The Children Who Lived in a Barn

by Eleanor Graham

Suitable for both adults and children to read, this 1938 novel shows five children successfully looking after themselves when their parents go away and fail to return.

Genres: Childrens, Fiction, Classics, Historical Fiction, British Literature, Historical, Adventure

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1938

About the author

Eleanor Graham was a book editor and children's book author. She became an editor for Heinemann and Methuen Publishing and a reviewer of children's books for papers such as The Sunday Times. During the Second World War, she became editor of Penguin's children's imprint Puffin Books. After her retirement in 1961, she received the Eleanor Farjeon Award from the Children's Book Circle.

Reviews

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first read about this book in the Persephone catalog and was drawn to it because its story of junior housekeepers was similar to a children's book I loved, "The Boxcar Children" by Gertrude Chandler Warner.

In "The Children Who Lived in a Barn," five children have to fend for themselves in 1930s England when their parents disappear in a plane crash. They're so plucky and can-do that they set up a makeshift household in a nearby barn (their mean landlord evicted them for not paying rent) and the two eldest children, 13-year-old Sue and 11-year-old Bob, take on odd jobs around the village to earn extra food and money. The girls darn and sew and knit, and the boys go fishing and gather wood and everyone chips in to do daily chores.

The children make up their own family rules, such as never begging for anything and to share any food they get, and they vow to stick together at all costs. The villans of the story are some women who want to ship the kids off to orphanages, but the children successfully live in the barn for several months, until fate intervenes and there is a happy ending. (Otherwise it would be a miserable children's story.)

There is some ridiculousness in the plot -- I doubt parents would really abandon five young children to fly across Europe, for example -- but it didn't dampen my enjoyment of the book. I wish there had been a sequel.

[Diane Barnes · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's unusual for me to rate any Persephone book with just 3 stars, but that's what happens when an adult reads a children's book. Had I read this as a child I would have loved it and given an enthusiastic 5 stars, but, alas, adult logic made a difference. The 5 children coping with living in a barn and dealing with daily life and problems was a joy to read about, but the parent's actions both before and after their disappearance made no sense to my grown up mind. Neither did the attitudes of the people in the village.

Thus was published by Persephone because the author was the originator and first editor of Puffins Children's Books, and wrote children's books herself, but as far as I know was their only publication of juvenile fiction. All in all, a fun read for kids, and I wouldn't hesitate to give it as a gift to an enthusiastic reader.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this 1938 English children's book, the parents of five children disappear while on a trip, and the children end up living in a friendly farmer's barn on their own for the spring and summer. The everyday descriptions of life in the barn root this fantasy in the real, with the haybox slow cooker, 4 a.m. washings, egg gatherings and other chores. When things are difficult, the oldest child, Susan, remembers her mother's sayings "Let the odds come to the end", and "Never mind, trudge another mile, dear, trudge another mile and you'll soon be past the worst".

[Sobriquet · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was so disappointing! Apart from Sue I didn't feel that the characters in this book were at all sympathetic. The children (who after the disappearance of their parents go to live in a barn) are given help so grudgingly by the adults, who were such a reproving and fun-less lot. The children, unsurprisingly, receive this indifferent help with reluctant thanks and resent their interference. This story really needed some humor to lighten it up. There also needed to be some kind of adventure or mystery.

[Tamara York · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. I really loved this old-fashioned tale of 5 children living in a barn in the 1930’s. It was similar to the Boxcar Children, but much better. I liked seeing the different ways of life in that time period. How they cooked, washed clothes, and were given way more independence than children would today. The ending was a little too convenient but I loved it overall.

[Camille de Fleurville · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finished "The Children Who Lived in a Barn" during the night (in between two bouts of sickness).
It was good comfort reading but although it was first published by Puffin, it is not only for children. There are acerbic portraits and comments of "charitable" people, social workers, the small society of a village sixty years ago.
It may also be read as a variation around "The Famous Five". Of course, there will be no book if the children were not left to themselves for something like six months (and during spring and summer: they could nor have survived in their barn in autumn and winter). However, the dénouement is a little contrived and it is not clearly explained while the parents disappeared during these six months.
All right, this is a book for children and their adventures even if there is something to be found by adults.
One more thing: what a difference between style in 1951 and style nowadays when catering for the young!

