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The Railway Children

by E. Nesbit, C.E. Brock (Illustrator), Peter Glassman (Afterword), Paul O. Zelinsky (Cover)

3.94 of 5 stars 3.94 · rating details · 15,864 ratings · 366 reviews

Nearly a hundred years after its original publication, The Railway Children is still one of E. Nesbit's most beloved and delightful stories. Roberta, Peter, and Phyllis were very happy living in a comfortable house surrounded by a cook and servants and two loving parents, until one evening when there was a knock at the door and their father was mysteriously taken away by t...more

Hardcover, 240 pages

Published July 21st 2005 by Chronicle Books (first published 1906)

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The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

classic children's books

14th out of 69 books — 33 voters

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Mar 28, 2013 Manny rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: children, story-review, celebrity-death-match, pooh-dante

Pilot for the Celebrity Death Match Review Tournament, The Railway Children versus Atlas Shrugged

It's a capacity crowd tonight at the Surrealist Boxing Stadium, and everyone's wondering if The Railway Children have a chance against Atlas Shrugged. I can see them in the blue corner, I must say they look nervous, they know they're behind on weight and reach but their supporters are out in force, that's always worth a lot, Bobbie is trying to calm Phyllis, she's whispering something in her ear. And...more

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Mar 03, 2011 Laura rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: children-s-books, classics-stories, goodwill-finds

I believe this may be one of the best children's stories I have ever read. Told in a creative and sprightly way, this book carries you into the story of Roberta, Peter and Phyllis. After their father is called away on a long, mysterious trip, these three must adjust and help their mother as they sell their mansion and move into a smaller cottage just outside of a rural village. There they make friends with various people who work at the railway station, and thus begins their love of trains. They...more

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Jan 13, 2009 Becki rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

One thing I've noticed while reading "the classics" is that most of them center around female characters. I find that interesting, especially when you look over American educational statistics and see that girls generally fair much better at English class than boys. Perhaps this could be a reason?

It was a relief, then, to read The Railway Children and discover that female and male characters get equal play in this book. In fact, it was the favorite book of a male friend of mine when he was littl...more One thing I've noticed while reading "the classics" is that most of them center around female characters. I find that interesting, especially when you look over American educational statistics and see that girls generally fair much better at English class than boys. Perhaps this could be a reason?

It was a relief, then, to read The Railway Children and discover that female and male characters get equal play in this book. In fact, it was the favorite book of a male friend of mine when he was little, which just proves my point. Like most classics, this book was first published in the early 1900s, but there are surprisingly few outdated references - most obviously, the lack of electricity in every home.

The story centers around three children, Roberta, Phyllis, and Peter. They are pampered (but not annoying), wealthy, and generally have a pretty tame life until the night that their father is taken away. Suddenly, they are forced to move out of their home to a tiny, rundown cottage in the country, and their mother is now perpetually busy writing childrens' stories so that they can afford to buy food and coal to heat the cottage. At no point are the children told why their father is now missing, and this taints their attempts for a care-free life.

Like most childrens' and young adults' books, this one has a variety of adventures that always end with the children on top. They save a baby from a burning houseboat, the girls' red petticoats help save an entire train full of passengers, and Roberta's pidgin French rescues a Russian immigrant who has lost his money and family. The book is full of little adventures and mini-dramas, and I really liked how eventually, the children's good attitude sets into swing a series of events that bring their father home. Sometimes books like this one can be really trite and the ending spoiled by a bad plot, but this one totally escapes that. Nesbit also shows a really thorough understanding of how children would feel in every situation.

Even though this is a children's book, I think it could be enjoyed by every age. My copy is illustrated by Dinah Dryhurst, so if you can, try to get a copy with her illustrations. They are beautiful and really enhance the story.(less)

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May 22, 2013 Ivonne Rovira rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Children who have grown up with Matilda, The Dumb Bunnies or The Cat in the Hat can't really appreciate what an advance Edith Nesbit's The Railway Children actually was. For the first time, an author wrote about children who weren't miniature adults, who weren't preternaturally perfect, but who were flesh-and-blood children, children who quarreled and worried and snapped at one another when they grew fatigued or anxious.

