Caddie Woodlawn vs The Railway Children: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Family, Brothers and sisters, Classics, Adventure, History, Fiction
Caddie Woodlawn
“In 1864 Caddie Woodlawn was eleven, and as wild a little tomboy as ever ran the woods of western Wisconsin.”
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Caddie Woodlawn is a children's historical fiction novel by Carol Ryrie Brink which received the Newbery Medal in 1936 and a Lewis Carroll Shelf Award in 1958. The original 1935 edition was illustrated by…
The Railway Children
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When Father mysteriously goes away, the children and their mother leave their happy life in London to go and live in a small cottage in the country. 'The Three Chimneys' lies beside a railway track - a constant source…
Side by side
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- The Railway Children is the quickest read — about 2 hours vs 5 for Caddie Woodlawn.
- The Railway Children has the widest readership — 65226 ratings behind its score.
- Caddie Woodlawn runs the darker storyline; The Railway Children stays the lighter read.
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How to choose
Scores by source
| Caddie Woodlawn | The Railway Children | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 4.0 (54471) | 4.0 (65226) |
| Hardcover | 3.8 (45) | 4.0 (69) |
| Google Books | 5.0 (4) | — |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (51) | 4.5 (245) |
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Reception
| Caddie Woodlawn | The Railway Children | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 54471 | 65226 |
| Editions | 56 | 985 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 14653 | 27942 |
| Reading it now | 497 | 2730 |
| Written reviews | 2004 | 3045 |
| Wikipedia attention | 1175 | 6263 |
| Pages | 270 | 138 |
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Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: Caddie Woodlawn or The Railway Children?
The Railway Children has the higher combined reader rating across sources (The Railway Children 4.0/5, Caddie Woodlawn 4.0/5).
Which is shorter to read: Caddie Woodlawn or The Railway Children?
The Railway Children is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: The Railway Children (138 pages, ≈ 2 h 33 m); Caddie Woodlawn (270 pages, ≈ 5 h 00 m).
Which is harder to read: Caddie Woodlawn or The Railway Children?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — Caddie Woodlawn: Challenging; The Railway Children: Moderate.
Have both books been made into films?
Caddie Woodlawn: no film adaptation on record; The Railway Children: 2 film adaptations.