What age for the Railway Children?

[foxinsocks]

What was left of my brain has fallen out of my ear recently and I cannot remember what age I was when I read the Railway Children. Just recently rediscovered it and was wondering what sort of age you reckon for either bedtime story (by chapter) or reading on their own.

Sorry to hear about your brain! A rough rule I use is that the readers should be about the same age as the protagonists. 9-12?

thanks clerk! I remember reading books (as a child) so vividly but often cannot place exactly how old I was at the time.

How are you doing at the moment?

I remember the TV series in the 1960's with Jenny Agutter, but I think I never read the book.

I'm well. I had to go to our Singapore office on business recently, and I got a special Dietary Card in Chinese to help put across the point that I am coeliac. My main contact there still did not get it, and I ended up very ill for a day! That was the last time she took me out for a meal during that trip.

oh no, you poor thing! Hope it hasn't affected your insides too badly.

Yes, I remember it on TV but can't remember the actors/actresses. Also saw the film in the library the other day.

I read it to ds when she was 7, and again at 9. She read it for herself at 10 and enjoyed it very much but I don't think she would have persevered (reading it to herself) if it hadn't already been read to her. I don't think modern children can cope with the long complex sentences and long periods of relatively little action in books that were the norm a few years ago - my dd, who is a very good reader, has given up on lots of books I read at the same age - Little Women, The Secret Garden, the Hobbit and Kidnapped, to name but three. Mind you, there wasn't anything else to do when I was 10! She has enjoyed all four when read to her.

I read it to DD recently, she is 7.

Kidnapped my god that is a tourtuous read!

thanks for your help

isn't it funny (re the sentences) - there was quite an interesting article in one of the papers this week about how they need to update the English exam literature lists because they haven't really kept with the times (and some stuff about how the likes of Sarah Waters - of Tipping the Velvet fame - should be on the list but they weren't sure if the examiners were ready for lots of discussions about lesbianism - as if some of the more traditional books have no sex in them!)

anyway, that's a bit of a diversion. I really hope dd will enjoy some of the old classics but it's too early to tell I suppose.

I think the Hobbit, Tom's Midnight Garden and Little Women were school books for me (which for some reason, always seemed to take the fun out of them).

Kidnapped is FAB - I was so in love with Alan Breck.......and with Laurie from Little Women. Pleas etry Kidnapped again, I promise you'll love it. Treasure Island now - there's a boring turgid story pretending to be exciting!

I never liked Treasure Island either but did like some of his other stuff (weirdly, I can't recall Kidnapped that well)