When Father goes away with two strangers one evening, the lives of Roberta, Peter and Phyllis are shattered. They and their mother have to move from their comfortable London home to go and live in a simple country cottage, where Mother writes books to make ends meet. However, they soon come to love the railway that runs near their cottage, and they make a habit of waving to the Old Gentleman who rides on it. They befriend the porter, Perks, and through him learn railway lore and much else. They have many adventures, and when they save a train from disaster, they are helped by the Old Gentleman to solve the mystery of their father's disappearance, and the family is happily reunited.

A great collection to include Five Children and It, The Phoenix and the Carpet and The Story of the Amulet. When Cyril, Anthea, Robert, Jane and their baby brother start exploring a gravel pit not far from their new countryside home, they make an unexpected and very curious discovery. The gravel pit is home to a Psammead, a sand fairy. This ugly creature has eyes like a snail, ears like a bat and the body of a spider, and is very grumpy indeed. He grants the children one wish every day, and though they are excited to have all their desires fulfilled, they soon realize that having one's wishes come true can have unexpected consequences... More adventures will follow in the other two books in the series

This Oxford Children's Classic features the complete unabridged text, an introduction by Onjali Q Raúf, and other bonus material including insights for readers, facts, activities, and more . . . When their father is taken away, Bobbie, Peter, and Phyllis are uprooted from their comfortable home in London. Though they miss their old life they soon find a newfound love of the railway, and it becomes a source of great adventure and hope.

DARK TALES IN WINTER adapted for the stage by Matt Beames & Hannah Torrance A mysterious door that will not close... A haunted railwayman at his lonely post... A chilling presence haunts a quiet household... A black cat reveals a grim secret... A collection of four classic ghost stories by masters of the genre, each newly adapted for the stage. Each tale can be enacted by a single performer and together they make for a chilling evening of ghostly tales. Features: The Open Door by Charlotte Riddell The Signal-Man by Charles Dickens The Shadow by E. Nesbit The Black Cat by Edgar Allen Poe

As the smoky dark sweeps across the capital, strange stories emerge from the night. A seance reveals a ghastly secret in the murk of Regent's Canal. From south of the Thames come chilling reports of a spring-heeled spectre, and in Stoke Newington rumours abound of an opening to another world among the quiet alleys. Join Elizabeth Dearnley on this atmospheric tour through a shadowy London, a city which has long inspired writers of the weird and uncanny. Waiting in the hazy streets are eerie tales from Charlotte Riddell, Lettice Galbraith and Violet Hunt, along with haunting pieces by Virginia Woolf, Arthur Machen, Sam Selvon and many more.

Its eyes were on long horns like a snail's eyes... it had ears like a bat's ears, and its tubby body was shaped like a spider's and covered with thick, soft fur... and it had hands and feet like a monkey's. 'It' was the Psammead, the grumpy sand-fairy that could, if in the mood, grant a wish a day. When the five children befriend him they find that each wish granted often has a sting in its tail. Golden guineas are too difficult to spend, wings let them down in a most inconvenient way, and when they wish for Red Indians, the children forget that they can sometimes be a little warlike. Generations of children have come to love the fantasy and the whimsy of the stories in the classic book from the author of The Railway Children.

Penguin Readers is an ELT graded reader series for learners of English as a foreign language. With carefully adapted text, new illustrations and language learning exercises, the print edition also includes instructions to access supporting material online. Titles include popular classics, exciting contemporary fiction, and thought-provoking non-fiction, introducing language learners to bestselling authors and compelling content. The eight levels of Penguin Readers follow the Common European Framework of Reference for language learning (CEFR). Exercises at the back of each Reader help language learners to practise grammar, vocabulary, and key exam skills. Before, during and after-reading questions test readers' story comprehension and develop vocabulary. The Railway Children, a Level 1 Reader, is A1 in the CEFR framework. Short sentences contain a maximum of two clauses, introducing the past simple tense and some simple modals, adverbs and gerunds. Illustrations support the text throughout, and many titles at this level are graphic novels. Bobbie, Peter, Phyllis and their mother have to leave London and live in the countryside. Their new house is next to the railway, and the children visit it every day. Slowly, the children begin to love their new life. Visit the Penguin Readers website Exclusively with the print edition, readers can unlock online resources including a digital book, audio edition, lesson plans and answer keys.

The Railway Children is one of the first children's books with a real life setting and very real problems to be solved. Edith Nesbit (1958 - 1924) was an English poet and author known for her children's books. She is credited with writing over 60 books for children. Nesbit was co-founder of the Fabian Society, which later became the Labour Party. Nesbit wrote about the real world not a fantasyland. She invented the children's adventure story. In The railway Children a family is living near a railway after their father has been falsely accused of selling state secrets to the Russians. The children spend their time watching the trains and waving at the passengers. . They become friends with Perks, the station porter, and with The Old Gentleman who travels on the 9: 45 train. The Old Gentleman l helps them free their father.

