- 3 siblings and their cheerful, loving mother navigate what it means to suddenly become poor after the father is thrown into prison
- as respectable and kind children, they make many friends
- convo: various alcoholic drinks mentioned, mentioned men being beat in prison (brief), cigar mentioned
- language: shut up x1, some name calling (goat, silly, prig), gee whillikins x1
Type: chapter book
Ages: 6-10
Author: E. Nesbit
This was a delight to read! We’ve read a few Nesbit books in our house, and in comparison to those, this is my favorite of hers. The character development was fantastic–you really come to love these people. The siblings only bicker just enough to make it feel realistic and amusing. They generally work together well and are creatively thoughtful of others.
As the title hints, this is an excellent book for train lovers–there are many scenes involved at the train station, right by the tracks, or even inside a train.
The mother is a writer and often writes little rhymes for her children–another delight woven into the book!
If you buy it new, the latest version by Puffin Classics has a great glossary for unusual words or names. The back also describes details of the author’s participation in socialism, which might trigger a conversation.
Lastly, though the rest of the book was quite secular, I did enjoy this God-honoring quote:
Don’t you think it’s rather nice to think that we’re in a book that God’s writing? If I were writing a book, I might make mistakes. But God knows how to make the story end just right–in the way that’s best for us.
Mother
Overall, this book made my short list for family read-alouds. That’s saying something!