Nesbit also provides a somewhat realistic view into the Edwardian period: Wh...more

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Mar 13, 2013 Fadhilatul rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Roberta, Peter dan Phyllis merupakan anak-anak yang hidup berkecukupan dan bahagia. Mereka memiliki ayah dan ibu yang sangat menyayangi mereka, juga para pelayan yang selalu memenuhi kebutuhan mereka. Meski begitu mereka tidak menjadi manja dan sombong karenanya. Mereka selalu bersikap baik dan ramah berkat didikan orang tuanya. Dan sikap inilah yang sangat berguna di kemudian hari ketika ayah pergi tiba-tiba dan keluarga mereka tiba-tiba jatuh miskin dan berada dalam keadaan sulit.

Novel ini pad...more

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Jan 20, 2013 Johara rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I picked this up because it reminded me of The Boxcar Children, and because I like Edith Nesbit, and I liked the cover. I wasn't exactly quite sure what I was supposed to expect, since the other two novels I've read by the same author had magic realism, but there aren't any fairies or magic in this particular story, I'm afraid.

All in all, it was a very good book. At the beginning, I was sort of on shaky ground with the children, as their attitude of expecting everyone to just help them like it w...more

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Jul 18, 2012 Tony rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction-mainstream

THE RAILWAY CHILDREN. (1906). E. Nesbit. ***.
E. (Edith) Nesbit (1856-1924) was a writer of children’s books that were very successful in England and remain so to this day. She is not read much in America, primarily because her plots are simply too sweet for U.S. kids – or at least that’s what the critics say. In this book, one of her most popular, we meet a family of mother, father and three children. The kids are, from the eldest down, Roberta (Bobbie), Peter, and Phyllis. It’s a perfect famil...more THE RAILWAY CHILDREN. (1906). E. Nesbit. ***.
E. (Edith) Nesbit (1856-1924) was a writer of children’s books that were very successful in England and remain so to this day. She is not read much in America, primarily because her plots are simply too sweet for U.S. kids – or at least that’s what the critics say. In this book, one of her most popular, we meet a family of mother, father and three children. The kids are, from the eldest down, Roberta (Bobbie), Peter, and Phyllis. It’s a perfect family until two men come to their door one night and take the father away. We don’t learn why until nearly the end of the book, but we have our suspicions. Without father there, the family has to move to cheaper quarters, a house called Three Chimineys, located off in the country. Mother supports the family by writing poems and short stories which she manages to sell to various magazines. The children are no longer in school, so they are thrown back on their own resources as what they might do every day. One of their closest neighbors is the local train depot – to which Peter is particularly drawn, since he loves trains. The three soon make friends with all of the employees at the station, and also become a fixture on the line, as they make it a habit to stand on one of the railroad overpasses and wave their handkerchiefs at passing trains. One of the regular passengers, whom we know only as “the old gentleman” gets into the habit of waving back to them. The children get along well with each other and with everyone else that they meet. They do manage to have some adventures: saving a local train from wrecking on a landslide by getting down on the tracks and flagging it down; saving a baby from a burning canal boat, and other more minor deeds that show their goodness. Throughout all of this, their mother remains stoic and supportive of them. This is a sweet story, one that features all of the prominent behavior values desired of Victorian children. Near the end, with the help of the “old gentleman,” they manage to get their Daddy back – as you might expect based on all of their previous feats. How this is done is key to the story, so I can’t say more or I’d spoil it for you. It would be worthwhile if you tried this book on a fifth- or sixth-grader to see what they thought. It’s not really for us big folks.
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Jun 20, 2012 Mommalibrarian rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: childrens-literature

Written in 1906 - still fresh. The fact that there is no electricity and people walk instead of getting their mother to drive them are the only real indication of its age. On page 6 the father tells his ten year old son, "Of course they [girls] can help. Girls are just as clever as boys, and don't you forget it." When the father is taken away the 'clever' mother supports the family writing poems and children's stories. Her son regrets at one point that she has to be so clever as she has less tim...more

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Mar 29, 2011 Kimi rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: in-english, e-book, favorites, fiction

I LOVE THIS BOOK SO MUCH!!! What more can I say, huh?

Ceritanya tentang keluarga, terdiri dari Father, Mother, dan tiga anak mereka, yaitu Bobbie, Peter, dan Phyllis. Karena ada suatu hal, ayah mereka meninggalkan mereka dan mereka pun harus pindah ke desa. Dan dari situ kisah dimulai.

