'Edith Nesbit was endlessly surprising and inventive . . . She is also simply the funniest writer we have ever had, while being the one who could most easily and sweetly break your heart with a phrase' Frank Cottrell-Boyce When their father is suddenly taken away, the children's lives change overnight. Unable to afford their London home, the family must move to a small cottage in the Yorkshire countryside. Hiding their sadness from their mother, Roberta, Peter and Phyllis roam the fields all day. Every morning they can be seen waving as the 9.15 train roars past, imagining that it will can carry their love to their father, wherever he may be. The trio become a familiar sight and their bravery and quick-thinking avert a railway disaster. There is a kind old gentleman passenger never fails to wave back - little do the children realise how much his friendship will mean to them, especially in solving the mystery to their father's disappearance. 'By turns sweet and serious, this much-loved classic is above all a celebration of kindness and hope' Kiran Millwood Hargrave 'I love her books' Neil Gaiman This collection of the best in children's literature, curated by Virago, will be coveted by children and adults alike. These are timeless tales with beautiful covers, that will be treasured and shared across the generations. Some titles you will already know; some will be new to you, but there are stories for everyone to love, whatever your age. Our list includes Nina Bawden (Carrie's War, The Peppermint Pig), Rumer Godden (An Episode of Sparrows), Joan Aiken (The Serial Garden, The Gift Giving) E. Nesbit (The Psammead Trilogy, The Bastable Trilogy, The Railway Children), Frances Hodgson Burnett (The Little Princess,The Secret Garden) and Susan Coolidge (The What Katy Did Trilogy). Discover Virago Children's Classics.