The Boxcar Children

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The Boxcar Children is a popular book series by American writer Gertrude Chandler Warner; it is also the title of the first book in the series. It was originally published in 1942.

Contents 1 The Story 2 About the author 3 List of Boxcar Children books 4 External links

[edit] The Story

The first book told the story of four orphans: Henry Alden, 14; Jessie Alden, 12; Violet Alden, 10; and Benny Alden, 6. They were to live with their grandfather, but were afraid, believing him to be a very mean man. Because of this, they find an abandoned boxcar to settle in instead. Within the first book, they meet a man named Dr. Moore, living in Silver City (Possibly Taunton, Massachusetts, sometimes being nicknamed Silver City.) who hires Henry to do odd jobs. The Aldens use Henry's earnings and their own resourcefulness to take care of themselves, and turn the boxcar into a home, with a shelf, dishes, and even a toy bear for Benny. All this changes when Violet Alden becomes sick. They go to Dr. Moore for assistance; However, as he saw in the newspaper, a man named James Alden was looking for four children, and would give $5,000 to anyone who finds them. At this moment, Dr. Moore became excited, and called Mr. Alden to come to his house, and he came at the same time the four children came in with a sick Violet. He disguised himself as Mr. Henry, as Henry was his middle name. The children all liked him. Soon, Dr. Moore revealed to them that Mr. Henry was their rich grandfather (James Henry Alden), who had been looking for them. The children were surprised to find that this kind man was their supposedly mean old grandfather. The children left their boxcar to live with him in Greenfield, Massachusetts (some books in the series say Greenfield, Connecticut when there is no such thing). Days later, when Violet was better, the four children were asked to go to Dr. Moore. When they got back, a surprise lay in the backyard; Mr. Alden had brought the boxcar to his backyard because they missed it. Throughout the rest of the books thereafter, the children uncover and solve various mysteries, often while traveling.

[edit] About the author

Warner wrote the first 19 books in the series, and when she died, the series was maintained by a variety of authors. It is still in production today, by Albert Whitman & Co., 27 years after her death. Before her death, she received a large number of letters asking her for more books in the series. Each book written since her death still has the byline "Created by Gertrude Chandler Warner" on its cover.

The series are divided into mysteries and specials; all of the specials were written after Warner's death. However, the books written after Gertrude Warner's death have suffered from numerous continuity problems -- for example, the ages and abilities of the major characters have fluctuated throughout the series. In the books written by Chandler, the children steadily aged; Henry went to college. After her death, the children's ages have remained the same: Henry is 14, Jessie 12, Violet 10, and Benny 6. As of 2006, there are 109 mysteries and 21 specials in the series, with the most recent being The Rock 'n' Roll Mystery (Hardcover: ISBN 0-8075-7089-3 / Paperback: ISBN 0-8075-7090-7).

In July 2004, a museum in Putnam, Connecticut was opened to honor Gertrude Warner and the Boxcar Children series.

