7 h 57 minAudiobook13 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 7 h 57 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What if half an ancient charm could open a door in time—and lead you toward your heart’s desire?
Cyril, Anthea, Robert and Jane are stuck in cramped London lodgings while their parents are away. Then they find an old friend in a pet shop: the Psammead, a grumpy sand fairy. He knows the secret of a broken amulet that can carry them far beyond their lonely rooms.
The missing half promises what the children most desire, but finding it means travelling through the past and sometimes the future. Babylon, Atlantis, Tyre and ancient Britain lie along their path. In The Story of the Amulet, E. Nesbit brings family life, sudden magic and dry humour together, while the children keep their extraordinary quest secret from the grown-ups.
What you’ll discover
- Four different adventurers Meet Cyril’s plans, Anthea’s kindness, Robert’s boldness and Jane’s practical sense as they hunt together.
- A wonderfully grumpy guide Follow the Psammead, whose ancient knowledge comes with constant complaints and a hatred of water.
- Doors into ancient worlds Step from London into Babylon’s splendour and discover places far beyond the children’s familiar world.
- Wishes worth thinking about Explore what the children truly want beneath the excitement of a charm that promises so much.
- Magic with room for questions Enjoy warm storytelling that makes space for gentle questions about how people should live together.
Who will love it
For readers who love time travel, ancient history made friendly, and humour that suits a read-aloud evening. A good choice for families and adults who remember Nesbit, with ordinary family life, sudden magic and a grumpy sand fairy.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Four children are left alone in London
- A sad sand fairy waits in a shop
- Half a charm and a word of power
- A door opens on ancient Babylon
- A queen of Babylon comes to modern London
- The Learned Gentleman joins the quest
- Through Atlantis, Tyre and ancient Britain
- What the story is really about
- How Nesbit tells the tale
Who’s who
- CyrilThe eldest of the four children, he likes to take charge and make plans, and he wants the quest to succeed.
- AntheaA kind and conscientious girl who worries about doing right, and who misses her mother and the baby deeply.
- RobertA quick, bold boy who leaps into action and enjoys the adventure, often before thinking it through.
- JaneThe youngest of the four travellers, thoughtful and practical, she joins the others in hunting for the missing half of the charm.
- The PsammeadAn ancient, bad-tempered sand fairy who hates water, grumbles constantly, and knows the secret of the Amulet and how to use it.
- The Learned GentlemanA gentle scholar of ancient Egypt who lodges upstairs, loves the past, and becomes the children's friend and ally.
- The Queen of BabylonA proud and bossy ruler from the ancient world who expects to be obeyed and is amazed by modern London.
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet, computer or Kindle, with the type as large as you like.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- Audiobook
- 7 h 57 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 13 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
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Read and hear L’Histoire de l’Amulette in 25 languages and switch at any time. Or read two side by side, paragraph by paragraph: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
L’Histoire de l’Amulette
by E. Nesbit · 1906
Four London children step through time to find a charm's missing half and win what they most desire.
Medium level5–10 hours to read25 languages
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In short
The Story of the Amulet is a children's fantasy novel by the English writer E. Nesbit, published in 1906.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
Four children are left alone in London
The story opens with a family scattered. The father is away abroad as a newspaper correspondent, and the mother needs a change of air. She goes away with the youngest child, the baby the others call the Lamb. That leaves Cyril, Anthea, Robert and Jane in London, in rooms rented from a landlady.
The children are not used to this. In the earlier books they spent summers in the countryside, where magic found them. London seems dusty and crowded by comparison, and the rooms are not very grand. They miss their mother and they miss the Lamb.
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What is The Story of the Amulet about?
It follows four London children and a sand fairy called the Psammead as they use half of an ancient charm to travel through time. They seek the missing half, visiting ancient places and meeting people from many ages.
Do I need to read Five Children and It first?
It helps but is not required. The book is the third about these children and the Psammead, and it explains who he is. You can enjoy the quest without having read the earlier books.
Who is the Psammead?
The Psammead is an ancient sand fairy with a round furry body, bat ears and eyes on stalks. He is grumpy and hates getting wet, but he has great knowledge and powers, and he guides the children.
The author
E. Nesbit
1858–1924 · English children's writer and poet
Edith Nesbit (1858–1924) was an English author and poet who published as E. Nesbit. She was born in London and later lived in Kent. Her children’s books include The Story of the Treasure Seekers (1899), Five Children and It (1902), The Phoenix and the Carpet (1904), and The Railway Children (1906).
More by E. Nesbit
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