just as much as books. I enjoyed the charthers in the book. It about a family that has to make adjustment on the fly. I quite enjoyable. I love how this is a Classic. I did not know this book was out there to read while I was growing up. The Children name are Bobby, Phil and Paul.

If you want to know mare about it what happens I would suggest picking it up. Something happens that causes their father to go away.

[tafadhali · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A big part of me goes, "Oh boy! A bunch of rich kids meddle in everyone's affairs and of course fix everything with the power of their pluck and sheer Britishness! Great!" but I can't deny that these kids are pretty damn likable and that Nesbit has a real way with writing from a child's perspective.

[cheryl_in_cc_nv · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

What happened to my review? I remember mostly being disappointed, as much of Nesbit I loved. Iirc, this had too much slang, and was too implausible, for me.

[sueincyprus · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I love reading children's books, particularly classics like this. The story is well-known: three children live an idyllic life with their cheerful father and loving mother in the early part of the 20th century. One day some men arrive unexpectedly and their father goes away with them. Their mother is very upset, and before long they move to a smaller house near a railway station.

The book mostly follows the lives of the children, who no longer go to school so are free to roam around the countryside getting to know people and learning a great deal about the railway. Which doesn't sound terribly exciting, but it's a great book - there are some very moving moments, and it's also very well-written with a bit of humour in the author's asides. Despite being written nearly 100 years ago the language doesn't seem too old-fashioned, and would probably be enjoyed by children from about the age of seven or eight upwards reading alone, or younger with a parent reading aloud.

[themulhern · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A remarkably good book. It is obviously didactic and the writer speaks directly to the reader, making it seem even more so. At the same time, it is full of humour, much of it derived from the children's interactions, imagination, and conversation. It is utterly improbable; people are never that helpful to chance-met children. The children also are remarkably resourceful in situations where suffering is both visible and real or where disaster is immanent. There are really excellent descriptions of what it is like to ride on a train and what it is like to watch one go by or arrive at the station and generally vivid descriptions throughout.It was reminiscent of "No Boats on Bannermere", including the part where the family arrives at an apparently neglected and inhospitable destination in the late evening only to find, the following day, how much has been done for them.

[rakerman_1 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Apparently this is a beloved classic. I would describe it as treacly.Sentimental. Much more about the childrens' emotions than about trains.Endless scenes of the children being responsible and noble and brave.Very much of its time and place, with children saying things like "Bother! I believe I've broken my leg."Morally didactic to the point of being patronising.Might be good for children who are very interested in emotions.

[abigailadams26 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Originally published serially in The London Magazine, E. Nesbit's childhood classic The Railway Children was first released as a book in 1906, and follows the story of three siblings - Bobbie (Roberta), Peter and Phyllis - who find their lives mysteriously transformed when their father is taken away one night, and they must move to the country with their mother. Here, at Three Chimneys house, the children befriend the locals, observe the railway - which becomes a central facet of their lives - and attempt to resolve the issue of their father's disappearance. When the three learn that he has been accused of espionage, they are determined to prove his innocence, a project in which they are aided by the Old Gentleman, a regular railroad passenger whom they have befriended...A book I have read many times, mostly recently for a course in children's literature, The Railway Children is an engaging story of three young people and their many adventures. It reflects the late-Victorian fascination with trains and the railroad - which are here the means of freeing an innocent man, and reuniting a family - as well as its creator's social views and interests. It's tempting to see a little of Nesbit in the children's mother, who bravely picks up her pen to earn a living for the family, when her husband is taken away, or to see the emphasis put on helping others in the right way - the importance of giving aid that is not perceived as charity, for instance, to avoid wounding the pride and self-respect of others - as a reflection of the author's views as a Fabian. However interesting any such references may be, this is also a book that has appeal as a story, one in which a happy family is torn apart, before eventually being reunited. The children's adventures in between make for entertaining reading!

[xleptodactylous · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A beautifully written book, though definitely from another time. Three siblings and their mother leave their London home for the countryside because some men come to take their father away. What follows are a series of mini-adventures, mostly concerning the Railway and surrounding areas where the children express themselves through kindness and good deeds.