[edit] List of Boxcar Children books

#	Title	Published	Plot Summary
1	The Boxcar Children	1942	The Aldens begin their adventure by making a home in a boxcar. Their goal is to stay together, and in the process they find a grandfather.
2	Surprise Island	1949	Summer vacation on an almost private island gives the Aldens a challenge.
3	The Yellow House Mystery	1953	The spooky old house on Surprise Island intrigues Benny.
4	Mystery Ranch	1958	Eccentric Aunt Jane needs help on her ranch. The Aldens overturn a plot against her.
5	Mike's Mystery	1960	Benny and his friend Mike are in trouble when they are curious about a uranium mine.
6	Blue Bay Mystery	1961	The Aldens find a castaway on a South Sea island. How did he get there and who is he?
7	The Woodshed Mystery	1962	A double puzzle involves an old friend of Aunt Jane's, romance, and a chase.
8	The Lighthouse Mystery	1963	Renting a lighthouse is unusual, but even more so is an unfriendly boy's peculiar behavior.
9	Mountain Top Mystery	1964	Marooned on a mountain, the Aldens survive a landslide and find a Native American secret.
10	Schoolhouse Mystery	1965	Benny's curiosity, while staying in a fishing village, leads to capturing a swindler.
11	Caboose Mystery	1966	A trip in a caboose at the end of a freight train leads to an old clown and a search.
12	Houseboat Mystery	1967	Floating down a lazy river, Benny finds a blackmail scheme in progress.
13	Snowbound Mystery	1968	A freak snowstorm isolates the Aldens in a mountain cabin where they discover a coded message.
14	Tree House Mystery	1969	From a high perch Benny discovers a clue to a hidden room with contents that surprise everyone.
15	Bicycle Mystery	1970	Many complications follow when a dog attaches himself to the Aldens on a bicycle trip.
16	Mystery in the Sand	1971	Living in a seaside mobile home, the Aldens unravel the secret of two secluded women.
17	Mystery Behind the Wall	1973	The Aldens find a mystery when a visitor comes. Who put the coins in a hiding place behind the wall?
18	Bus Station Mystery	1974	A puzzle in relationships concerns two boys ejected from the bus station.
19	Benny Uncovers a Mystery	1976	Benny comes up with the answers to puzzling events in a department store.
20	The Haunted Cabin Mystery	1991	The Aldens visit Cap Lambert near Hannibal, Missouri.
21	The Deserted Library Mystery	1991	The children try to clean up and old library so it can receive landmark status, but someone else tries to stop them.
22	The Animal Shelter Mystery	1991	When a calico cat appears at Grandfather's, the children look for the founder of the town's animal shelter.
23	The Old Motel Mystery	1991	The Boxcar Children offer to help Aunt Jane's friend, Kay, fix up her run-down motel.
24	The Mystery of the Hidden Painting	1992	The discovery of a painting of the children's grandmother involves the Aldens in a search for a sapphire necklace.
25	The Amusement Park Mystery	1992	The Alden's investigation involves antique wooden horses on a merry-go-round near Cousin Joe's.
26	The Mystery of the Mixed-Up Zoo	1992	The Boxcar Children try to find out who's responsible for causing some trouble at Edward Marlow's zoo.
27	The Camp-Out Mystery	1992	A camp-out trip is almost spoiled by loud music and the disappearance of a lantern-and Grandfather!
28	The Mystery Girl	1992	The Aldens see Nancy steal a T-shirt.
29	The Mystery Cruise	1992	Someone is trying to keep Max Greene from inheriting his great aunt's estate.
30	The Disappearing Friend Mystery	1992	The Boxcar children and their new friend Beth decide to form a service called The Boxcar Helpers.
31	The Mystery of the Singing Ghost
32	The Mystery in the Snow
33	The Pizza Mystery
34	The Mystery Horse
35	The Mystery at the Dog Show
36	The Castle Mystery
37	The Mystery of the Lost Village
38	The Mystery of the Purple Pool	1994	The Aldens take a trip with their grandfather to New York. but when someone puts purple dye in the swimming pool at the hotel they're staying at, it's up to the Boxcar Children to crack the case.
39	The Ghost Ship Mystery
40	The Canoe Trip Mystery
41	The Mystery of the Hidden Beach
42	The Mystery of the Missing Cat
43	The Mystery on Stage
44	The Dinosaur Mystery
45	The Mystery of the Stolen Music