Kisahnya sangat menggugah hati. Bobbie, Peter, dan Phyllis digambarkan sebagai anak-anak yang baik hati, ramah, rendah hati, dan suka menolong. Tapi, deskripsi pengarang tidak berlebihan sehingga tetap enak dibaca....more

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Mar 03, 2011 Stacy rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

For some reason, I did not find this adventure book nearly as entertaining to read as Swallows and Amazons. Perhaps it was the unbelievable do-goodishness and endless supply of less than nice things happening in their neighbourhood that they could remedy. Maybe I just like that "Pippy Longstocking" or "Peanuts" effect where the adults are non-existant or in the background. These kids want to be friends with all the grownups around - what's that about?
What was educational for me was the vignette...more

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Feb 02, 2011 Mandi Ellsworth added it · review of another edition

The children and I read this book together. I've often heard of it, but never read it, and now that I have... it's a favorite. It's rightfully called a classic. The story of these three children as their lives change dramatically and they move from London Society to a small country house is touching and should be a standard in every home. This family is brave both morally and otherwise. They stand up for what is right and do little acts of kindnesses even when they're not sure if they should. An...more

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Jan 12, 2011 Geoffrey Dow rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Time travel is fraught with terrors, personal time travel most of all. Whether it is in the discovery that one's ancestors were criminals and murderers, or only that one's youthful tastes weren't as sophisticated as one thought (see note #74, on The Secret Garden here, for one example of that phenomenon).

My own childhood favourites include a surprising number of Brit-lit classics. Lewis Carroll and A.A. Milne, of course, held pride of place, along with the likes of Kipling's Jungle Books, Lan

...more

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Jan 19, 2010 Stephanie Pina rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I had never read this classic before and picked it up at the library as a bit of an afterthought. I read it aloud nightly to my children at bedtime and all three of them (ages 13, 12, 6) were enthralled.
I'm not sure if I would have liked it as much had I been reading it by myself. But cuddled up with each of the children as they shared their comments on the characters and situations has cemented The Railway Children into our memories. Our family dynamic contributed to the enjoyment.
Note to Par...more

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Dec 07, 2012 Valerie added it · review of another edition

If I were to characterize this book as more like 'kitchen sink realism' than Nesbit's other books, I'd be wrong on two counts: the other books are pretty realistic, even with the magic involved; and there are no kitchen sinks. In one chapter the children do laundry, and they have to heat water first. There were probably washing machines in some areas at the time--but not in the isolated village the children and their mother come to.

The book is set in 1905. The war that's mentioned is clearly the...more If I were to characterize this book as more like 'kitchen sink realism' than Nesbit's other books, I'd be wrong on two counts: the other books are pretty realistic, even with the magic involved; and there are no kitchen sinks. In one chapter the children do laundry, and they have to heat water first. There were probably washing machines in some areas at the time--but not in the isolated village the children and their mother come to.

The book is set in 1905. The war that's mentioned is clearly the Russo-Japanese war. It's too common to forget that Czarist Russia was not rebelled against for no reason. One character in the story is a refugee who was imprisoned and sent to Siberia for writing a book urging reforms to help the poor.

The reason that the children become 'railway children' is almost irrelevant. The life they were living before is only vaguely sketched. The details of the life they live at 'Three Chimneys' are much more closely elaborated. The birthday present of making a model of the railway out of flowers, for example, is the sort of thing the less-well-off would have done at the time.

By the time the book was written, the railway was well integrated into urban, suburban, and rural society, at least in Britain. The children, indeed, give it no mind, until it's basically the only game in town. Then they begin to make friends among people whom they probably wouldn't have met at all in their previous life.

There's some open sexism toward the end of the book. The specific reference is to verbal squeamishness, but the argument that boys are intrinsically 'stronger' than girls is obviously a bogus one even in context. It's kind of odd, because there's very little sexism in the rest of the book. At one point the mother is offered a job which will make it unnecessary for her to keep writing for a living. She demurs, saying that she likes writing...she just doesn't want it to be her family's only form of support.

