1.

NOVEL THE RAILWAY CHILDREN by EDITH NESBIT PMRTHE RAILWAY

CHILDRENSYNOPSISRoberta (Bobbie), Peter and Phyllis lived in London with their
loving parents. They were happyand contented. One day, two strangers came to their
house and took their father away. Afterthis sudden event, the children and their mother
moved to a small house in the country. Therewas a railway line near their new house. The
children became friends with the people whoworked at the railway. They enjoyed waving
to the passengers on the 9.15am train. An oldgentleman who travelled on the train
always waved back at them. This gentleman became theirfriend. The children had
several adventures with the railway. They stopped the train when alandslide covered the
tracks. They also saved a boy who was hurt in the train tunnel. Thechildren often thought
of their father. Then Roberta (Bobbie) found out why their father wastaken away. She
wrote to the old gentleman for help. With his help, their father finally returnedto the
family.CHAPTER 1: THE BEGINNING OF THINGSOne night at their home in London,
father, mother, Roberta (also known as Bobbie), Peter andPhyllis are talking about
Peters broken model engine when there is a knock on the front door.Two gentlemen
come to see father and talk for a long time. Father speaks briefly with motherand
mysteriously leaves home. The next morning, mother leaves for London and returns in
theevening, looking tired. She requests the children to be good while she is away and not
to askany question about father. Several horrid weeks pass by and one morning, mother
tells thechildren that they are moving to a little white house near railway line in the
country. They takethe train and arrive at their new home in the dark.CHAPTER 2: PETER
AND THE COALThe family does not get a decent supper as they think Mrs. Viney has not
prepared it for them.Mother prepares what she can and off they go to bed. The next
morning, the children wake upfeeling excited in their new home. They discover that a
nearby field backs onto a railway line butthe railway station is too far to see from where
they are. Before supper the children decides togo to the railway station. They have a lot to
see and a large heap of coal catches Petersattention. When Peter steals coal from the
station yard, he is caught by the Station Master.Peter thinks that taking some coals from
the middle of the heap is harmless. The Station Masterwarns them that what they have
done is stealing because the coal belongs to the railway station.It is only then they realize
what they have done is wrong.CHAPTER 3: THE OLD GENTLEMANBy now the children
know the time when the trains pass. Every morning, they will wave to an oldgentleman
who always waves back at them. They pretended that the old man knows their fatherand
takes their love to him in London. One day, their mother becomes very ill and
Bobbieresolves to do something positive to help. The children paint the words, LOOK
OUT AT THESTATION on a large white sheet and wave it at the 9.15 train the next day.
When the train isabout ready to leave, Phyllis passes a letter to the Old Gentleman. In the
evening, a large box ofsupplies is delivered to the children with all the things they have
asked for.Cikgu Marzuqi Bsc (hons) Ed USM Acceleration English Language
2. 3. NOVEL THE RAILWAY CHILDREN by EDITH NESBIT PMRCHAPTER 4: BOBBIES
RIDEWhen their mother finally recovers from her illness, they confess to her what they
have doneearlier. The family later celebrates Bobbies 12th birthday, all dressed in their
best. Bobbiereceives various presents from the family including Peter who reluctantly has
to give her thebroken half of his toy train filled with sweets. Her lovely birthday party
however ends on a sadnote when she realizes that her mother is very upset later that
night. Bobbie secretly wants torepair Peters broken train. She goes to the station and

accidentally gets into the engine of oneof the trains. Feeling scared, she seeks help from
two railway workers. The two men not onlyrepair the toy but also make sure she arrives
