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3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
Although this book was written and set in 1905, the language was very approachable and the plot highly enticing. It's about 3 kids whose father has been taken by the police and they have to live with their mother in poverty, near a railway station.
My reading is experiencing a renaissance for children’s classics and this one was brilliant. E Nesbit made the children’s characters unique, allowing for fun, banter and arguments, and the situation that forces them from their happy London suburban home very serious. I especially loved their mother, she was clever, serious and kind - and when poverty threatened she was resourceful enough to sell her stories.
Yet she manages to capture the children’s resilience to upheaval, as they make friends, discover dragons and learn all about the railway and the regular passengers.
Yet she manages to capture the children’s resilience to upheaval, as they make friends, discover dragons and learn all about the railway and the regular passengers.
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I am not sure how I never read this before. Utterly delightful!
Some how I missed the memo that this is not much more than a picture book. My edition was a picture book. I really enjoyed the story. It was sweet, and took about 20 minutes to read.
I really hope that life was this simple and pure once for some people. I hope it still is for children.
I really hope that life was this simple and pure once for some people. I hope it still is for children.
The journey and adventure throughout this book was nostalgic, beautiful, with the stories wrap a heartwarming messages and how the ending chapter making me cry T______T
I decided to read this one on audiobook while driving, walking and running around the British countryside this past weekend, and honestly it was just perfect. I could not recommend a better way to read this, but enjoying the very countryside talked about in this book and glimpsing railways over the hills and through the trees. This is also a super short audiobook, clocking in at around 5 hours and it was just perfect for a big weekend of travelling!
This one was actually a major surprise for me, especially as I have been not enjoying classics quite as much recently. This was recommended to me to me by Alex, who loves this book, and trust me she has some great classic recommendations! I read The Secret Garden a couple of months ago on her recommendation, and I loved that one too. However, I actually ended up enjoying The Railway Children just a little bit more!
I think everyone in the world is friends
This one follows a family as they move to a small house in the British countryside due to mysterious circumstances leaving them without their father. This is told from the perspective of the three children of the family as they explore the countryside and get to know the people in the nearby village and on the railway. I loved reading about the children, and I imagine I would have absolutely adored this as a child. The children also don’t know why they’ve moved or their father has not moved with them, leaving a mystery aspect surrounding this book that I really didn’t expect to have!
The children also have some really interesting discussions throughout this book, including about gender identity, race, friendship, family, wealth and status. Some of these discussions felt very ahead of their time and I was surprised they came up at all. Alongside their loving and caring mother, these children learn the importance of looking out for one another through tough times and helping those around you despite their backgrounds.
if you can only get them to see you don’t want to be un-friends.
Overall, this was such a pleasant surprise. I loved the feeling of adventure throughout, and the mischief these kids got up to was so fun to read about! The relationships and friendships were so heartwarming and beautiful, and left me with goosebumps when I finished this book.
★★★★★
4.5 out of 5 stars
-Beth
May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽
This one was actually a major surprise for me, especially as I have been not enjoying classics quite as much recently. This was recommended to me to me by Alex, who loves this book, and trust me she has some great classic recommendations! I read The Secret Garden a couple of months ago on her recommendation, and I loved that one too. However, I actually ended up enjoying The Railway Children just a little bit more!
I think everyone in the world is friends
This one follows a family as they move to a small house in the British countryside due to mysterious circumstances leaving them without their father. This is told from the perspective of the three children of the family as they explore the countryside and get to know the people in the nearby village and on the railway. I loved reading about the children, and I imagine I would have absolutely adored this as a child. The children also don’t know why they’ve moved or their father has not moved with them, leaving a mystery aspect surrounding this book that I really didn’t expect to have!
The children also have some really interesting discussions throughout this book, including about gender identity, race, friendship, family, wealth and status. Some of these discussions felt very ahead of their time and I was surprised they came up at all. Alongside their loving and caring mother, these children learn the importance of looking out for one another through tough times and helping those around you despite their backgrounds.
if you can only get them to see you don’t want to be un-friends.
Overall, this was such a pleasant surprise. I loved the feeling of adventure throughout, and the mischief these kids got up to was so fun to read about! The relationships and friendships were so heartwarming and beautiful, and left me with goosebumps when I finished this book.
★★★★★
4.5 out of 5 stars
-Beth
May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽
adventurous
challenging
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
All English children's classics are so heartwarming and this one was no exception.