Most of the poems in the book are funny and harmless, but one describes a student in boarding school, and mocks him for enjoying his studies. These things are like a blow to the solar plexus. I would have appreciated a warning ahead of time. So here's yours.(less)

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Jul 01, 2009 Elizabeth McDonald rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Elizabeth by: Edward Eager, I suppose

Shelves: childrens, british

A sweet book! The only E. Nesbit I read as a child was Five Children and It, and it's kind of delightful to discover more of her work now. I love seeing how much Edward Eager (author of Half Magic, among others, and long one of my favorites) drew from E. Nesbit. The children might all be cousins for how similarly they're written - and how realistically. Unlike most authors of her day, Nesbit portrayed her child characters as very human. They get into scuffles and arguments with each other, make...more

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May 25, 2012 Hanih rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This one is a classic. It tells a story about the living of three siblings with their mother taking on the responsibility of the family when their father was being taken away by some people they don't know.

The family lives a happy and normal life until at one night when there are some unknown people want to meet up with their father. Their father was being taken away then, and they had to move to another house with much lower level of facilities to survive through their life. Their mother had t...more

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Mar 04, 2012 Jill Furedy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I remember loving Five Children and It (the book, the movie wasn't so hot), so when this showed up in the bargain section, I had to pick it up so see if I liked her other books. This one doesn't have the magical elements of Five Children, but there was still something kind of sweet and fun about it. It's less dark than Frances Hodges Burnett, whom I also loved: the kids are endlessly saving the day, flattering grown ups into doing what they want, and bickering in the most politely British manner...more

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Jan 18, 2011 Fanda VIXXIO rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Seperti halnya buku2 klasik lainnya, buku ini juga mengusung semangat kanak-kanak yang semakin menghilang dari hati kita. Semakin dewasa sepertinya kita makin sulit untuk merasa gembira. Tak seperti anak-anak, hal-hal sederhana bisa mendatangkan keasyikan bagi mereka. Tapi Bobbie, Peter & Phyllis bukan anak-anak yang hanya bisa bersenang-senang. Mereka sopan, ramah pada siapa saja, selalu ingin membuat orang lain gembira, dan mau menolong dengan tulus. Itu semua mereka warisi dari ibu mereka...more

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Apr 16, 2013 Gale rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: children-s-classics

“Cheerfully Playing at Being Poor”

Three English children in turn-of-the century London are suddenly obliged to leave their home and take up rural residence at Three Chimneys cottage. They are additionally confused by the unexplained disappearance of their father--who was falsely accused of embezzlement and wrongfully incarcerated. The saddened siblings seek solace in their new life by becoming familiar with unexplored means of transportation: the canal and the railroad.

Their plucky mother unde...more “Cheerfully Playing at Being Poor”

Three English children in turn-of-the century London are suddenly obliged to leave their home and take up rural residence at Three Chimneys cottage. They are additionally confused by the unexplained disappearance of their father--who was falsely accused of embezzlement and wrongfully incarcerated. The saddened siblings seek solace in their new life by becoming familiar with unexplored means of transportation: the canal and the railroad.

Their plucky mother undertakes to write novels while she home schools her inquisitive offspring: 12-year-old Roberta (Bobbie), 10-year-old Peter, and 7-year old Phyllis. These children quarrel and tease, play and dream like normal kids, while secretly harboring fears about their absent father. Could he be dead—since no one was allowed to inform them of the painful truth? Would their calm, loving mother permit them to live out a lie in country exile?

During the next six months these agreeable kids gradually carve out a niche for themselves in the lives (and ultimately, the hearts) of the local citizenry--particularly the railway personnel. As they expand their social horizons they also increase their knowledge of the ways and quirks of the iron horse. They even learn lessons in tasteful charity and Christian compassion, despite living in a kind of emotional limbo—just waiting for some unknown event to set them free from doubt and sorrow.

Despite Nesbit’s admittedly quaint literary style (many asides addressed to the reader and her obvious predilection for one of her characters) THE RAILWAY CHILDREN will gently transport readers back to a much simpler time—an era of true family values and homespun social virtues. Don’t expect the elements of fantasy as in her THE PHOENIX AND THE CARPET in this tender tale. Just relax and enjoy a journey into the sentimental past—when children were taught to wait and hope. But who is the mysterious old gentleman who rides their beloved Green Dragon? This story proves a book for “children” of all ages, inscribed on the tablets of Home and Hearth.

(May 3, 2012. I welcome dialogue with teachers.)
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Apr 28, 2013 Rikke rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: childrens-books, classics

Some books aren't meant for grown-ups to understand. Some books are just written for the innocent eyes of children and they may hold uncountable joys, invisible to anyone else. Some books doesn't reveal their dreamlike qualities to anyone above the age of 13. And this is one of those books.

