The title The Railway Children probably invokes ideas of dark railway cars, extreme poverty, hoboes, and dangerous escapes. This book involves none of these. On the contrary, it’s a story of three happy children, though they do have their hardships and moments of silliness. They live by the railway for most of the book, and many of their adventures involve it; but other than that, they hardly count as railway children.
The Railway Children is a fairly short book, probably about the length of A Little Princess or Alice in Wonderland.
Children 7+ will be likely to enjoy this story, and its moral(s) are particularly geared toward that general age. So is the writing style and plotline; there’s a good deal of excitement and not too much unnecessary complication.
For a brief conclusion and a link to the ebook, skip to the bottom—or read right on through for the full details!
The Plot [spoilers ahead…]
The plotline of The Railway Children moves naturally from one scene to the next, but does involve a bit of suspense. It starts with the three railway children—Roberta, Peter, and Phyllis (Nesbit is not felicitous in her choice of girl names in my opinion; but at least she calls Roberta Bobbie and Phyllis Phil most of the time), living an ordinary early-twentieth-century London middle class lifestyle. A sudden and unexplained catastrophe deprives them mysteriously of their father, sends them out into the country, and leaves them living a poorer lifestyle with their mother having to write in order to make ends meet. None of the children know what it is that’s triggered this sudden change, but they more or less vaguely realize that it’s very hard on their mother, and try to be especially thoughtful in consequence.
If I wanted to write a long summary, it would be easy to follow the meanders of the plot as it details the loosely related adventures of the three children, especially as they explore the railway they now live near. Their adventures are full of humor and realism, and thoroughly enjoyable to read about.
But I don’t want to spoil it too much, or make the summary too long either; so I’ll skip over most of the middle chapters. After several hints have been already made to the reader, Bobbie discovers that her father has been accused of a crime (evidently he worked in some state office, probably diplomacy) and sentenced to five years in jail. He’s innocent, although only the barest details are touched on in regards to the crime; it’s not the main point of the book at all. Bobbie appeals for help to clear her father’s name to a friend she’s made, an older gentleman who habitually travels on the railway near her house. Various things at this point seem to fall into place rather coincidentally, but in the long run, the children’s father is proved innocent (no details, however) and returns home for a happily-ever-after ending (but no details here, either).
The book’s appeal doesn’t lie in its main plot, although if you take it for what it is, just a little something to keep the story moving on an arc, it’s good enough. In general, I would critique the plot as being too incidental (not integral enough to the subplots) and coincidental. The author brings it in whenever it fits her convenience, and doesn’t bother explaining anything about the crime or its resolution. That’s handy for her, and maybe no one was really interested in reading all that, but it feels a little skimpy. In short, the plot is little more than a setting for the sub-plots. On the other hand, the sub-plots are good, frequently fascinating, and only occasionally mildly unrealistic. And, the overarching plot does provide a catalyst for character development—always a good thing.
6/10 for plot.
The Point
The Railway Children’s main message is probably unselfish consideration for other people even when your own circumstances seem bad enough to take up all your attention. This develops pretty organically; in fact, it seems almost as though it happens unintentionally and wasn’t quite what the author had envisioned for the book. I at least got the impression that Roberta—who as the oldest child, is the most intentional about trying to be unselfishly considerate—wasn’t necessarily meant to be the main character, but unexpectedly proved to be fun to write about and so—she got written about! It fits the casual tone of the book, and Roberta was fun to read about too (as characters that are fun to write about usually are).
The point itself is certainly a good one, and well integrated. It comes very naturally from the story, which keeps it from being preachy or annoying.
The children learn several subsidiary lessons throughout their adventures, which may trigger good discussions if this book is being read aloud.
8/10 for the point.
The Style
The writing style of The Railway Children is casual, friendly, and easily understood. Only an occasional big word makes its way in there. The author doesn’t waste time on much flowery description or on boring scenes in general. There’s humor and common sense throughout.
7/10 for style.
Conclusion
7/10
It’s not a literary masterpiece, but The Railway Children is a really enjoyable children’s book to read, with three fun, relatable children and a unique setting. The point of the book—cultivating a thoughtful unselfishness—is one most children could use hearing at least one more time—and sometimes adults need the reminder too! Without being overly simplistic, the style is smooth and easy to follow. In short, it’s definitely a book I can recommend.
You can find The Railway Children for free as an ebook in multiple formats at https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1874
Anything further you’d like to know about the book? Got opinions of your own to share? Let me know in the comments section below!
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Geneva D 
What do you think?