The Enchanted Castle (1907) is a children's fantasy novel by English writer Edith Nesbit. Using elements of magic and mystery familiar to readers of her beloved Bastable and Psammead Trilogies, Nesbit crafts a tale of wonder and adventure for children and adults alike. While on a school holiday, children Jerry, Jimmy, and Kathy explore the open landscape of rural southwestern England. One day, they discover an immense country estate, designed like an ancient castle and complete with towers, gardens, groves, and even a lake. In the middle of its central rose garden, they find a maze at the end of which a young girl lies asleep. Waking, she reveals that she is the princess of the castle, and agrees to show them some of its mysteries. One of these is the ring of invisibility, which, when she slips it on her finger to demonstrate its power, actually works. Startled, the princess reveals that she is really the housekeeper's niece, and admits that she was only fooling around. Scared at first, the children begin to experiment with the ring, unleashing its powers in fantastic and terrifying ways. The Enchanted Castle is an entertaining, endearing novel, a masterpiece of mystery and adventure with enough excitement to ignite the wonder of children, and to fill any adult with a sense of childish wonder. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Edith Nesbit's The Enchanted Castle is a classic of English children's literature reimagined for modern readers.

The Phoenix and the Carpet (1904) is a children's fantasy novel by English writer Edith Nesbit. The second book in Nesbit's beloved Psammead Trilogy-which also includes Five Children and It (1902) and The Story of the Amulet (1906)-The Phoenix and the Carpet is a tale of curiosity, adventure, and the power of imagination. Siblings Robert, Anthea, Cyril, Jane, and the Lamb live in London with their parents. As Guy Fawkes Night approaches, they collect a small stockpile of fireworks and, in their excitement, decide to test them out ahead of time. They set off several fireworks in their nursery, accidentally burning the carpet and forcing their parents to replace it. The new rug, purchased secondhand, contains a strange egg which Robert accidentally knocks into the fireplace, hatching a beautiful golden Phoenix. They soon learn that the Phoenix, which is reborn every two thousand years, is capable of fulfilling their wishes, and that the carpet has the power of flight. As the story unfolds, the children embark on increasingly thrilling and dangerous adventures, sometimes requiring the help of their friend the Psammead to make it back home. The Phoenix and the Carpet is a fast-paced, endearing novel, a true work of fantasy from one of history's finest fabulists. It has been adapted several times for film and television, and remains a popular work for children and adults alike. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Edith Nesbit's The Phoenix and the Carpet is a classic of English children's literature reimagined for modern readers.

The Story of the Treasure Seekers (1899) is a children's novel by English writer Edith Nesbit. The first book in Nesbit's beloved Bastable trilogy-which also includes The Wouldbegoods (1901) and The New Treasure Seekers (1904)-The Story of the Treasure Seekers is a story of family, adventure, and mystery for children and adults alike. The Bastable siblings-Dora, Oswald, Dicky, Alice, Noel, and Horace Octavius-are clever and curious children who live with their widowed father. When their mother died, their father became ill and lost his successful business, forcing the family to live modestly. Inspired by stories of buried gold and jewels-and hoping to help their struggling father-the Bastable children decide to go searching for treasure. Their adventure soon takes them to London, where they abandon digging for the allure of paying work. The Bastables come up with several schemes to make money, including writing poetry, banditry, and starting a newspaper, in the process discovering the power of imagination and the true value of home. The Story of the Treasure Seekers is a masterpiece of children's fiction from Edith Nesbit, one of the twentieth century's children's authors. Originally published as a series of stories in several different periodicals, The Story of the Treasure Seekers was Nesbit's first novel for children. It would go on to influence both Arthur Ransome and C.S. Lewis, and is a favorite of J.K. Rowling's. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Edith Nesbit's The Story of the Treasure Seekers is a classic of English children's literature reimagined for modern readers.

The Story of the Amulet(1906) is a children's fantasy novel by English writer Edith Nesbit. The final book in Nesbit's beloved Psammead Trilogy-which also includes Five Children and It (1902) and The Phoenix and the Carpet (1904)-The Story of the Amulet is a tale of time travel, adventure, and the power of imagination. Described by American critic Gore Vidal as "a story of considerable beauty," The Story of the Amulet follows a group of children who use the powers of an Egyptian artifact to travel through time in order to bring their family back together. Siblings Robert, Anthea, Cyril, and Jane live in central London with an old Nurse named Mrs. Green and her boarder, an Egyptologist named Jimmy. Their father, a war correspondent, has traveled to Manchuria for work, while their mother has taken their youngest brother to the Madeira islands off the coast of Portugal in order to recover from an illness. One day, the children go to the markets near the British Museum, where strange and rare objects are sold daily. There, they find their old friend "It," the sand fairy known as the Psammead, who has been captured and is up for sale as an exotic monkey. The children free It, who advises them to purchase a magical Egyptian amulet with the power of time travel. Hoping to use the amulet to reunite their family, the children journey across time to such places as Babylon, Egypt, Tyre, and ancient England in search of the missing piece that will allow them to fulfill their wish. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Edith Nesbit's The Story of the Amulet is a classic of English children's literature reimagined for modern readers.