The reason I enjoyed this book so much was, not just for the wonderful old-fashioned language you find in books such as these (calling someone a brick always amuses me), but because it holds a very important message and that is you are not worth how much money you have. The children move from, not an unseemly amount of wealth, but definitely enough to afford a privileged lifestyle to barely being able to afford warming their house, resorting in the children "borrowing" coal in lieu of a game.
The whole point of life is to better yourself and it's quite difficult to do that when you're born in to money. But the children better themselves despite this, and in so many different ways it's hard to look back on this time and envy them for being able to live in it.

[imperfectcj · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

It's uncanny how many adventures Phyllis, Peter, and Bobbie get into in such a short period of time. The beginning of the 20th century was certainly an exciting time, at least in rural England. And oh! to fall on hard times in the way that they did. However did they manage with just the one servant?

My kids liked this book, but I've discovered that my kids aren't terribly discerning readers at this point, so you should take their recommendation with a grain of salt. I liked the language, and I liked how the children interacted with adults and were so intent upon thinking of nice things to do even if they didn't do so well at them sometimes. The ending made me cry, but I've been crying at practically every book lately. It's like I just feel so grateful to the story for drawing me in that my emotions get the better of me.

Oh, and the strange scene at the end about the "scientific" explanation for why boys and men need to act and speak gently towards girls and women---my kids had a very fun time yelling out reasons this explanation isn't actually scientific. I was afraid I would have to prompt them to question what was written, but they took it and ran all on their own.

"Other animals don't avoid mother animals because the mothers are more delicate; they avoid them because they're fierce! A mother bear with cubs is much more dangerous than any other bear!" And so on.

I had fun listening to them get so worked up.

I've been seeing more things lately online and elsewhere about how we need to teach boys to never hit girls, and although I've been tempted to use that line on my own son to try and get him to stop injuring his sister, I worry that this rule implies that it's okay to hit boys, which would mean it's okay for my daughter to hit her brother, and that just doesn't work for me (or for my son). So I opted for an "it's not okay to hurt anyone or for them to hurt you" line, and then Edith Nesbit delivered the question about whether to treat boys and girls differently right to the book we were reading. How convenient!

Decent book and fun, although probably not in the way the author intended, but I prefer Nesbit's dragon stories.

[vivl_6 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

There were moments that made me grin inanely, but in general this was just a nice read. I love The Five Children and It, The Phoenix and the Carpet and The Story of the Amulet, but this doesn't quite reach the same heights. Still, it was a nice, restful, enjoyable read.

[poonamsharma_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Re-read this lovely classic after a long time. Written in a charming manner about a bygone era from Children's POV. It was a pleasure to read in Puffin Classic paperback.

[shanaqui_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Ah, nostalgia. I've been meaning to reread this for a while, and it's probably a pity I didn't do it in time for my children's literature exam. Still, there it is. I felt like the English Lit student was ticking boxes in my head as I went through: morality lessons, check, didactic narrator, check, discussion of the different roles for men and women, check, happy domestic life, check...

Still, it's also fun to disregard that and read about the three kids getting into trouble and helping their mother, etc, etc. I used to like Roberta/Bobbie the best, but she's really quite goody-goody most of the time.

It's funny reading it now and seeing the narrator talking down to me/the child reader. I can't think how I didn't find that annoying when I was younger, because I generally didn't like being told what to do by books, but I took both this and some of the lessons in Little Women (which in a way is very like this only for older girls) completely to heart. I don't think that was a terribly bad thing.

I love the ending. It's so unlikely, everything going right and all the people and friends they've made feeding into a happy ending, but still, everyone's a sucker for a happy ending sometimes.

[paakre-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Something about this book always gets to me. This time it was the effort of the eldest to be good when she couldn't be always, as she struggles to help her mother through her father's mysterious disappearance. I wish I knew if any young people read Nesbit any more, or if this would be a good read aloud for fifth graders.

[marsap_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A wonderful children's book, written more than 100 years ago. It is the story of 3 siblings Roberta (Bobbi), Peter & Phyllis who must move to a small cottage in a little town when their father is mysteriously taken away. They meet many of the town's folk; including Perks the railway Porter and the Old Gentleman, a rider on the train. While their mother writes stories to support them, they go off and have many wonderful adventures. What I especially enjoyed about this book is how real these children were; they argue, fight, make up and behave like "regular" siblings. I would recommend this book for children 8 to 12 years old or for families to enjoy together.

