BOOK REVIEW: EDITH NESBIT'S "THE RAILWAY CHILDREN"

the original novel
(mine is of a different publisher though)

My enthusiasm was really high to read the original version of Edith Nesbit's "The Railway Children". I managed to get hold of it via online order and was really happy to discover a few things. The same novel which was edited and simplified (or retold) by John Eskott, is the present book used by the form three students in some schools.

the movie released in 1970

The original is definitely the best, as it always is. There are two events that are not told in the text book. How the children and Mother had helped the Russian by providing him shelter and later he meeting his wife and children after being separated for a long time. The second event when the three children saved a baby from a burning barge while the parents were away in town. 

the text book

I also managed to watch the movie version which was adapted from the book, downloaded from the internet. As for the movie, the scene of the children's heroic action saving the child was not shown. Other than that, the part when Peter was caught stealing coal from the railway station was also not found in the movie plot, to my students' dismay. However, I would still suggest students to watch it. If you have at least read the novel and understand the story, you can sure relate the movie to the text. My students seemed to like it very much.

I think it was a wise decision after all to switch from  "Around the World in 80 Days" to "The Railway Children" to prepare students for the exam.

"THE RAILWAY CHILDREN": SAMPLE ESSAY 3

From the novel that you have read, write about an ending of the story that is important/interesting/you like and give reason to support your answer.


[NOTE: the content could also be used to answer question for an important/a significant event]


In the novel "The Railway Children", the ending when father was reunited with his family is the one that is the most important.

One day, Bobbie went to the station to fetch a heap of old magazines from Perks the porter. She stopped to rest on her way home and read a piece of newspaper that was used to wrap the magazines. Suddenly, she saw the news of how his father was actually put in jail for 5 years as he was suspected to be a spy.

Bobbie became extremely sad. Mother realized this when she went home and asked her about the matter after tea. Bobbie told her how she found out about father and then only mother told Bobbie how father was framed. Mother asked her not to tell Phyllis and Peter about the news.

Bobbie agreed so as not to make matter worse. The only thing Bobbie could do was to write a letter to the old gentleman. She was asking him for his help to find out who the real spy was.

One morning, something strange happened. When the children were waving to the passengers, everybody in the train waved back at them - hands, handkerchiefs and newspapers, and smiling faces looked up at the children on the fence. When Bobbie went to the station, everyone was having newspapers in their hand, and waving and smiling at Bobbie. When the 11:54 train arrived, three people came down: first, a woman with three boxes of chicken; second, a woman with a brown suitcase and third, her father. 

This event is important because it proves that father was not a spy after all. Mother and the children were reunited with father, and thus, would end their suffering.

"THE RAILWAY CHILDREN": SAMPLE ESSAY 2

Based on the novel that you have read, write about an unhappy/sad event/event that you don't like and give reasons to support your answer.

*NOTE: Please read and respond to the question. You need to change the introduction part e.g. instead of "the event that I find very sad" to "the event that I find very important", etc.

For PT3 examination, students should write shorter essay, i.e. providing only one reason/event to support their answer or else they won't be able to finish the exam paper.

From the novel, "The Railway Children", the one event that I find very sad is when father was arrested by two government people in the house in London. Father was accused of being a spy and mother did not tell the children about this. Bobbie found out about the news in the newspaper many months later.

One evening, the family received two unexpected guests at their home. Two gentlemen came to see father and they were having a long argument in one of the rooms. Then father went away with the two gentlemen and mother did not tell the children anything. The few weeks after, things went terribly wrong. Mother was always out and then the maids went away.

One day, mother told the children that they had to leave their house in London and move to the country and live in a little white house near a railway line. They children did not go to school because they did not have enough money. Mother wrote stories and sold them to the magazine, and then there would be cakes for tea. When it rained and the day got cold, there was no coal for them until Peter had to steal some coal from the Railway Station.

At one time, mother got very sick and needed some items listed by Dr. Forrest to be cured. Unfortunately, it was impossible to get them as they were poor. As a result, the children had to ask for help from the Old Gentleman in the train, even though mother did not agree.

The event when father was arrested is in fact the saddest part of the novel. This is because after that incident, the family had to be separated. Mother and the children were forced to move away. And to make matter worse, they had to live in a poor condition. Lucky enough, at the end of the story, father was released and reunited with his family again. 

CLICK HERE FOR SAMPLE ESSAY 1 FOR "THE RAILWAY CHILDREN"

(value/lesson/character/theme) 

CLICK HERE FOR SAMPLE ESSAY 3 FOR "THE RAILWAY CHILDREN"

(ending/important event) 

"THE RAILWAY CHILDREN": SAMPLE ESSAY 1

Based on the novel that you have read, write about an important value that you can find from the story.

Based on the novel "The Railway Children", there are many values that we can find from the book. However, the important value that I could find is bravery. This value can be seen from a few events that happen in the story.

At one time, it has been raining for three days and the weather gets really cold, but Mother does not have any money to buy coal to keep them warm. Then, Peter comes up with an idea. He goes to the station where there is a small heap of coal and he takes it home. However, one day, Peter is caught red-handed by the station master. As the station master is about to take him to the railway station, Bobbie and Phyllis bravely step out of the dark and try to save their brother. They tell the station master that they are also involved stealing the coal but Peter denies it. The girls are really brave to stand up for Peter for the thing they have done.

Next, there is an incident when the three children see a train is about to hit a landslide. Very quickly, they come up with a plan to save the passengers. They first cut the red petticoats into six pieces put them on to sticks to produce six red flags. They push two flags into heaps of stones between the lines. Next, Bobbie and Phyllis take a flag each while Peter takes two, and wave to the 11:29 train. As it approaches, Bobbie bravely takes one of the flags that have fallen from the stones and runs into the middle of the line and shouts, "Stop! Stop!". The train finally stops but only twenty metres from her. This is one example how brave Bobbie is.

The next event happens when the boys from  the school in Maidbridge are taking part in a paper-chase. When they realize that the last boy wearing a red shirt in the race does not appear from the tunnel, they decide to investigate. The tunnel is dark and small and a train could run over them anytime. When they find Jim with a broken leg, Bobbie instructs her two siblings to get help from a nearby farm while she stays with Jim to comfort him. She has shown she is not only brave but also very responsible.

In conclusion, the children have shown the important value of bravery throughout the story. We have to be like the children, to be brave in making decisions in our everyday lives. 


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NOTE: 
(1) The evidence in the sample essay could also be used for other questions such as write about the theme, character, or lesson that can be learned, but you have to change its introduction and concluding paragraphs.

(2) As for the question: write about an event/incident, one of the content points (in one of the paragraphs) can also be used but try to add in more details. It is better if you can provide simple reasons why you have chosen this particular event/incident. I would suggest you choose the second event when they try to save the train as there are more things you can write.

[The pictures are copied from GOOGLE IMAGES and not for commercial purposes.]

CLICK HERE FOR SAMPLE ESSAY 2 FOR "THE RAILWAY CHILDREN"

(sad event/event you dislike/important event)

CLICK HERE FOR SAMPLE ESSAY 3 FOR "THE RAILWAY CHILDREN"

(ending/important event)