46	The Chocolate Sundae Mystery
47	The Mystery of the Hot Air Balloon
48	The Mystery Bookstore
49	The Mystery of the Stolen Boxcar
50	Mystery in the Cave
51	The Mystery on the Train
52	The Mystery of the Lost Mine
53	The Guide Dog Mystery
54	The Hurricane Mystery
55	The Mystery of the Secret Message
56	The Firehouse Mystery
57	The Mystery in San Francisco
58	The Mystery at the Alamo
59	The Outer Space Mystery
60	The Soccer Mystery
61	The Growling Bear Mystery
62	The Mystery of the Lake Monster
63	The Mystery at Peacock Hall
64	The Black Pearl Mystery
65	The Cereal Box Mystery
66	The Panther Mystery
67	The Mystery of the Stolen Sword
68	The Basketball Mystery
69	The Movie Star Mystery
70	The Mystery of the Pirate's Map
71	The Ghost Town Mystery
72	The Mystery in the Mall
73	The Gymnastics Mystery
74	The Poison Frog Mystery
75	The Mystery of the Empty Safe
76	The Great Bicycle Race Mystery
77	The Mystery of the Wild Ponies
78	The Mystery in the Computer Game
79	The Mystery at the Crooked House
80	The Hockey Mystery
81	The Mystery of the Midnight Dog
82	The Summer Camp Mystery
83	The Copycat Mystery
84	The Haunted Clock Tower Mystery
85	The Disappearing Staircase Mystery
86	The Mystery on Blizzard Mountain
87	The Mystery of the Spider's Clue
88	The Mystery of the Mummy's Curse
89	The Mystery of the Star Ruby
90	The Stuffed Bear Mystery
91	The Mystery at Skeleton Point
92	The Tattletale Mystery
93	The Comic Book Mystery
94	The Ice Cream Mystery
95	The Midnight Mystery
96	The Mystery in the Fortune Cookie
97	The Radio Mystery
98	The Mystery of the Runaway Ghost
99	The Finders Keepers Mystery
100	The Mystery of the Haunted Boxcar
101	The Clue in the Corn Maze
102	The Ghost of the Chattering Bones
103	The Sword of the Silver Knight
104	The Game Store Mystery
105	The Mystery of the Orphan Train
106	The Vanishing Passenger
107	The Giant Yo-Yo Mystery	2006	The Aldens are helping one of Grandfather's friends break a world record by building the world's largest yo-yo! As they help with the project strange things begin to happen. First someone follows them, and then the plans for the yo-yo turn up missing. Someone is trying to sabotage the yo-yo before it's launched! It seems there are a few people in Greenfield who don't want this yo-yo completed. The Boxcar Children will piece the evidence together to get to the bottom of this mystery.
108	The Creature in Ogopogo Lake	2006	The Aldens are visiting Grandfather's friend, Amy, at the Ogopogo Retreat in Canada. Amy rents cabins to tourists who hope to see the mysterious underwater creature, the Ogopogo, swimming in the lake. Henry, Jesse, Violet, and Benny can't wait to try to spot the Ogopogo from their cabin. Amy tells the children about a riddle that an old friend left for her in one of the cabins that could lead to a small treasure. The children need to find the treasure, and fast—otherwise, Amy will have to sell the retreat. As the riddle starts to unfold, strange things start to happen around the lake. Something is moving around in the water late at night, and someone doesn't want the Aldens helping Amy. Will the Boxcar Children crack the riddle before it's too late?
109	The Rock 'n' Roll Mystery	2006	The entire town is excited about the summer music festival—especially the Aldens, who have been asked to help with the show. The largest attraction this year will be the popular Greenfield Four. A big-time music producer is going to be in the crowd to catch the show, and Greenfield residents hope their favorite local group will be famous soon. The day before the show, The Greenfield Four arrive at the rehearsal hall to find all of their instruments missing! The band insists that they won't play without them, and now it's up to the Boxcar Children to find the instruments before the show. Who would want to sabotage the band's big show? Does someone want to steal the Greenfield Four's spotlight, or is the theft an act of revenge? The Aldens are on the case in this music festival mystery.
110	The Secret of the Mask	2007
111	The Seattle Puzzle	2007

[edit] External links

• The Boxcar Children official homepage
• The Boxcar Children Mysteries title listing
• The Boxcar Children Specials title listing
• The Boxcar Children museum