[qoomomo · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed this story. One day the father of 3 children left from their house. From that day they're said to be poor by mother. But they didn't know why they should do so. And they face many difficulties, but they also meet good person and thigs. And does their father come or not..?I enjoyed this story. I felt love of family from this story. Family is very important. And the 3 children have so warm heart. I should learn from them!

[syun_20 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Roberta, Peter and Phillis have the perfect life, wonderful parents and all the riches a child could ask for. Then one day, their father gets taken away by two men and put into prison. The children and their mother are forced to move to a small cottage in the country. While their mother writes stories to try and support them, the three children go on many adventures.I felt love of family,and how inportant family is.

[lhanes_4 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Family oriented books are a great way to get kids to open up and talk about their own experiences. In this book there were two sisters and one brother.It tells the tale of woes taht some poverty stircken families face and how this particualr family worked together and overcame their hardships together. This story may be an old story but It really has rellevant issues taht can be discussed in a classroom setting. This is one of those intrigueing stories because when read aloud the kids can visualize exactly what is going on. We could also incorporate this book in a problem solving lesson. ie.. We could talk about the issues that family faced and what other options they could have tried that may or may not have turned out differently.

[laurenbdavis · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

There is something perfectly lovely about all E. Nesbit's books, and they certainly formed the backdrop to many a day when I was a little girl. Reading this particular book as an adult fills me with not only with pleasure but with a deeper understanding. I could not help but wonder if this story, of a father wrongly accused and imprisoned, was not inspired by the Dreyfus affair, which was certainly preoccupying many people's minds at the time. One of the delights of Nesbit's writing is that she never condescends to her young readers. Complicated questions of justice, of charity, of the freedoms denied others -- there is quite a wonderful sequence involving a Russian political fugitive -- of absent parents and what it means to perform a heroic act. The children learn things indirectly, peeking into the world of adults from around the corners of childhood. It's very well done.One of the things that I noticed most this time around, though, was the amount of freedom children had. Can you imagine children left to play unsupervised in the woods, around a train station, by the train tunnels and tracks themselves? I will be showing my age here, but I recall many days spent wandering by myself in the fields and forests near my childhood home, expected to return only when I got hungry or the streetlights came on. Did I get into some mischief? Yes. Was it a bit dangerous? Yes. And was being left to create a world by myself, and sometimes with other children, good for my imagination, for my sense of independence, for developing a way of being in the world? Undeniably. I wonder, in fact, if I would have become a writer if I hadn't had those days, if I was driven from one place to another, one class to another, one computer to another.Well, that's an essay for another place. Here, I'll simply say it was lovely to visit a world, so beautifully crafted, which probably now exists no where except between the pages of a book. Recommended.

[norabelle414 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

- Audiobook - This book was horrifying! It's a heartwarming story about three children who don't mind that they suddenly become poor, and who are brave and inventive and save people's lives. But children shouldn't have to save people's lives! They save, among others, a baby who is left alone in a BURNING houseboat, an ENTIRE TRAIN full of people whose track is blocked, a boy who gets lost in a train tunnel and breaks his leg, and a Russian man who has been in a Siberian prison camp for years and now needs to find his family. And if the children hadn't done the right thing, PEOPLE WOULD HAVE DIED! And the whole time their father has "mysteriously disappeared" and they had to move out of their big house into a tiny one and their mother works all the time (writing stories) so that they'll just barely have enough money for food.The book was fine but I didn't find it at all lighthearted, and I wouldn't recommend it to kids.

[lynleys-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I listened to a BBC dramtization (or similar) which is far better than the film. I doubt the film could hold the attention of modern kids.

[ayling_52 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I know I loved this enough as a kid to read it at least ten times, but then I was a big re-reader when I was younger. I have always loved the film too but the book is better.Must re-read this some day.

[jigsaw999_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

it is a great book for all ages.a loveing story about three cildren.how has tots of fun to geather

[bookish59 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Read this gem years ago. One of the best children's books ever by one of my favorite children's book authors.