Nesbit's plot it simple and delightful; perhaps not revolutionary but certainly wellwritten. The narrator of the story is very loud and reflective, and as a result the novel transport its readers back to the...more

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Jan 10, 2012 Theta Sigma rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Having never read this book, and my only knowledge of it being the 1970 film starring Jenny Agutter and Bernard Cribbins along with the recent theatrical version at the Waterloo Station in London, I came to this book thinking that I may not have as much an appreciation of it as somebody who doesn't know the story at all.

I have no shame at all, even though I'm a (cough) thirty-something year old, in saying that I absolutely loved this book.

It harkens back to a more innocent era where children hav...more

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Dec 06, 2008 Michelle rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-aloud-children-s

This book was first published in 1900 in Great Britain. Edith Nesbit was a favorite author of JK Rowling when she was a young girl. Nesbit has a wonderful conversaitonal quality to her stories, and makes the reader feel like you and the author share great secrets. This book is 329 pages, and contains a lot of turn of the century Brittish verbage... so you'll need to explain quite a few terms and phrases. It's a very sweet story about a family that experiences great sadness, and the adventures of...more

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Dec 23, 2012 Anindyta rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Roberta, Peter, dan Phyllis hidup bahagia dan bisa dibilang…kaya. Tiga anak ini selalu mendapatkan apa yang mereka inginkan, baju yang bagus, api yang hangat dari perapian di rumah, banyak mainan, Ayah dan Ibu yang menyenangkan, dan pembantu-pembantu yang banyak.

Semua berubah ketika tamu itu datang. Ayah tidak terlihat dan Ibu mulai merahasiakan sesuatu dari mereka. Tiba-tiba mereka pun pindah ke daerah yang jauh dan terpencil hanya membawa sedikit uang dan harta.

Tapi… hey, untunglah ada rel ker...more

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Jan 23, 2012 Tracey rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Again E. Nesbit shows herself expert at showing-not-telling, and at writing for anyone and everyone. With the story told from the point of view of the children, and aimed at children, all anyone under a certain height level is going to understand is that the father of the family goes away one night and does not come back, and the mother tells the three that he is away on business – and everything changes. Mother is upset or sad all the time, even when courageously pretending otherwise. The child...more Again E. Nesbit shows herself expert at showing-not-telling, and at writing for anyone and everyone. With the story told from the point of view of the children, and aimed at children, all anyone under a certain height level is going to understand is that the father of the family goes away one night and does not come back, and the mother tells the three that he is away on business – and everything changes. Mother is upset or sad all the time, even when courageously pretending otherwise. The children are made to understand that they are now poor – for a while. And almost overnight they pick up and leave their home – taking all the furniture the children deem "ugly" and Mother deems "useful", but few of their pretty things – and move out to a cottage in the country and Mother begins writing most of the day and far into the night. And Father does not come back.

I can't think how this story could be told more poignantly than as it is, obliquely through the children's eyes. Peter and Roberta (Bobbie) and Phyllis are, of course, bright children, and good ones, well brought up and attentive and conscientious – but they are wrapped in the happy oblivion of what seems to have been an upper middle class upbringing, wanting for no essential and few non-essentials, a world in which it is utterly and in all other ways inconceivable that anyone could ever dream their father did anything wrong. As it happens, of course, they are correct, but even had their father been in truth Jack the Ripper they would have been difficult to convince. They are essentially self-involved, viewing the world only as it affects them; for Peter and Phyllis it is enough that their mother tells them their father is away on business and they mustn't worry. They are upset when she is upset, but otherwise they are content and involved in their own lives. Bobbie is more attentive, more outwardly focused, and seems to step away from her childhood with this book.

Mother is, in this story, utterly brilliant – and I don't think that's just because the point of view is thoroughly sympathetic. She does a tremendous job of protecting her children – whisking them away from their old environment before they can hear a whisper of what has really happened to their father.

And of course the children are brilliant too. Roberta especially is rather magnificent. I love the narrator's frank statement that she hopes the reader does not mind her paying particular attention to Bobbie, but she has become rather a favorite. And I also love the equally frank assessment of her tendency to a) interfere or b) help lame dogs over stiles or c) help others, depending on who you ask – she can't help herself from making every effort to do something, and feels things very deeply, and this does not always make for easy relations with others.