home safely. Weeks later, Bobbie introduces Peterand Phyllis to the friendly engine driver
and Jim, the fireman.CHAPTER 5: SAVING THE TRAINThe children witness a landslide
that covers the railway line. The children prevent an imminentaccident by waving the
girls red petticoats. The train comes to rest just in time, at about twentymeters from
where Bobbie stands on the tracks. Weeks later, a ceremony is held at the stationto
commemorate the childrens bravery. The Old Gentleman presents the children with a
goldwatch each and meets their mother at home. The children relay that eventful day to
their mother.CHAPTER6: A birthday for PerksThe childrens mother has just sold a story
and suggests having some cakes for tea. Babbierequests that they have it on Perk s
birthday and mother agrees. Peter comes up with an idea toask the villagers for little gifts,
confident that they will give something to a person as nice asperks. Some of the villagers
are delighted with the idea but other, such as Mrs. Ransome simplybrushes them off. The
three children, however, go home and collect several roses forMrs.Ransome since it is
her birthday. That kinds gesture touches Mrs.Ransomes heart and shegives the children
several apples as well as her deal grandchilds pram for Perkss son. Thechildren bring
the gifts to Perkss house and wait for his arrive so as to surprise him. In spite ofthis,
perks becomes upset as he sees the gifts as a form of charity. The children explain
thatthese gifts are given sincerely and perks relents. He asks the three children to stay for
tea.CHAPTER 7: The terrible secretBobbie discovers the reason for her fathers
disappearance when she reads the newspaperarticle. Deeply upset, she refuses to
believe that he is a spy and is imprisoned. Her motherattempts to explain that her father
has been falsely accused of selling government secrets toanother country. Bobbie
believes in her fathers innocence and decides to write to the oldgentleman to clear his
name.CHAPTER 8: THE BOY IN THE RED SHIRTThe boy in red goes missing during a
hare and hounds game organised by their school. Bobbieand her siblings enter the
dark railway tunnel to look for him. They find him lying by the railwaytrack with a broken
leg. Bobbie strays with the injured boy, Jim, in the dark tunnel while peterand Phyllis seek
help form the farm. The children take Jim home for medical attention. Theylater learn that
Jim is he grandchild of the old gentleman whom they have met earlier. The oldgentleman
visits the little white house Jim is taken care of. Mother offers herself to take care ofCikgu
Marzuqi Bsc (hons) Ed USM Acceleration English Language
3. 4. NOVEL THE RAILWAY CHILDREN by EDITH NESBIT PMRJi until he get better. The
old gentleman is grateful to the family. When the old gentleman leavesthe house, he has
a prove chat with Bobbie about her father. He says that he has receives theletter and has
been looking into the case. He believes that her father is innocent.CHAPTER 9: THE
MAN AT THE SATATIONThe children wave at the passing 9.15 train and all the
passengers respond. At the station, anoverjoyed Mr. Perks, who has read about Bobbie s
father in the newspaper, greets her. Alondon train stops at the station and bobbies sees
her father return after serving his sentence inprison. They return home happy and
reunited.CHARACTERROBERTA (BOBBIE)Roberta is 12 years old. She has a brother
named Peter and a younger sister named Phyllis.She is fondly known as Bobbie in this
novel. She is the eldest of the three. One of hercharacters is, she is a very persistent
person. She doesnt easily throw in the towel when theodds seem to be against her.There
are many incidences in the novel where we can see her persistence. For example,

inchapter 3 (page 17 - paragraph 5 - lines 1-3), we can see how determined she was in
gettingthe things necessary for her mothers recovery when her mother was ill. Her
persistence paid offwhen the old gentleman gave the things needed for her mothers
recovery.In chapter 6 (page 38 - read the whole page), Perks was not happy with people
giving himpresents. He was worried that people would laugh and make fun of him.
