The Railway Children

This children's classic by E (Edith) Nesbit was originally published in 1906 though originally it had been serialised in The London Magazine during 1905. I is the story of the adventures of three children, Roberta (Bobbie), Peter and Phyllis who move with their mother to a cottage in the country. The cottage, Three Chimneys, is near a railway line and the children enjoy the experience of watching the trains pass and getting to know the station master and the porter. They also enjoy the experience of roaming around the countryside and the village. and having adventures.

The author has the talent of describing real children who argue often but also help each other and work together when the need arises. The book however has different levels. As well as the adventures of the children the author based part of the story on incidents that occurred shortly before the writing of the book - a man being framed and gaoled for being a spy and the persecution of a  Russian author for criticising life in Russia.

Currently I am doing the Future Learn course - Living Lives on British Railways. The Railway Children was mentioned so I decided to read it and found that it provides an interesting account of how the public may have observed and used the railways at the end of the nineteenth century. E Nesbit must have liked trains. This is a book that is still being enjoyed more than 100 years after publication.