The realism of E. Nesbit's writing is a bit dinged by the heroic role of the children during the summer of the story. Not to spoil things, but the events the three of them become involved in might, individually, be acceptable; all together it's a little bit ridiculous. But for the original target audience it would be so much fun. For me, a good bit older than the target? Also fun – and I admit to choking up at the climax. Oh, and Karen Savage, the narrator of the Librivox recording? Absolutely terrific. (less)

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Sep 26, 2012 Nesa Sivagnanam rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The story concerns a family who move to "Three Chimneys", a house near the railway, after the father, who works at the Foreign office, is imprisoned as a result of being falsely accused of selling state secrets to the Russians.

The three children, Roberta (Bobbie), Peter and Phyllis (Phil), find amusement in watching the trains on the nearby railway line and waving to the passengers.

They become friendly with Albert Perks, the station porter, and with the Old Gentleman who regularly takes the 9:...more

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Feb 01, 2012 Carsten Thomsen rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Nothing like a good children's book to set ones mind on something a little more positive. I liked The Railway Children - a story about a mother with three children who are forced to move out of their house and give up their wealthy lifestyle.

The father disappears rather suddenly and no one - except the mother - knows what has happened. The family moves to a little cottage at the country side near a railway - and it's here the children form new friendships and experience a lot of adventure.

OK,...more

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Jul 19, 2010 Douglas Summers.Stay rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I liked the Phoenix and the Carpet, and a few other books by E. Nesbit I had read (though The Enchanted Castle got arbitrary, as Daniel would say) but I wasn't sure about this non-fantasy. But it turned out to be good. The only trouble was rather too many improbable events where the children managed to save lives. One, sure. Three was really overdoing it.
I liked how the father being sent to prison was revealed only as the children themselves understood what had happened. And the best part of all...more

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May 04, 2012 Hobby rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: children-classic, children, owned-a-copy

I can't say anything about this book except I really -- really like & love it. Must be on your collection also. Stories about family who being apart 'cause some issue on their father, and he being prison of some false accusation, just makes the family behind getting closer and more understanding each other, even from those 4 member, 3 of them just little child, brother and sisters. Their mother was a good one, she can keep the family safe and give their children unconditional love, even thei...more

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Jul 27, 2011 Ann Marron rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Railway Children was my favourite book as a child, and after reading again as an adult, it is staying firmly in my favourites pile. A wonderfully written book, it tells the story of the Waterbury family who move to “The Three Chimneys” after their father is falsely arrested and jailed on suspicion of being a spy for the Russians. Life changes dramatically for the three children in many ways. They leave their comfortable home and life for a small cottage along a railway. They are forced to be...more

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Jun 10, 2013 Megan Franks rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: british, classic, childrens-lit, intermediate-childrens-lit, middle-school, upper-elementary

A simple but lovely tale about making the best of a bad situation.

Peter, Bobbie (short for Roberta) and Phyllis are forced to leave their home and move to the country with their mother after the sudden absence of their father. Though they are quite the close-knit family, Mother will not explain what has happened to Father, only reassure the children that he will eventually return home. In the meantime, due to their newfound poverty and free time (Mother doesn't have time to give them lessons or...more

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About E. Nesbit

Edith Nesbit (married name Edith Bland; 15 August 1858 – 4 May 1924) was an English author and poet whose children's works were published under the name of E. Nesbit. She wrote or collaborated on over 60 books of fiction for children, several of which have been adapted for film and television. She was also a political activist and co-founded the Fabian Society, a precursor to the modern Labour Par...more

More about E. Nesbit...

Books by E. Nesbit

Five Children and It (Five Children, #1)

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Trivia About The Railway Children

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Quotes from The Railway Children

“Don't you think it's rather nice to think that we're in a book that God's writing? If I were writing the book, I might make mistakes. But God knows how to make the story end just right—in the way that's best for us.” — 4 people liked it

“everything has an end, and you get to it if you only keep all on.” — 3 people liked it

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avg rating	preview: The Railway Children Goodreads rating: 3.94 (15864 ratings)
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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/308630.The_Railway_Children?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1295894751l/308630.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/308630.The_Railway_Children?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]The Railway Children by E. Nesbit[/url]

The Railway Children

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