Bobbie persistentlyreasoned with Perks about the good intentions of the village people
giving him the presents untilhe relented and accepted the gifts. Finally, Perks celebrated
his birthday with a happy note.In chapter 7 (pg 42 - the whole page), she did not give up
in finding a way to help secure herfathers release from prison. She was persistent even
when her mother had given up.She secretly wrote a letter to her friend the old gentleman
asking for his help to clear herfathers name. In the end her father was released from
prison.PETERPeter is Robertas brother. He is the second child in the family. Peter is a
very brave and smartyoung chap. He wants to be an engineer when he grows up. He has
a knack for railway engines.He was overjoyed when his father gave him a steam engine
for his birthday. One distinctcharacter of Peter is sharp-witted (intelligent).In Chapter 5
(p29 - p4 - lines 1-3), It was he who gave the idea of using something red in colourto
wave and stop the train from meeting a certain disaster. He cut his sisters red petticoats
intosix pieces and put them on to sticks. Peter together with his sisters waved at the
coming trainuntil it stopped.In Chapter 6 (pg 36 - p1 - lines 1-3), Peter was honest in
giving the idea of asking the villagepeople to give gifts for Perks birthday. He told his
mother about their true intention of givingPerks the presents. Many people gave gifts for
Perks birthday party.In Chapter 2 (pg 12 - p 3 - lines 1-3), we can see the daring side of
Peter. He was daringenough to steal coal from the railway station at night but he did it
ignorantly. Peter innocentlythought it was alright to take some coal from the station. In
Chapter 8 (p46 - p1 - lines 1-4 / pgCikgu Marzuqi Bsc (hons) Ed USM Acceleration
English Language
4. 5. NOVEL THE RAILWAY CHILDREN by EDITH NESBIT PMR47 - p2 - lines 1-4), we can
see how brave Peter was in searching for the boy in the red shirt inthe dark tunnel. He
was shaking in fear but still he continued the search for the boy with
hissisters.PHYLLISPhyllis is the youngest child in the family. She is the cutest of the
three. She is quite abubbly character. She is very naive and insecure. She is also very
sensitive but easily forgiving.In Chapter 5 (p29,30 & 31), we can see the brave side of
Phyllis. She together with her eldersister and brother managed to stop the train from
meeting with a terrible accident.In Chapter 1 (p7 - p1 - last line), Phyllis felt very insecure
when they moved in to their newhouse at the county side. While in Chapter 6 (pg 38 p1&2), Phyllis became very sensitivewhen Perks refused to accept the gifts the children
had brought to him. She was so hurt byPerkss words that she started to cry. In Chapter
4,5,6 and 8 we can see how loving, caring andhelpful Phyllis is.MOTHERMother is a
homely type. We can read this in Chapter 1 (page 1 - paragraph 2 - lines 1-3).
Shespends most of her time at home, playing with the children or reading stories to them.
Usuallyshe read the stories she wrote to them. She is a very protective woman. She
protected herchildren from worrying or feeling sad about their father. She did this by not
telling them whatactually had happened to their father. She also told them that they need
to play being poor for awhile in order not to cause more anxiety on them.In chapter 2 (p12
- pg 1 - lines 2-3), we can see how resourceful she is. Mother wrote storiesand sold them
to put some food on the table.In chapter 4 (p21 - pg 3 - lines 1-3), we can see that Mother

is a very proud person. Althoughthey were poor, she strongly discourages her children
from telling people that they are poor andasking strangers to help them.She is also a very
caring and loving Mother. In Chapter 1 (p1 - p2 - lines 1-3), Mother wasalways ready to
play with her children. She also read stories to them. Whereas in Chapter 9( p53 - p1 lines 2-4), she taught her children their lessons as they have stopped going toschool for
some time now. In Chapter 8 (p50 - p1 - lines 8-9), she took in the injured boy into
herhouse and nursed him to health.FATHERThe childrens father worked in a government
office. He was a civil servant. He was an honestand hardworking man. He was wrongly
accused of being a Russian spy and was sentenced to 5years in prison. In Chapter 1 (pg
1 - p 3 - lines 2-4), we can see how tolerant and wonderful heis. He neither gets angry at
the children nor at his wife. The children love their father very muchfor he is always happy
and ready to play games with them. In Chapter 1 (pg 3 - p1 - lines 1-3),when Peter
showed him his broken steam engine, father looked at it carefully and smilingly toldPeter
that there is hope (optimistic) that his steam engine could be repaired. He is also
agrateful man. In Chapter 9 (pg 57 - "Yes, said Father. Its him I must thank.). Father
