60 pages • 2 hours read
E. NesbitThe Railway Children
E. NesbitFiction | Book | Middle Grade | Published in 1906A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
During Reading
Reading Questions & Paired Texts
Reading Check and Short Answer Questions on key points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.
CHAPTERS 1-3
Reading Check
1. As the book opens, where do the main characters live?
2. What does Peter take from the railway?
3. To whom do the children write when Mother gets sick?
Short Answer
Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. What causes the family to move to the countryside?
2. How is the family’s new home different from their home in the city?
3. How does Mother spend much of her time in the country house, and what does this reveal about her?
CHAPTERS 4-6
Reading Check
1. What does Bobbie ask the doctor for?
2. Which of the children accidentally takes a train ride?
3. Who arrives and begins staying with the family?
Short Answer
Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. How does Mother react when the family receives gifts from the old gentleman, and what does this reveal about her?
2. When she finds her mother upset, why does Bobbie leave?
3. How do the children prevent a train wreck?
Paired Resource
“Why We Must Remember the Mothers Who Shaped History”
- Time presents mothers in the 1800’s and 1900’s who raised their families and fought for change.
- Theme connection includes The Edwardian Ideals of Motherhood and Femininity.
- How do the children in the novel feel about their mother?
“Understanding Other People (for Teens)”
- This resource from Nemours Kids Health explores ways to seek to understand other people.
- Theme connection includes The Importance of Kindness and Friendship.
- What are some ways the children seek to understand other people? When could they use some additional tips from this article?
CHAPTERS 7-9
Reading Check
1. What role at the railway does the old gentleman have?
2. Who finds the Russian Exile’s family?
3. For what does the bargeman yell at Peter?
Short Answer
Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. How do the children become friends with the bargeman and his family?
2. Why does Mr. Perks become angry at his birthday party, and what shifts his attitude?
Paired Resource
- This Time for Kids article highlights the important work DJ Strickland is doing to make sure kids have food.
- Theme connections include Reversals of Fortune: Privilege versus Adversity, The Nature of Justice, and The Importance of Kindness and Friendship.
- How do Roberta, Phyllis, and Peter take care of those around them as DJ does?
“Justice”
- Ethics Unwrapped presents a brief video and written explanation for this complex term.
- Theme connection includes The Nature of Justice.
- What injustices have we seen in the novel? How are characters attempting to seek justice?
CHAPTERS 10-12
Reading Check
1. How does Peter hurt his foot?
2. What does Bobbie learn about her father?
3. Whom does Bobbie write for help for her father?
Short Answer
Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. How does Mother react when Bobbie tells her what she knows about her father?
2. How do the children meet Jim?
3. How is the train tunnel symbolic?
Paired Resource
“Held v Montana Trial Will Give Youth Climate Activists Their Day in Court”
- Teen Vogue explains some background for this case focusing on environmental justice.
- Theme connection includes The Nature of Justice.
- What might the characters from the novel say about this case?
CHAPTERS 13-14
Reading Check
1. What new job does Mother have?
2. This time, when the children wave at the Green Dragon, who waves back?
Short Answer
Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. How does Mother’s new job affect the family?
2. Why does Bobbie return to the station, and what does this reveal about her?
Recommended Next Reads
The BFG by Roald Dahl
- When Sophie sees a giant one night, he carries her away to his realm to keep her from telling others about him. Soon, Sophie and the giant, the BFG, begin learning from each other and make a plan to help save their country.
- Shared themes include Reversals of Fortune: Privilege versus Adversity, The Importance of Kindness and Friendship, and The Nature of Justice.
- Shared topics include friendship, adventure, new experiences, learning from others, country and city, childhood, hope, and different perspectives.
- The BFG on SuperSummary
The Enchanted Castle by E. Nesbit
- Exploring on holiday, Kathleen, James, and Gerald discover a castle garden, complete with a princess and magical ring.
