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- after summer plans change, 3 British siblings encounter many magical surprises
- filled with humor and unpredictable moments
- convo: alcoholic drinks and tobacco mentioned, magic (see below), various mythical gods mentioned, occasional lying (but the children always discuss the wrongness of it), mentions millions of years ago “before man was,” mentions gypsies and fortune telling, ghosts rumored
- language: prig x1, Lor x1, fag x1 (as in toil/drudgery), ass x2 (as in idiot), x9 idiot, x2 stupid, x1 shut up, x1 heck
Type: chapter book
Ages: 8-12
Author: E. Nesbit
If we judged by how much my children laughed and reacted the first time through, this is one of Nesbit’s better books. (My personal favorite, however, is Railway Children.)
The magic interwoven throughout mostly involves invisibility and inanimate items coming to life. The first of two scenes to note is when the children pretend to “conjure” at the fair and make money by it. The second involves fake people made from random clothing (to be their theater audience) coming alive. These “people” verge on creepy and some become aggressive before the situation resolves.
Though lying is addressed as something wrong, there is a subtle message throughout to “tell just enough” truth to get by. This may or may not end up a conversation point for your family.
On the flip side, Nesbit always delights readers with funny sayings, like these:
“You never know when a grown-up may come in useful. Besides, they like it. You must give them some little pleasures. Think how awful it must be to be old…” –a child
“Go then, and be not more naughty than you must.” –a Frenchwoman
And so on.
Overall, it’s a decent chapter book if you are comfortable with magic components, but it certainly has significant conversation points and may not be the right fit for your family. I hope these details help you make that decision!
