The Primrose Railway Children

Phoebe loves her dad more than anything. So when he leaves home without warning, she is confused and hurt. And that’s made worse by the strangers with cameras who lurk outside the house and knock on the door with odd questions.

When Mum takes Phoebe and her siblings out of school and relocates them to a dilapidated cottage in the middle of nowhere, her confusion grows. But things look brighter after Mum explains that Dad is on a secret assignment for a television company.

And when they discover the Primrose Railway not far away, everything seems better. Until the cracks in Mum’s story start to show...

In a book inspired by E Nesbit’s classic The Railway Children, Jacqueline Wilson is at her storytelling best.

Phoebe is a great narrator and alternative perspectives are given through the experiences of her older siblings: Perry, who is on the autistic spectrum and becomes obsessed with the railway; and Becky, who is trying to manage new friendships and, perhaps, her first boyfriend.

Typically, there are no easy solutions to some very complex problems but the story is packed with adventure, mishaps, love and, ultimately, a happy ending.