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Book one · Ages 5–9 · 44 pages

Fear of the dark

“It’s dark there…” Oliver whispered. “Dark doesn’t mean dangerous,” the conductor said gently.

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Cover of The Luminous Train, book 1 by Agnesa Mirabel: a boy holding a lantern beside the Conductor, watching a glowing train cross a stone viaduct under a starry night sky

Inside the book

The stations of the first journey

  • The Underground of Silence

    Where the noise of the day finally stops, and a child can hear their own thoughts again.

  • Station of Shadows

    Where the shapes on the bedroom wall turn out to be branches, and nothing more.

  • Station of Dreams

    Where the train slows down, and sleep stops being something to resist.

Illustration from The Luminous Train: a boy stands alone from behind on a vaulted stone platform facing a blue carriage with golden windows, under a hanging sign reading The Underground of Silence
The vaulted platform
Illustration from The Luminous Train: a green locomotive emerges from lilac mist beneath an arch reading Station of Dreams, its platform strewn with white pillows under golden lamps and a crescent moon
Station of Dreams
Illustration from The Luminous Train: a laughing young boy in blue pyjamas hugs a teddy bear on his bed, surrounded by translucent dream animals and wooden blocks
Dream animals at bedtime
Illustration from The Luminous Train: an old golden key glowing in the grass at the edge of a grey-violet pillow, surrounded by amber sparks
The key under the pillow

For the grown-up reading it

A small object helps

The book ends with a small key left on the pillow, still warm. Many parents give their child a real one to keep — a key, a smooth stone, anything that can slip under the pillow and stand for the train. Children reach for it on the nights the story is not being read, which is precisely when it is needed.

Is this book right for my child?

If bedtime has become a negotiation, if the light has to stay on, or if your child goes quiet and worried once the house does — yes. If your child is not afraid of the dark at all, book two will speak to them more.

How long does it take to read aloud?

Around ten to twelve minutes at an unhurried pace.