[Susann · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Persephone children's book; fun story from the 1930s about five kids whose parents disappear. The children are forced to leave their home, but a kindly neighbor lets them move into a barn. Graham is fairly realistic in showing what the children have to deal with. Poor, 13-year-old Susan bears the brunt of responsibility for the family and I was exhausted by all that she does. Any CrockPot user will appreciate the appearance of the haybox.
**Slight Spoiler Below**



The reappearance of the parents is a bit far-fetched, but I was so relieved that Susan could be a kid again, that I didn't mind.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

First published in 1939 (reprinted in 1955), this is a story that seems astounding today. Parents get a note that granny's sick and fly off, leaving four children to fend for themselves. The landlord throws them out and they go "live in a barn," literally. Resourceful, intelligent kids whose parents need parenting. Almost a time travel experience since the world was about to change dramatically with the advent of the war. Without intending it, the book prefigures the experience of thousands of children who suddenly lost their parents and were uprooted in the great evacuation of urban children to the English countryside. Not sure what children of today would make of it.

[Carla C · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although 'The Children Who Lived in a Barn' isn't my typical read, I found it to be a delightful book that captured my interest from start to finish. The story follows the lives of five children living independently in a barn, with Sue being my favorite character due to her relatable qualities. While I struggled with understanding why anyone would allow the children to live alone, the book still managed to weave a wholesome and heartwarming tale. Despite occasional reservations about some characters, I thoroughly enjoyed the overall narrative. It's a lovely, wholesome story that I would recommend to others, even those who, like me, might not typically gravitate toward this genre.

[Deevena Jemima · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a sweet story. The Dunnet children find themselves in a fix when their parents go on a trip and disappear. They then have to live in a barn and manage everything themselves.
I read this book on Internet Archive...I am not sure if it's available in print now.

[Maggie]

Not only is this book a delight, but the Persephone edition is lovely object and a total pleasure to read.

[Starfish · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was interesting -- I think it's the only children's book published by Persephone books, and the story follows five children whose parents up and disappear, and after being turned out of their house, find themselves living in a barn and struggling to keep up appearances, feed themselves and everything all while attending school.

What surprised me was how almost everyone in the book was unsympathetic -- the main character, Sue, is awesome, but she pretty much ends up doing everyone's work and acting like a mini adult. She has to deal with the District Representative, fend off the church committee and teachers, who all want to see the kids split up and put in homes. Her brothers and little sister spend most of them time whining and carrying on, and the parents are hopeless. It's a strange book!

[Annie 2manybeautifulBooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

I turned to my Persephone shelf, for a palate cleanser I guess, and also, because I’ve been immersed in some heftier books, I chose a slim one.


I was a prolific reader as a child but life happened and I grew up. Sadly I found it a challenge to turn my reading head back to childhood. If I’d been able to do that I’m pretty sure I’d have rated this book as absolutely brilliant. However as a mother of two adult children in 2024 I found much of this story completely implausible. I did though become invested in the lives of the children and was eager to turn the pages and discover their fate,, and then the ending! Really?! Perhaps my seven year old self might have cheered but honestly, major eye rolls, although I did see it coming, I was disappointed with this one.

[Ali · Rating 5 out of 5]

This a sweet little cosy read - which I finished very quickly. The children are engaing in an old fashioned way, and the situation they find themselves in - while it feels unrealistic to an adult - would read like a huge adventure to a child reader I suppose. I always find with books originally written for children from this sort of period - that they're written in such a different way to modern children's books, wordier with greater depth, and better description. Its this which probably make them more accesible to adults, than many modern childrens books would be. Highly enjoyable - loved it!

[Danada · Rating 5 out of 5]

This books makes me very happy!
Quiet, lovely story.
I ordered my very own copy to read and enjoy many more times.

it was just as wonderful the second time ^_^

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

When their parents are called away unexpectedly, in order to care for their maternal grandmother who is living abroad, the five Dunnett children are left very much on their own in this vintage British children's novel. When mother and father Dunnett do not return, and the landlord turns them out of their rented house in the small village of Wyden, thirteen-year-old Susan, twelve-year-old Bob, nine-year-old twins Joseph and Samuel (Jumbo and Sambo), and seven-year-old Alice move into the barn offered by their neighbor, Farmer Pearl. Here, throughout the spring, summer and autumn seasons, they must care for themselves, with a little adult help, and keep the interfering "do-gooder" women of the village from splitting them up and sending them to homes and orphanages. Their father told them to stick together, and so they will, becoming the children who live in a barn...

