Having a lovely time re-reading all my E Nesbits, starting with this as it's the first (1899). It's probably the first re-read since childhood, so I was appalled by Chapter 9, "The G B" (generous benefactor). The irony is that the man they apply to for money is not portrayed as a generous benefactor at all, but in a slyly stereotypical way as the "archetypal" Jewish moneylender. As a kid I would have not got the references at all, but now they leap out at you. Edith, I'm ashamed of you, even for those days.
The rest of the story is a wonderful, funny romp, and very enjoyable, apart of course from the "N" word at the end.
I'd never say don't read a book because of its archaic, perhaps unintentional racism, but do put your mental filters on.

Relates the curious escapades of the six Bastable children who attempt to restore the family fortunes by searching for treasure, starting a newspaper, and becoming detectives.

The Story of the Treasure Seekers (25/4/22-26/4/22)

This is another classic Nesbit children's book, the first of her trilogy about the six Bastable children who live with their widowed father in Lewisham in south London. In order to save their father's straitened finances, they develop a range of bizarre but mostly endearing schemes to raise money, including digging for treasure in their garden, selling sherry, rescuing an old gentleman from being attacked by their (the children's) own dog, kidnapping their next door neighbour, and pretending to be bandits and newspaper editors. It's all good light hearted fun, though not for me as good as Five Children and It or The Railway Children. ( )

It left a nasty taste in my mouth. You're just reading an old fashioned kids book and out of nowhere, in the last chapter, there is an awful racist remark.

Normally Nesbit is a safe read and I'm rather disgusted and disappointed now. That someone who was, by some accounts, rather progressive for her time should include that in her novel... it's just wrong.