Customer Reviews

Puffin Classics Railway Children

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

It would be tempting these days to dismiss Nesbit's Edwardian chestnut as sappy and sentimental; however, upon rereading it, I find this is simply not the case. Sure, there is innocent charm aplenty in this tale of three children whose father is mysteriously called away. The family (Roberta, the eldest girl and main character, Peter, and Phyllis) go with their mother to live in the country, and while mother tries to make ends meet by writing stories, the children explore the area, make friends with people at the train station and on the passing train, and involve themselves in a couple of daring rescues. Each chapter is like its own little adventure, but always there lingers the question of where has father gone, and how will the family pull through its crisis. Sunny the author's outlook may be, but it is not sentimental, as evidenced when the children throw a surprise party for Perks the porter and he is angered rather than glad, fearing they do it our of charity. The children fight amongst themselves, and worry, and fret, like real children of that or any era might. Throughout the story, the reader comes to enjoy this country town and its cast of ordinary but amusing characters. The story's ending is actually very moving in its simple way. A classic.

I read this for school,and I must confess I enjoyed parts of it. However, some parts of it were just drop-dead boring. It would have been better as a collection of short stories, because that's what it really is (it's just told in novel form).

This book deserves a 3 out of 5, no more and no less.

The Railway Children is a wonderful book. When the book begins, the three children, Roberta (Bobbie), Peter and Phyllis are living a lovely, secure life at Edgecomb Villa. Their father returns home after being away on business, two unknown men come to visit him in the evening after supper, and he simply disappears. Neither the reader nor the children know what has happened to him until Bobbie makes a chance discovery and learns the horrible truth.

In the intervening time, their mother, a capable and charming woman, takes her children to live in the country near a railway station, because they must "play at being poor for a while." The children handle their new situation with grace and wit, spending hours hanging about the railway station and generally keeping themselves busy, and in the process becoming fast friends with the porter, Perks, and the station master. They also become acquainted with their own old gentleman who lends a hand to help them time and again.

Bobbie is the oldest and sweetest of the children, with a longing to be truly good. Peter is the boy, who is madly in love with trains, stubbornly refuses to pushed around, and exhibits an extraordinary courage in the rescue of a baby and a young man in a train tunnel. Phyllis is the youngest, a funny, clumsy child with good intentions that often seem to go awry.

I read this book to my four year daughter. She loved it. As the adult, I enjoyed reading it. And, you'll be happy to know, it all comes out right in the end.

E.Nesbit's novel The Railway Children is a great book that tells about a family's life that changes from wealth and "perfection" to the family becoming poor and has to live in on a farm. Also there was a great mystery about what happened to father and where he as gone.

I just finished reading through The Railway Children with my 8-year old daughter, and I can honestly say that we both enjoyed this book immensely.

Like all E. Nesbit's books, the style is one from another time and place--the characters say things like "That was a jolly ripping good time," and "I say!" quite a lot. If turn-of-the-century British slang turns you off, you might want to skip this one.

However if you are able to appreciate the book for being from a different time and place, you will find a group of characters that is truly memorable and a story that warms the heart. While the language might be outdated, the themes and events are those that affect children of every time and place. Roberta, Peter and Phillys are regular children, who play, squabble, make friends, seek adventures, try to be helpful to their mother (most of the time), and most of all, wonder what has happened to their inexplicably absent father.

The children have many adventures surrounding the railway and the people of the town in which they are living, which are very entertaining to read. My daughter and I both laughed and cried many times during the reading of this book. The best part though is the ending, which is beautiful in its simplicity.

If there is an overall theme to the book, it is that love and friendship will conquer all. Although bad things happen in the story, everything turns out all right in the end we are left with a warm happy feeling.

I would highly recommend this lovely book to be shared between parents and children aged 6-10. Probably it could be read alone by ages 8+. Even sensitive children will enjoy this one because, as I said, nothing *really* bad happens and at the end of the book, all is right with the world.

This is one of my favorite children's books! The characters are lovable and (for the most part) believable, the story is exciting, and the ending--well, the ending is marvelous! It is the kind of book you can read over and over again(I have) and never get tired of it(I haven't). I am not, in general, the type to cry over books, but I must admit I cry every time I read the end!:) They are tears of joy, though. If you love a good story with a happy ending, read this book!

This was a book my mother had grown up on, and one that she passed on down to my sister and I. Although hardly a modern story this book is a classic tale of a family learning how to start over, in circumstances far different from those they are accustomed to. The true magic, however, lies in this books portrayal of sibling relationships....a simpler and more innocent time perhaps; but, stories of families will never really get old.

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 espionage and wrongfully incarcerated. The kids 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 homeschools her inquisitive offspring: 12-year-old Roberta (Bobbie), 10-year-old Peter, and 7-year-old Phyllis. These children quarrel and squabble, 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 a lie?

During the next 6 months these decent kids gradually carve out a niche for themsleves in the lives (and ultimately the hearts) of the local citizens--particularly railway personnel. As they expand their social horizons, they increase their knowledge of the ways and quirks of the iron horse. They even learn lessons in tasteful charity and Christian compassion, as they exist in a kind of emotional limbo--just waiting for some unknown event.

Despite Nesbit's admittedly quaint literary style (with many asides addresesd to the reader, and obvious predilection for one of her characters), THE RAILWAY CHILDREN will transport readers back to a much simpler time--an era of true family values and homespun social virtues. Don't expect the fantasy elements of THE PHOENIX AND THE CARPET in this gentle story; just relax and enjoy a journey into the past, when chidren were taught to wait and hope. This is a book for children of all ages, inscribed on the tablets of Home and Hearth. And who is the mysterious but kindly old gentleman on their beloved Green Dragon?

This is an exceptional book about 3 children who live near a railroad and thoroughly enjoy it.. They live and let live until one day their relatively ordinary lives come to a screeching halt as it did when their father went away. They are friendly with an old man who helps them find out the mystery of their father's abrupt disappearance. They finally get the family back together and the live happily ever after etc. etc. etc. Though this may seem common and uninteresting, there is some other force that made me sit up late into the night to finish the book. You may understand why I did that when you read the book. It is very enjoyable, (but that may be because I am a child) and I thoroughly recommend it to children . Enjoy! Cheers!!!!!!!!! : )

I really enjoy Ms. Nesbit's written works. It is quite a shame that she can't write anymore. Although I liked this one a lot, I was a little disappointed by it because it lacked the charming fairy tale sort of feel that many of her children's books have. However, the story was quite wonderful, and I particularly loved the realistic scene of the children that the reader is given. I highly recommend this book to Edith Nesbit's fans, as well as people that enjoy a touch of mystery, mixed with a child's view of life.