The Wouldbegoods

By E. Nesbit and Edith Nesbit

Book Overview

'Nesbit opened the door in the magic wardrobe, pointed the way to platform nine and three quarters. She even had a hand in building the Tardis. And these are among her minor achievements. She is also simply the funniest writer we have ever had' Frank Cottrell-Boyce

'This is the story of one of the most far-reaching and influentially naughty things we ever did in our lives. We did not mean to do such a deed. And yet we did do it.'

After being banished to the countryside for creating even more mayhem than usual, the Bastable children vow to mend their ways. Establishing 'The Society of the Wouldbegoods', their first rule is: 'every member is to be as good as possible'. But sometimes it's just not possible to be good - no matter how hard you try.

A collection that will be coveted by children and adults alike, this list is the best in children's literature, curated by Virago. 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 (The Dark Horse, An Episode of Sparrows), Joan Aiken (The Serial Garden, The Gift Giving) E. Nesbit (The Psammead Trilogy, The Bastable Trilogy, The Railway Children), L. M. Montgomery (The Anne of Green Gables series) and Susan Coolidge (The What Katy Did Trilogy). Discover Virago Children's Classics.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0349009562
• ISBN13: 9780349009568
• Release Date: March 2015
• Publisher: Virago Press (UK)
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.0" x 7.7"
• Age Range: 7 to 9 years
• Grade Range: Grades 2 to 4

Customer Reviews

She "gets" children

We have read all of E. Nesbit's books aloud. My kids generally remark how well she "gets" kids. Her stories are timeless and usually involve children who want to be good and yet find that it isn't always easy. A very pleasant read.

Funniest Bastable Book Yet

E. Nesbit wrote three books about the Bastables: The Story Of The Treasure Seekers, in which the six Bastable kids look for treasure to restore treir family's fallen fortunes, New Treasure Seekers, a beautiful collection of wonderful Bastable adventures, and the Wouldbegoods, in which the motley troop goes on vacation with their cousins, form the soceity of Wouldbegoods, (in which the motive is to do one good deed a day) and fail miserably. The first thing Noel does is climb the chimney and fetch down a few bricks, a bird nest and a couple tons of soot. Wouldbegoods is by far the best, but if tou want to read it free go to Google.com, type in New Treasure Seekers, click on first choice and you can red either New Treasure Seekers or Wouldbegoods at your leisure.

Maybe They Should Try Being Bad.....?

"I do believe we are the worst children who ever lived!" Alice Bastable cries when yet another plan of the 'Wouldbegoods' goes disastrously wrong. Her despair is understandable, in their attempts to perform good deeds the six Bastable children and their two friends wreck havoc across the British countryside. Yet in the end they do manage to do good, quite by accident. Absolutely hilarious.

Banished for the Summer!

6 Bastables and two friends are sent to the country for the summer, and try to do good things. Of course, the best laid plans...But what child can resist a story of children living in a moat house, spending their summer free to explore the English countryside? What great ideas will the children come up with next? The characters are funny and very real. There is trouble around every bend, but a theme of honesty and integrity runs through the story like a breath of fresh country air.

It is the foundation of the pyramid that is my soul!

I wish Oswald were real, I honestly do. He's the greatest, so utterly pompous yet compassionate and humane, so three-dimensional, so all-knowing, yet so childishly naive. The Wouldbegoods is hilarious and quite informative. I learned a great deal about British vocabulary--"ripping" is now my most-loved word.