The Railway Children

Based on the novel The Railway Children, answer the following questions with close reference to the text. 1. Would you recommend this book to your friends? Why? It is such an interesting story and I would definitely recommend it to my friends, especially my younger friends. The language is simple and the story is easy to understand. It is about three children who enjoy close family ties and exhibit some strong family values. The children are between the ages of eight to twelve, so I think children that age would really enjoy reading the book. They will easily identify with these children and all their adventures. 2. Which do you think is the most interesting part of the story? I think the most interesting part of the story is in Chapter 5, when the children managed to stop a train, thus preventing a terrible accident from happening. In this scene, the children showed that they were not only courageous but also selfless. The children were walking by the fence along the railway line when a landslide occurred. Peter realized that the 11.29 train had not gone by yet so he knew that they had to do something to avoid an accident. They made six flags using sticks and girl red petticoats, and waved them to warn the oncoming rain. Bobbie even risked her life by standing on the railway line when she realized that the train could not see them and might not be able to stop in time. The train came to a halt just 20 metres from Bobbie, and Peter and Phyllis quickly ran towards the train driver to tell him about the landslide. The train driver said that they were brave and clever children. 3. Which character do you like best I like Bobbie the best. Although she was just twelve, she was caring, thoughtful and kind. Bobbie was the eldest and in my opinion, the sweetest of the children. On her birthday, when Peter said that she could have half of his toy train, she took the broken half and got it fixed. This shows that she was a caring sister. She was also a thoughtful girl and when her mother said that they could have cakes for tea, she asked if they could have them on Perks birthday instead. When Bobbie found out the truth about Fathers absence, she decided to get help from the old gentleman and did not tell anyone about it because she did not want them to worry. Bobbie was also kind and when they found Jim hurt in the tunnel, she quickly sent her siblings to get help while she remained with Jim, even though she was actually afraid of the dark. 4. In what ways can the children be described as adventurous and courageous? The children loved to explore new things and enjoyed the outdoors. They roamed about freely and were not afraid to explore the open fields near the railway lines and made friends with everyone they met. They were also courageous. They saved the lives of the passengers on a train by alerting them of a landslide on the railway lines. They also went into the tunnel to rescue Jim, who was injured whist participating in a paper-chase.
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The Railway Children

5. If you could change one part of the story, which part would it be? How would you change it? If I could change one part of the story, I would change the ending. I would not end the story with Father returning home. Instead, I would go on to describe how the actual spy was caught and later punished, as well as the old gentlemans role in this. I would also write about how the people responsible for wrongly imprisoning Father made up in some way for the troubles Mother and the children had to go through when Father was falsely accused of being a spy and suddenly taken away. 6. What is the setting of this story? This story takes place in England. It starts in London, a busy city where the family lives. Something unexpected happens and the family is forced to move to the country. They live in a small white country house on a hill near the railway lines. The open countryside is the childrens playground. Some parts of the story are in and around the railway station and railway tunnel. The period this story is set is around the 1900s. 7. Do you think Mother was a good mother? Yes, I think Mother was a good and responsible mother. She tried to keep the children happy and spent a lot of time with them. She worked from home, writing stories and read some of her stories to them. She was kind and loving. She put on a brave front and tried to smile to hide her sadness to protect her children from more heartache. She taught them at home because they were not in school and allowed them to explore the countryside and enjoy their childhood. 8. What are the two most important themes in this story? The two most important themes here are family ties and friendship. When Father was suddenly taken away, this once happy family was forced to move to the country and Mother tried to earn some money by writing stories and selling them to magazines. The children were obedient, helpful and considerate, not wanting to see Mother sad or upset. They adapted to their new home quickly. The children enjoyed watching the trains on the nearby railway line and waving to the passengers. They became friendly with the porter, Perks, the Station Master and eventually the old gentleman on the train. Due to their friendliness and warmth, they made friends easily and in the end, the old gentleman helped them to find their father. 9. What have you learnt from this story? I have learnt the importance of family life, friendship and kindness. The family remained united throughout the story, even when the head of the family was suddenly taken away from them and they had to live a simple life. With strong family values, the children were obedient, responsible and kind. They made friends easily and became friends with the old gentleman who was very helpful to the family. They were happy to organize a party and
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The Railway Children

gather gifts for Perks and also prepared a special gift for Mrs Ransome. I learnt that little deeds of kindness go a long way. 10. Do you think the children enjoyed life in the country? Yes, they did. The children, especially Peter, loved the railway. They spent a lot of time roaming around the countryside freely. The open fields and hills were their playground. They had many adventures which they would not have experienced if they had lived in the city. They also liked the simple and honest country folk. The country folks were also friendly and generous to them. They even made friends with the old gentleman on the train., by simply waving at him every day.

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