Four Children and It
by Jacqueline Wilson
Interest age: 9+
Reading age: 9+
Published by Puffin Books, 2012
About this book
Bookworm Rosalind and her younger brother Robbie aren’t enjoying the summer holidays, cooped up in their Dad’s new house with their annoying stepsister Smash. Luckily there’s adorable Maudie, their little half-sister, to play with – and Rosalind can always escape into one of her beloved books, like Five Children and It by E. Nesbit. But when the family head off on a picnic to nearby Oxshott Woods, something extraordinary happens: just like the children in Rosalind’s book, they discover a strange creature called the Psammead who has the power to make their wishes come true.
Jacqueline Wilson pays tribute to her ‘all-time favourite classic children’s author’ E. Nesbit in this contemporary reimagining of Five Children and It. Although this is very much an archetypal Jacqueline Wilson story about the complexities and challenges of modern family life, it also remains true to the spirit of the original: the children’s wishes tend to go a bit wrong, but there’s plenty of fun and magic along the way before the story reaches its satisfyingly happy ending.
Wilson does a convincing job of recreating the Psammead, and Nesbit’s original ‘five children’ even make a cameo appearance, but even for readers who are not familiar with Five Children and It, this is a lively and engaging family adventure.
Four Children and It will be published on 16 August.
About the author
What to read next
We know that children can get hooked on a favourite book series or author and struggle to find something they love as much, but we’re here to help.
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We know it's so easy to get attached to a favourite author, and when their books are as good as Jacqueline Wilson's, it's no surprise that some children feel like they'll never find anything they love as much. But we've got some recommendations about great stories they can try next - and we want to hear your ideas too!
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