- Shared themes include Reversals of Fortune: Privilege versus Adversity and The Importance of Kindness and Friendship.
- Shared topics include childhood, exploring, growing up, new friends, family, adventure, and play.
Reading Questions Answer Key
CHAPTERS 1-3
Reading Check
Short Answer
1. It is not entirely clear what has happened, but the children’s father has been sent away. Their mother is upset, hinting that what has happened is a hardship. She tells the children they need to “play at being Poor for a bit” (15), indicating their fortune has been affected. (Chapters 1-2)
2. Their new home is smaller and has fewer possessions inside. They must discover where everything is. They also do not have servants as they were used to in the city. (Chapters 1-3)
3. Mother unpacks and settles in at first, trying to turn the situation into an adventure and maintain stability for her children. Then, Mother starts writing stories. She is earning money for her family, showing determination and resilience after her husband was taken away, and also defying expectations for many women in Britain at the time. She is getting her work published, revealing her talent at writing. (Chapters 2-3)
CHAPTERS 4-6
Reading Check
1. Discounted prices (Chapter 4)
2. Bobbie (Chapter 4)
3. A man who is exiled from Russia (Chapters 5-6)
Short Answer
1. Mother gets very angry when she realizes the children have asked the old gentleman for help. This and her explanation later show her pride and insistence on not asking for charity from others. She does apologize for her angry reaction, revealing her humility and desire to treat her children with respect. (Chapter 4)
2. Bobbie understands her mother is trying not to reveal her distraught feelings to her children, so she leaves to honor her mother’s wishes. (Chapter 5)
3. The children see trees collapse onto the tracks, and they realize the train will crash into them if not warned. They tear part of their clothes and wave them as warning flags. The train sees and stops in time, which saves many lives. (Chapter 6)
CHAPTERS 7-9
Reading Check
1. “District Superintendent” (130) (Chapter 7)
2. The old gentleman (Chapter 7)
3. Fishing in the canal (Chapter 8)
Short Answer
1. The bargeman’s wife is kind to them from the start. Later, the children see the barge has caught fire, and they run in to save the baby inside and to let the bargeman and his wife know, so they can put out the fire. Grateful, the bargeman says they can fish in the barge. (Chapter 8)
2. Mr. Perks thinks the gifts are like charity, and he has too much pride to accept them. Once the children explain they are heartfelt gifts, he acquiesces. (Chapter 9)
CHAPTERS 10-12
Reading Check
1. Bobbie and Peter are arguing and both pulling a rake. When Bobbie remembers she is trying not to fight with her siblings to help out her mother, she releases the rake, and Peter falls and hurts his foot. (Chapter 10)
2. He has been imprisoned for treason. (Chapter 10)
3. The old gentleman (Chapter 11)
Short Answer
1. Mother holds Bobbie as she cries, demonstrating her love for her. She reassures Bobbie that her father is innocent and talks through what happened with Bobbie. Mother is angry at the man who framed her husband. She also tells Bobbie they need to have patience and courage as things work out and suggests they pray. (Chapter 11)
2. While watching a race, the children notice one of the runners does not emerge from a train tunnel. They venture into the tunnel and find him injured, then get him help. (Chapters 11-12)
3. The children travel through the tunnel, and it seems long and challenging, like this chapter of their lives. Peter’s advice, “everything has an end, and you get to it if you only keep on,” (226) could apply to their family’s struggles too. (Chapter 12)
CHAPTERS 13-14
Reading Check
1. Taking care of Jim (Chapters 13-14)
2. Everyone on the train (Chapter 14)
Short Answer
1. The family has more money and servants again. Mother’s new job begins to return to the family some of the privileges they enjoyed before Father was sent to prison. Mother also has more time again to be involved in her children’s lives. (Chapter 14)
2. Bobbie feels something was happening at the station, so she returns. She is correct, of course, as her father is arriving and people know of it. Bobbie demonstrates her empathy and ability to read situations. (Chapter 14)
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