wasgrateful for his release and wanted to thank the old gentleman for helping him to clear
his nameand secure his release from prison.Cikgu Marzuqi Bsc (hons) Ed USM
Acceleration English Language
5. 6. NOVEL THE RAILWAY CHILDREN by EDITH NESBIT PMRSETTINGSPlaceHouse in
LondonThe cottage in the country sideThe railway stationThe railway tunnelThe
villageSocialEdwardian Type of ClothesCoal used for steam engine trainsCulturalHaving
teaHigh hats and long coatsMORAL VALUEBraveExample: In chapter 5, the children
managed to save the train and stop a very bad accidentfrom happening. One day,
Roberta, Peter and Phyllis saw a landslide which blocked the railwayline. The girls used
their red petticoats to make flags. The train was moving very fast. Bobbiebraved herself
and ran on to the railway line and waved her flags. The train finally stopped justtwenty
metres from Bobbie. The childrens bravery saved the people on the rain from
meetingwith an awful accident and from getting killed.KindheartedExample: In chapter 3,
the childrens mother was ill and had to stay in bed. Dr Forrest came tocheck on their
mother and told Bobbie her mother needed milk and fruit and some other specialthings to
eat in order to get well. They couldnt afford to buy them, so the children decided to
askhelp from the old gentleman. The old gentleman was a kind enough to provide them
with all thethings they had asked and some they had not.Stealing Is WrongExample: In
chapter 2, Peter and his two sisters stole some coal from the station yard. Theytook the
coal back to their house. One day, the station master caught Peter red handed
stealingcoal in the station yard. Peter and his two sisters admitted to helping Peter with
his crime. Thestation master warned them not to repeat it again and let them go. The
children realisedthat stealing was wrong. They repented and never took any coal from the
station yard again.Family love and loyaltyThe children show their love for their mother by
not asking questions about their father. Theyare loyal to their father and never forget
him.Cikgu Marzuqi Bsc (hons) Ed USM Acceleration English Language
6. 7. NOVEL THE RAILWAY CHILDREN by EDITH NESBIT PMRKindness and
compassionThe station master lets Peter go when he learns that the family is too poor to
buy coal.BraverThe children are brave to confess that they have taken the coal and they
also tell their motherthat they asked a stranger to get the things the doctor asked them to
get for her.Character: Roberta @ BobbieResponsibleEvidence: She takes charge and

gets her siblings to think of a way to get their mother thethings the doctor said she must
have when she is ill.BraveEvidence: She runs onto the railway track to stop the train
when a landslide covers the railwayline.DeterminedEvidence: She is determined to get
help so that she can help her father who is in jail. She tellsthe old gentleman about him
and with the gentlemans help, her father finally returns to thefamily.ThemesThe
importance of family loveBobbie and her siblings have loving parents. After their father is
taken away, Mother is very sadbut she does not tell the children and the children do not
ask questions so that their mother willnot be upset.The children always work together to
solve problems, for example when their mother is ill andneeds special food and when
they have to save the train.Facing lifes challenges with courageThe children and their
mother face problems bravely. Mother does not show how sad she is andworks hard to
provide for the children.When a landslide covers the railway tracks, the children act with
courage to save the train froma terrible accident.Cikgu Marzuqi Bsc (hons) Ed USM
Acceleration English Language
7. 8. NOVEL THE RAILWAY CHILDREN by EDITH NESBIT PMRExample question 1:Based
on "THE RAILWAY CHILDREN" by EDITH NESBIT, write about the synopsis of
thenovel.ROBERTA (also known as BOBBIE), PETER, PHYLLIS lived a comfortable
home in Londonwith a wonderful mother and father as well as a maid. One day, their
father left home with two men. He was actually taken away to prison butthe children did
not know this at first. When he left and did not come back, they had to move toa poor
cottage in the country (rural area) near a railway station. The children became
familiarwith the passing trains, the workers at the train station and signal-box, and life in a
small townwhile their mother struggled to make ends meet by writing stories. They learnt
to live with what little they had and they got used to be poor. They also learntnot a steal
coal from the railway station; even they had so little to keep warm. They had
variousadventures - stopping a train when a landside covered, the tracks, finding an
injured boy in thetrain tunnel and getting help, while dealing with the mystery of their
father disappearance.Sometimes they argued and had crises, but in the time they made