Originally published in 1938 by the London-based G. Routledge, The Children Who Lived in a Barn was reprinted in revised format in 1955 by Puffin Books, and featured newly-commissioned artwork from illustrator Mary Gernat (the original illustrator was J.D. Evans). It was then reprinted more recently, in 2001, by Persephone Books, who do not usually produce children's titles. The author was the editor of Puffin Books, beginning during the Second World War, so it is not difficult to see how the title was selected for republication in the 1950s. What changes were made between the original and the new edition I couldn't say, having only read the latter, but the colophon of my paperback Puffin copy does indicate that it is a revised edition. In any case, leaving that publication history aside, I found this an engaging read, and am glad it was selected by the group of friends with whom I regularly meet, in order to discuss (amongst other things) the children's books we are reading. I was conscious while reading of some annoyance with Susan's siblings, who always left her the lion's share of the work, and how this was validated in the narrative, but other than that I thought the story here was very entertaining, and I enjoyed seeing how the Dunnett children dealt with their unusual situation. I also appreciated the glimpses offered into a different time, and couldn't help reflecting that if this were the present day, the children would not have been allowed to stick together, but would have been speedily dispatched by children's services. The happy ending here felt a little rushed, but was satisfactory all the same. Recommended to readers who enjoy vintage children's fare, and stories about children doing for themselves.

Note: This is a 3.5-star book for me, but as that isn't possible on Goodreads, I have rounded up in my rating.

[Daisy May Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

So the basic premise of The Children Who Lived In A Barn, a book that appealed to me precisely because of that outstanding "does exactly what it says on the tin" title and a charming wraparound cover, is "the parents disappear for plot reasons and the kids are made homeless but then go off to live in a barn that the farmer's offered them and everyone's cool about that" and that's a lot. I've read an enormous amount of children's books from this period and earlier and I've seen some stuff, she says, staring into the infinite distance, that you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhäuser Gate. And yet here I am, reading this book where the parents are all "we've got to go off now, our planet needs us" and the kids are all "cool, we'll just chill out for a bit and wait for you to come back" and half of the villagers are deeply anti-authority, up the revolution, come hide in my barn for a bit, it's all good, kind of all proved a little too much for me to cope with.

And yet, even though I could not remotely deal with the premise of this book, it's charmingly put together and deeply evocative of both time and place. Graham's writing is infinitely sweet stuff that, even though I found myself screaming "and everybody's cool with these kids in the actual barn??", I still found myself enjoying it. It's otherworldly, forgotten stuff. The children are taught how to cook in a haybox (epic stuff which young readers could easily replicate) and the whole vibe is just one of deep, utter adventure. Even though it's on mad, ridiculous circumstances. Even though the farmer's like "live in my barn but don't tell the Mrs". Even though the villagers are all "we hate you but we hate authority more here's some bacon". Even though the ONLY normal person in this entire shindig who sticks up for the children at a particular point of crisis goes "well, they're doing good" and completely ignores the fact that they are in a barn and winter is an actual coming thing and how is anybody remotely fine with any of this??

Honestly, fun stuff, adventuresome stuff, but! but!

[Michael Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

While there are a number of books about children living on their own for a time, this one is quite different. The interactions with adults are perhaps the most interesting. The grown-ups can be largely divided into good and bad, with understanding and friendly ones set against the busybodies who would swoop in to "rescue" the children and then ship them off to "Homes, orphanages, and adoptions." The District Visitor is a real believable villain, and it's great to see how other adults interact with her.

Better than The Boxcar Children (no mysteries or adventures here, just the struggles of everyday life), and wonderfully instructive in the vein of Understood Betsy, with a little Milly-Molly-Mandy in there too.

The end came a bit too quickly, but I suppose at some point it had to. It's not that believable either.

