The Primrose Railway Children: Jacqueline Wilson

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The disappearance of the father has financial repercussions. The children and their mother are obliged to move to a dilapidated cottage in the English countryside. The cottage stands very near to the Primrose Railway line, a heritage railway staffed by volunteers. The children become heavily involved in the community centred on the railway. In this community they find solace to comfort them for their absent father. 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. Puffin is an imprint of Penguin Random House, the world’s number-one publisher representing a vibrant community of publishing houses marked by unparalleled success. Through our world of stories, Puffin aims to open up the world to every child. Our mission is to inspire children to feel they can be and do anything, and to create readers for life. After a few years, my editor Kelly Hurst asked if I’d fancy reimagining another Nesbit, and suggested The Railway Children. It was an ­attractive idea, but I couldn’t see why modern children would become so passionate about their local railway station. There was also the question of safety – we become justifiably anxious now if we spot children larking about near a railway line.

I loved the setting and the use of the railway, but most of all I loved the characters and writing. How Jacqueline Wilson can have been writing for so many years, yet still able to stay current with the new generation of children too is great. There is just something about her writing that absorbs me into the story, emotions and setting. Even as an adult you can still enjoy her writing. Guinea pig breeding can be very dangerous for the female and results in unwanted babies. It shouldn’t be glossed over as a joking matter or ‘cute’. Shortly after the novel opens the children’s father mysteriously disappears. Phoebe is distraught. Somehow she invents a story to explain her father’s disappearance. He was once the scriptwriter of a much-loved children’s TV show. Phoebe believes he has gone to a lonely island to attempt to reboot that show. The more sinister truth will be revealed far later in the book. Dame Jacqueline said one of the aspects she wanted to explore was how modern city children cope with a sudden move to the countryside.Double Act won the prestigious Smarties Medal and the Children’s Book Award as well as being highly commended for the Carnegie Medal. The Story of Tracy Beaker won the 2002 Blue Peter People’s Choice Award. The discovery of the restored steam trains at a nearby railway station provides a welcome distraction from the children’s anxieties.

I loved the way she dealt with magic in her books, especially in Five Children and It. When it became a fashion for modern authors to reimagine the classics I was happy to jump on this colourful bandwagon. I hoped to encourage children to discover the joys of E Nesbit for themselves but I didn’t want to write a pastiche of her work. Kitty Fisher is a street performer who earns tin for her supper by tumbling. She has always lived on the street and on her wits, with only the kind Gaffer to help her. But now Gaffer is gone, and Kitty is all alone. The only problem was the one I’d had as a child entering the painting competition. I knew nothing about vintage steam trains! I was determined not to be deterred. I went to the splendid Bluebell Railway in Sussex and had several very enjoyable train rides, making feverish notes. One glance in an adult book for vintage railway enthusiasts made me realise I’d never be able to grasp all the finer details – even the most basic. She has written over 70 best-selling books, and several have even been adapted for TV – most famously The Story of Tracy Beaker. Her signing sessions attract huge crowds of fans and last for hours! Over 25 million copies of her books have now been sold in the UK alone.

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Jacqueline is one of the nation’s favourite authors, and her books are loved and cherished by young readers not only in the UK but all over the world. She has sold millions of books and in the UK alone the total now stands at over 35 million! Struggling to feel at home and missing her Dad terribly, Phoebe's only distraction is her guinea pig Daisy. Until the family discover the thrilling steam trains at the railway station and suddenly, every day is filled with adventure. But Phoebe still misses her dad. He had been a minor celebrity and she convinces herself that he is away filming a new TV show. While her mum doesn’t confirm this, she doesn’t deny it either. Then I suddenly thought of a vintage steam railway – and everything slotted into place. There’s even the magical vintage Bluebell Railway not too far away from where I live, so I could do some very jolly research. I don’t think I’ve ever enjoyed writing a book as much as The Primrose Railway Children. Illustration from The Primrose Railway Children by Jacqueline Wilson (Image: Rachael Dean)

This story outlines a lot of struggles that children face whilst growing up, especially in the modern world and it showcased ways in which children adapt and learn to cope with difficult environments. It also highlights the importance of learning that your parents aren't perfect, a hard lesson to learn indeed. The timing of this book is quite perfect, just ahead of a sequel to the film of The Railway Children. I myself love trains and adventure and The Primrose Railway Children is sure to spark this in those middle-grade readers who devour Jacqueline Wilson's books with their eyes and imaginations. Phoebe was a wonderful protagonist, imaginative, creative and with a real dramatic flair. But she was also kind and loving and was an exemplary guiniepig owner! But Perry, Phoebe's autistic brother was the star of the book for me, massive applause for great representation. He had his routines and his triggers but he was such a lovely character and so kind.