Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

7 Books in 1: The Railway Children, Five Children and It, The Phoenix and the Carpet, The Story of the Amulet, The Story of the Treasure-Seekers, The Would-Be-Goods, and The Enchanted Castle

Rate this book
Classic stories by much-loved children's author E. Nesbit. This great-value book contains seven full-length, unabridged novels. Set in a 1900s England of steam-trains and magic, generations of children have thrilled to these exciting adventures. When the children in these stories aren't preventing a train crash, you'll find them getting wishes from the sandy Psammead, flying on a magic carpet, travelling through time with an enchanted Egyptian amulet, hatching the egg of the mythical phoenix, or using their magical ring to explore an enchanted castle! The brothers and sisters created by E. Nesbit have the convincing feeling of being a real family - they're usually disagreeing with each other, but they're always cheerful about it. They try to be good but are always in trouble of one kind or another. With a subtle ethical message underlying their exciting plots, these novels have been listed among the best works of children's literature for many years. This '7 books in 1' edition is an ideal gift for any child who loves reading, or any adult who wants to bring some magic into their life!

476 pages, Paperback

First published January 8, 2004

4 people are currently reading
81 people want to read

About the author

E. Nesbit

1,025 books996 followers
Edith Nesbit (married name Edith Bland; 15 August 1858 – 4 May 1924) was an English author and poet; she published her books for children under the name of E. Nesbit.
She wrote or collaborated on over 60 books of fiction for children, several of which have been adapted for film and television. She was also a political activist and co-founded the Fabian Society, a socialist organisation later connected to the Labour Party.

Edith Nesbit was born in Kennington, Surrey, the daughter of agricultural chemist and schoolmaster John Collis Nesbit. The death of her father when she was four and the continuing ill health of her sister meant that Nesbit had a transitory childhood, her family moving across Europe in search of healthy climates only to return to England for financial reasons. Nesbit therefore spent her childhood attaining an education from whatever sources were available—local grammars, the occasional boarding school but mainly through reading.

At 17 her family finally settled in London and aged 19, Nesbit met Hubert Bland, a political activist and writer. They became lovers and when Nesbit found she was pregnant they became engaged, marrying in April 1880. After this scandalous (for Victorian society) beginning, the marriage would be an unconventional one. Initially, the couple lived separately—Nesbit with her family and Bland with his mother and her live-in companion Maggie Doran.

Initially, Edith Nesbit books were novels meant for adults, including The Prophet's Mantle (1885) and The Marden Mystery (1896) about the early days of the socialist movement. Written under the pen name of her third child 'Fabian Bland', these books were not successful. Nesbit generated an income for the family by lecturing around the country on socialism and through her journalism (she was editor of the Fabian Society's journal, Today).

In 1899 she had published The Adventures of the Treasure Seekers to great acclaim.

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
30 (45%)
4 stars
19 (28%)
3 stars
9 (13%)
2 stars
5 (7%)
1 star
3 (4%)
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
14 reviews2 followers
October 17, 2012
Penguin Active reading, level2
Time:10/16=30minuits 10/17=1hour
7words- family-sisters - police -spy - railway- friends- happy
Discussion question
1. This story is about family,and they like their father. Do you like father?
Yes, but sometimes i don't like because he is strict.
2. This character like train, when you were children, do you like train?
No, I wasn't interested in, but my younger brother liked very much.

This book was interesting for me, main character have brave children, so there are many happening in this story.
But all happning end successfully, and they are very kind children, so I like this book's children and this story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
40 reviews
June 17, 2009
Just-reread this for what has felt like the millionth time. This was one of my favorite compilations of stories growing up - though the Five Children and It remains the first among equals. If any of you haven't read this and are looking for quality British fiction pre-Harry Potter, look no further. The chapter about wishing to be as "beautiful as the day" was a personal favorite.
Profile Image for Jane.
2,682 reviews67 followers
June 2, 2009
Loved this series as a kid. A surprisingly good re-read.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.