I'm curious to know what was changed from the 1938 original in producing the 1955 Puffin version. There are several instances of obsolete British slang, but maybe those were still in currency when the paperback was issued. The book was originally published during the interwar depression but the post-WWII scene was a bit different in terms of how developed the British welfare state was, and probably also how children were treated in light of things like the WWII evacuations.

In some ways, I wish the world could be a bit more like the story, whereas today there would be no chance whatsoever for independent living. In the book, there is a community, albeit one that is fragmented. There are isolated offers of help and support, and a kind of understanding of the situation and the admirable positions that the kids have about charity, not being split up, etc. Nowadays, in would come the CPS and everything else, and the kids would be thoroughly mired in the System for the duration. I also think there are many more self-appointed do-gooders out there now who would report them and not have one ounce of sympathetic compassion or encouragement.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mlle Alice, pouvez-vous nous raconter votre rencontre avec The Children Who Lived in a Barn ?
"Un jour, j'aurai tous les Persephone Books. En attendant, celui-ci est le tout premier Persephone gris que j'ai acheté. J'ai été attirée par le fait qu'il s'agit d'un roman jeunesse, assez court, et également par la beauté du motif choisi pour illustrer la couverture intérieure."

Dites-nous en un peu plus sur son histoire...
"Mrs Dunnet doit se rendre en urgence au chevet de sa mère et son mari n'envisage pas de la laisser voyager seule, même s'ils n'ont personne pour garder leurs cinq enfants. Après tout, Susan a déjà treize ans, et ce n'est que pour quelques jours..."

Mais que s'est-il exactement passé entre vous ?
"J'ai beaucoup apprécié cette petite histoire mais d'une manière différente de la plupart des Persephone que j'ai lu à ce jour. Je la décrirais plutôt comme étant d'une charmante simplicité et sachant qu'il s'agit d'un roman jeunesse, ce n'est pas très étonnant. Quoi qu'il en soit, on se laisse facilement embarquer dans les malheurs de Dunnets et on se prend rapidement d'affection pour Susan sur qui repose un fardeau bien lourd. Pourtant, à aucun moment on ne bascule dans le pathos, à aucun moment ce livre ne s'avère réellement triste et c'est ce qui est interessant, le courage de ces enfants, leur inconscience un peu aussi, et la façon dont ils vont surmonter vaillamment chaque petite difficulté du quotidien. Up the Dunnets !"

Et comment cela s'est-il fini ?
"Les pages se tournent facilement parce qu'on veut savoir comment tout cela va se terminer et c'est certes émouvant mais honnêtement, les explications sont assez faibles. On sent que l'auteur ne s'est pas vraiment donnée la peine de rendre plausible ce qui n'était qu'un ressort narratif. C'est bien dommage pour le lecteur adulte."


http://booksaremywonderland.hautetfor...

[Kathleen Vincenz · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you liked Boxcar Children, you're sure to like The Children Who Lived in a Barn. It is much more realistic and written at a bit higher reading level. The children's parents are lost in an airplane crash, so they must fend for themselves until the parents return, if they return. So they won't be sent to an orphanage or divided among foster homes, they live in a barn with money given to them weekly from their father's account.

The oldest daughter, Susan, is simply amazing at cooking and cleaning and washing but she has her flaws and isn't just super-sister. In fact, she finally goes on strike, which I'd have done much sooner. The oldest boy, Bob, is bit more fun, and gets in trouble scheming for money. The other children are two twin boys who live for mischief and a spoiled younger sister, Alice, who everyone teaches to knit.

Reading this novel as an adult, I thought the way the neighbors acted, leaving the children mostly to themselves, is unfortunately too probable. We all go about our business and do one or two acts of kindness and think that's all we have to do. A few of the neighbors realize this, which is nice to see but it is all too late.

Now I'm off to read The Family Under the Bridge. What other books are out there with families in unusual places?

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought I had read this as a child but quickly realized that it was new to me. However, if I had read it as a kid, it would have been the kind of book I read and read reread many times, in part because of it's matter-of-fact strangeness.

