Charming in its way, though more than a little preachy and optimistically naive. Puts me in mind of Keats's opinion that "We hate poetry that has a palpable design upon us." Could have been subtitled "People Will Help You if You're Wealthy and Then Get in Trouble." ( )

I have always loved the film, in fact it is probably my favourite family film , the book is very close in content to the film and therefore wonderful and it has the Oh My Daddy bit at the end which always gets me in the film. This is my first time reading the book- loved it. ( )

The story of three children. One day men come and take their father away. The children don't know why. Their mother moves the family to a small house near the railway. There they have adventures and make friends. They fight sometimes and sometimes get in trouble. ( )

A traditional adventure reminiscent of the writing in Swallows and Amazons, but with a less-privileged lifestyle. Although the children live in a very classical British tradition, their adventures are amusing. I do wonder if the appeal of a straitened family missing their father and living such an old-fashioned (early 1900's) existence would engage today's children. Fortunately, the narrative does not convey a sickly-sweet tone and younger children who are familiar with trains and railways nearby would enjoy the story. The book is laid out in episodes which nicely lend themselves to a nightly bedtime reading session. ( )

Many of the chapters in this one were somewhat episodic which isn’t my favorite I like a little more flow than that but this would lend itself well to reading a chapter a day with a child.

The father of this family has disappeared although the mother knows where he is, the children are kept in the dark about it for the majority of the book. With their dad gone, their financial situation becomes precarious and they’re forced to move out to the country near a railway station. This isn’t the most realistic depiction of a family plunged into this type of predicament, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing depending on what you’re in the mood for, if you’ve had your fill of dark depressng reality this delivers a more heartwarming take on the world where things have a way of working out and strangers are almost always good and kind, none more so than the endearing old gentleman.

I imagine young readers will most enjoy the heroic exploits of these three siblings, while those rescues were undoubtedly page-turning, as an adult my favorite moments tended to be a bit quieter and focus on Bobbie’s inner thoughts, her worries over how they would pay the doctor, her distress over her father’s situation and the scenes where she would note her mother’s sadness, there was an authenticity to the little girl’s emotions in those instances that elevated the story to a more engaging place for me. ( )