many new friend. They also experienced amusing adventures aplenty which happened
near the railwayand the canal. The children develop the habits of waving to the train as it
went past andsometimes the people in the coaches waved back. Their friendly gestures
forged a specialfriendly with one person in particular, who went by in the train. He
eventually got to know them,and helped them out in various ways. Then, one day a train
called at the station and the childrenwere pleasantly surprised to see their father. They
were finally re-united.Example question 2:Based on "THE RAILWAY CHILDREN" by
EDITH NESBIT, write about the place that you likethe most in the novel.The novel that I
chosen is "The Railway Children" by EDITH NESBIT. The place that I like themost in the
story is the railway station. There are many interesting things there. Besides the shinning
railway lines, telegraph wires and signals, seeing trains that usecoal for their engines is
really interesting. It is also fascinating to see the railway leading towards the dark opening
of the tunnel.This is because when the railway lines begin to shake a train will come
screaming out of thetunnel. According to BOOBIE, when the train is gone, it is like a great
wild animal going by. Just like BOOBIE, PETER and PHYLLIS, I like this place as it is
their place of hope.This is the place where the 9.15 train went to London. They believed
that this train was a magictrain and it sends their love to their father. The railway station
and the lines that lead to it made this the most interesting place forchildren. I wish I can

be there with them to experience all the adventures around the railwaychildren.Cikgu
Marzuqi Bsc (hons) Ed USM Acceleration English Language
8. 9. NOVEL THE RAILWAY CHILDREN by EDITH NESBIT PMRExample question 3:Based
on The Railway Children by Edith Nesbit, the character I admire is PETER. PETER isonly
10 years but he has many positive qualities. We see these qualities in what he says
anddoes.PETER clever and quick to stop the 11.29 train from crashing into a landslide.
He cuts his sisterred petticoats into six pieces. Then, he and his sister make six flags with
them and some sticks.They wave the flags and stop the train. They save the train and its
passengers. PETER also observant and confident that many people in the village will
give PERKSpresents because he is nice to everybody. He plans to give PERKS, the
porter at the station, anice birthday. He has a clever idea to collect presents from the
village for PERKS. The childrencollect the present and give them to PERKS. Because of
PETERS kindness and clever idea,PERKS has the best birthday and the best birthday
presents in his life. He is very happy. I admire PETER because he is alert and brave too.
For examples, during a paper-chase,JIM, the old gentlemans grandson does not come
out of the tunnel for a long time. PETER saysthat JIM is in danger and goes into the dark
and dangerous tunnel to look for him with his sisters. PETER is also like a scout. He has
things like a candle, penknife and matches with him.They are useful in the tunnel. The
children find JIM beside the railway lines. He has broken hisleg. BOBBIE cuts his boot
with the penknife. Then PETER and PHYLLIS get some farm workersto carry JIM to their
house. One more reason I admire PETER is because he is brave to steal coal to keep the
familywarm. When Station Master catches PETER, he tells him that his sisters do not
know anythingabout the coal to save them. He is mature and protective of them. He does
not want them to getinto trouble. He wants to be responsible for his action himself. I
admire PETER because he has many positive qualities.Example question 4:Based on
"THE RAILWAY CHILDREN" by EDITH NESBIT, write about the moral values of
thenovel.The moral values responsibility is highlighted in the novel "The Railway
Children". The storyconcerns a family who fell upon hard times after the father was taken
away for being spy.Forced to move to a small house in the country, the family unit was
held together by thechildrens mother. She earned a living by writing stories to sell to
magazines. She is a responsible person. When they became poor, she worked hard to
make endsmeet to look after the welfare of her children. If spite of a difficult life, she put
up a brave frontand did not neglect her children. She was able to shoulder the sole
responsibility of caring forthem. She provided them with basic needs such as food and
clothing. The childrens mother is also responsible in looking after JIM, the grandson of
the oldgentleman. JIM took part in a paper-chase game and broke his leg while running
in a tunnel.The childrens mother let him stay at her house to recuperate. She was willing
to care for him.Cikgu Marzuqi Bsc (hons) Ed USM Acceleration English Language