The Dunnett family are separated when the parents are called to a family emergency in Europe (in 1938!) and leave the village where the children are. The children can't stay in the house and move to a barn where they eke out a living, doing chores for the people in the village, attending school, and managing the best they can, despite the fact that they stop hearing from the parents almost immediately.

I loved Alice for all her awfulness and whinging and Sue for keeping her shit together despite incredible odds and grimacing inside every time an adult says to her that she will be 'quite a little mother'.

The adults almost uniformly disappoint or come through with the bare minimum - it's the kids who are and remain the true heroes of the story.

Graham was the editor of the Puffin children's books. I wish I knew what she was thinking with this strange and wonderful book.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this book on a whim at a used book store because it reminded me of my favorite childhood book, The Boxcar Children. In this book, five children (two girls, three boys) are left to fend for themselves in rural England when their parents have to look after a sick relative on the continent. It isn't long before they are to be evicted from the house they are renting, but a farmer offers them a place in his barn. The book follows the children as they deal with the challenges of supporting themselves on a meager income (not to mention living in a barn). The language is certainly a bit sharper and the children are a bit snippier than one would expect for a children's book, but then agin the book was first written in 1938, so I suppose that is to be expected.

[Pugalicious · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a sweet book about 5 children supporting themselves while living in a barn after their parents disappeared. A bit like the Boxcar Children but written and published in England in the 1930’s. Info on Persephone Books who published the edition I read:


Welcome to Persephone Books

Persephone Books reprints neglected fiction and non-fiction, mostly by women writers and mostly dating from the mid-twentieth century. All of our 150 books are intelligent, thought-provoking and beautifully written. As well as novels we publish short stories, diaries, memoirs, poetry, gardening books and cookery books; each title has an elegant grey jacket and a patterned endpaper, along with a matching bookmark.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Up the Dunnets!”

The five Dunnet children are forced to fend for themselves when their parents are rather spectacularly called away out of the country with no possibility of the children going with them. Swiftly kicked out of the cottage by their heartless landlord, the children are offered an empty barn by a neighbouring farmer and they soon set about to make it their home. The Dunnet children stick together and battle against the busy bodies in town who at any sign of a smudged cheek or an untucked shirt are readying to ship the children off for adoption and children’s homes. This is an endearing, funny children’s book full of cosy British charm.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

I kept comparing this to Arthur Ransom’s Swallows and Amazons ; basically the same era ( the 30’s) and children being self sufficient.
But the difference between the two books aside from the theme was like the difference between night and day .
A rather strange little tale, not at all what I imagined that it would be . I think even if I had read it when a child , I would probably not finish it . It was so low key and a bit depressing . No humour and no adventure . However it IS a beautiful edition; Persephone books are worth the cost . Although the exterior is a plain grey , the endpapers are eminently beautiful , with a lovely screen printed cotton design from 1938.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

A gentle story of what happens to a family of five siblings when their parents mysteriously disappear after a plane crash. The local busybodies want to separate them into homes but led by the plucky 13 yr old Susan and aided by the farmer lending them a barn they make the best of their new life and encounters with the village characteristics. I did however go down a wormhole as I searched the illustrator Mary Gernat, who also created the iconic images in Enid Blyton's classic chidrens fiction including secret seven and the famous five , worth going on a tangent to visit the life of a great contributor to the joy of this and many other books.

[Fiona H. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read this book three times now, I think, and love this story of survival and village life in the 1930s. This time I read it while living in one room “surviving” Coronavirus self-isolation (in much more comfort than the children had in their barn). I enjoyed the domestic details and the children’s interactions with the villagers, although the whole situation was improbable and the story dated, it was a happy read.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely old fashioned story of children holding their own after the disappearance of their parents.
It wasn’t easy and they constantly feared being separated and sent to “homes, orphanages or adoptions” but they manage very nicely, thank you.
Reminds the reader of the Railway Children by Edith Nesbit and the beloved Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner. All from early in the 20th century. Strong determined children facing life together.

[Melanie Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

This children’s book was first published in 1938. It was later republished in 1955 and again by Persephone Books. What a charming book and it brought back fond childhood memories of reading The Boxcar Children.

[Lesley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unintentionally funny book about five children in 1930's Britain who are left to fend for themselves when their parents go away. Very enjoyable and undemanding.