The Magic City (1910) is a children's fantasy novel by English writer Edith Nesbit. Using elements of magic and mystery familiar to readers of her beloved Bastable and Psammead Trilogies, Nesbit crafts a tale of wonder and adventure for children and adults alike. Orphaned as a boy, Philip is cared for by his older sister Helen. When she marries and leaves for her honeymoon, Philip is sent to live at a country house known as the Grange with Lucy, his young stepsister. Sullen and out of place, Philip turns to his imagination for comfort, excitement, and adventure. Using whatever he can get his hands on-toys, books, kitchenware-Philip builds a city and invents for himself a fictional world he calls Polistarchia, which contains the city of Polistopolis, the Land of the Dwellers by the Sea, the Island, and the northern kingdom of Somnolentia. As he adds more and more to his city and the surrounding landscape, Philip is magically transported into the world of his creation. Discovered by soldiers, he learns of the fated arrival of two figures-the Deliverer and the Destroyer-and is told that by proving himself through a series of tasks, he will be named Deliverer of the realm. When Lucy arrives, however, he is forced to learn that sharing, though difficult, proves rewarding in the end. The Magic City is a timeless masterpiece of children's fiction with a powerful message on grief, loneliness, and friendship. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Edith Nesbit's The Magic City is a classic of English children's literature reimagined for modern readers.

The Enchanted Castle (1907) is a children's fantasy novel by English writer Edith Nesbit. Using elements of magic and mystery familiar to readers of her beloved Bastable and Psammead Trilogies, Nesbit crafts a tale of wonder and adventure for children and adults alike. While on a school holiday, children Jerry, Jimmy, and Kathy explore the open landscape of rural southwestern England. One day, they discover an immense country estate, designed like an ancient castle and complete with towers, gardens, groves, and even a lake. In the middle of its central rose garden, they find a maze at the end of which a young girl lies asleep. Waking, she reveals that she is the princess of the castle, and agrees to show them some of its mysteries. One of these is the ring of invisibility, which, when she slips it on her finger to demonstrate its power, actually works. Startled, the princess reveals that she is really the housekeeper's niece, and admits that she was only fooling around. Scared at first, the children begin to experiment with the ring, unleashing its powers in fantastic and terrifying ways. The Enchanted Castle is an entertaining, endearing novel, a masterpiece of mystery and adventure with enough excitement to ignite the wonder of children, and to fill any adult with a sense of childish wonder. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Edith Nesbit's The Enchanted Castle is a classic of English children's literature reimagined for modern readers.

The Story of the Amulet(1906) is a children's fantasy novel by English writer Edith Nesbit. The final book in Nesbit's beloved Psammead Trilogy-which also includes Five Children and It (1902) and The Phoenix and the Carpet (1904)-The Story of the Amulet is a tale of time travel, adventure, and the power of imagination. Described by American critic Gore Vidal as "a story of considerable beauty," The Story of the Amulet follows a group of children who use the powers of an Egyptian artifact to travel through time in order to bring their family back together. Siblings Robert, Anthea, Cyril, and Jane live in central London with an old Nurse named Mrs. Green and her boarder, an Egyptologist named Jimmy. Their father, a war correspondent, has traveled to Manchuria for work, while their mother has taken their youngest brother to the Madeira islands off the coast of Portugal in order to recover from an illness. One day, the children go to the markets near the British Museum, where strange and rare objects are sold daily. There, they find their old friend "It," the sand fairy known as the Psammead, who has been captured and is up for sale as an exotic monkey. The children free It, who advises them to purchase a magical Egyptian amulet with the power of time travel. Hoping to use the amulet to reunite their family, the children journey across time to such places as Babylon, Egypt, Tyre, and ancient England in search of the missing piece that will allow them to fulfill their wish. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Edith Nesbit's The Story of the Amulet is a classic of English children's literature reimagined for modern readers.

When Cyril, Anthea, Robert and Jane accidentally destroy a carpet in their London home with fireworks, their parents replace it with a second-hand one. Upon unfurling it, the children find an egg inside, and, when one of them accidentally drops it into the fire, it hatches into a magical golden phoenix, who tells them that he can take them on the carpet to any location they wish. This revelation sets the siblings - and their baby brother Lamb - off on wild adventures, taking them around London and to far-flung destinations such as India and a remote tropical island. After the success of Five Children and It, E. Nesbit decided to recast its much-loved characters in this sequel, which has now become a classic in its own right, enchanting generations of readers and inspiring many film and television adaptations.

The railway also helped them to make many new friends including the porter and stationmaster as well as an old gentleman who travelled in the first-class carriage of the Green Dragon steam train. Foxton Readers are a series of carefully graded books aimed at ESL / EAL learners of beginner to advanced levels. They are based on a comprehensive grammar and vocabulary framework to match each ability level and to ensure each learner progresses. They are not only suitable for ESL / EAL learners but can also be used with native speakers of primary and secondary school age.