A review by jjoany
The Primrose Railway Children by Jacqueline Wilson

5.0

As a child, I grew up not only devouring Jacqueline Wilson books, but also watching 2 different adaptations of “The Railway Children”, (and eventually reading the book), and also frequently visiting The Bluebell Railway in Sussex, with my dad who is a railway enthusiast. So, I came to this modern retelling of the E. Nesbit classic with a wealth of knowledge and experience of the author and subject matter. There has been a surge in retellings of the classics recently and to do so well is a hard task. However, Jacqueline Wilson, a master storyteller, manages to pay homage to the original with skill, whilst also writing a modern book, relevant to modern audiences. The railway is still at the heart of the novel, as is a change in family circumstances, and a hair-raising moment in a railway tunnel also still features (and those familiar with the original source will spot many more comparisons). However, Phoebe and her family live very purposefully in our century, and when mum informs them that their dad will not be around for a while, Phoebe, Becks and Perry (who is autistic) are taken away to stay in a dilapidated cottage rental in the remote countryside. Through the nearby steam railway, the family find new friends, adventures and Phoebe finally works out the truth about what has happened to her beloved father. A heart-warming read, written with all of Jacqueline Wilson’s typical sensitivity when dealing with difficult subject matter, whilst maintaining some spirit of the original. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book.