Gertrude Chandler Warner

Author profile

born

in Putnam, Connecticut, The United States

April 16, 1890

died

August 30, 1979

website

http://www.boxcarchildren.com

genre

Children's Books

About this author

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Gertrude Chandler Warner was born in Putnam, Connecticut, on April 16, 1890, to Edgar and Jane Warner. Her family included a sister, Frances, and a brother, John. From the age of five, she dreamed of becoming an author. She wrote stories for her Grandfather Carpenter, and each Christmas she gave him one of these stories as a gift. Today, Ms. Warner is best remembered as the author of THE BOXCAR CHILDREN MYSTERIES.

As a child, Gertrude enjoyed many of the things that girls enjoy today. She loved furnishing a dollhouse with handmade furniture and she liked to read. Her favorite book was ALICE IN WONDERLAND. Often on Sundays after church, Gertrude enjoyed trips to visit her grandparents' farm. Along the way, she and Frances would stop to pick...more Gertrude Chandler Warner was born in Putnam, Connecticut, on April 16, 1890, to Edgar and Jane Warner. Her family included a sister, Frances, and a brother, John. From the age of five, she dreamed of becoming an author. She wrote stories for her Grandfather Carpenter, and each Christmas she gave him one of these stories as a gift. Today, Ms. Warner is best remembered as the author of THE BOXCAR CHILDREN MYSTERIES.

As a child, Gertrude enjoyed many of the things that girls enjoy today. She loved furnishing a dollhouse with handmade furniture and she liked to read. Her favorite book was ALICE IN WONDERLAND. Often on Sundays after church, Gertrude enjoyed trips to visit her grandparents' farm. Along the way, she and Frances would stop to pick the wildflowers they both loved. Gertrude's favorite flower was the violet.

Her family was a very musical one. They were able to have a family orchestra, and Gertrude enjoyed playing the cello. Her father had brought her one from New York ---a cello, a bow, a case and an instruction book. All together, he paid $14. Later, as an adult, she began playing the pipe organ and sometimes substituted for the church organist.

Due to ill health, Ms. Warner never finished high school. She left in the middle of her second year and studied with a tutor. Then, in 1918, when teachers were called to serve in World War I, the school board asked her to teach first grade. She had forty children in the morning and forty more in the afternoon. Ms. Warner wrote, "I was asked or begged to take this job because I taught Sunday School. But believe me, day school is nothing like Sunday School, and I sure learned by doing --- I taught in that same room for 32 years, retiring at 60 to have more time to write." Eventually, Ms. Warner attended Yale, where she took several teacher training courses.

Once when she was sick and had to stay home from teaching, she thought up the story about the Boxcar Children. It was inspired by her childhood dreams. As a child, she had spent hours watching the trains go by near her family's home. Sometimes she could look through the window of a caboose and see a small stove, a little table, cracked cups with no saucers, and a tin coffee pot boiling away on the stove. The sight had fascinated her and made her dream about how much fun it would be to live and keep house in a boxcar or caboose. She read the story to her classes and rewrote it many times so the words were easy to understand. Some of her pupils spoke other languages at home and were just learning English. THE BOXCAR CHILDREN gave them a fun story that was easy to read.

Ms. Warner once wrote for her fans, "Perhaps you know that the original BOXCAR CHILDREN. . . raised a storm of protest from librarians who thought the children were having too good a time without any parental control! That is exactly why children like it! Most of my own childhood exploits, such as living in a freight car, received very little cooperation from my parents."

Though the story of THE BOXCAR CHILDREN went through some changes after it was first written, the version that we are familiar with today was originally published in 1942 by Scott Foresman. Today, Albert Whitman & Company publishes this first classic story as well as the next eighteen Alden children adventures that were written by Ms. Warner.

Gertrude Chandler Warner died in 1979 at the age of 89 after a full life as a teacher, author, and volunteer for the American Red Cross and other charitable organizations. After her death, Albert Whitman & Company continued to receive mail from children across the country asking for more adventures about Henry, Jessie, Violet and Benny Alden. In 1991, Albert Whitman added to THE BOXCAR CHILDREN MYSTERIES so that today's children can enjoy many more adventures about this independent and caring group of children.(less)

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Gertrude Chandler Warner's Books

Average rating: 3.90 · 101,383 ratings · 2,639 reviews · 250 distinct works · Similar authors

	The Boxcar Children (The Boxcar Children, #1) by Gertrude Chandler Warner, L. Kate Deal (Illustrator) 4.02 of 5 stars 4.02 avg rating — 39,290 ratings — published 1924 — 19 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Boxcar Children (The Boxcar Children, #1-4) 4.11 of 5 stars 4.11 avg rating — 3,628 ratings — published 1987 — 2 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Surprise Island (The Boxcar Children, #2) 3.84 of 5 stars 3.84 avg rating — 3,685 ratings — published 1949 — 17 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Yellow House Mystery (The Boxcar Children, #3) 3.86 of 5 stars 3.86 avg rating — 2,985 ratings — published 1952 — 17 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Mystery Ranch (The Boxcar Children, #4) 3.76 of 5 stars 3.76 avg rating — 2,303 ratings — published 1957 — 18 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Lighthouse Mystery (The Boxcar Children, #8) by Gertrude Chandler Warner, David Cunningham (Illustrator) 3.82 of 5 stars 3.82 avg rating — 1,900 ratings — published 1962 — 16 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Mike's Mystery (The Boxcar Children, #5) 3.77 of 5 stars 3.77 avg rating — 1,790 ratings — published 1960 — 17 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Schoolhouse Mystery (The Boxcar Children, #10) by Gertrude Chandler Warner, David Cunningham (Illustrator) 3.77 of 5 stars 3.77 avg rating — 1,606 ratings — published 1965 — 15 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Blue Bay Mystery (The Boxcar Children, #6) by Gertrude Chandler Warner, Dirk Gringhuis (Illustrator) 3.8 of 5 stars 3.80 avg rating — 1,536 ratings — published 1961 — 16 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Mountain Top Mystery (The Boxcar Children, #9) by Gertrude Chandler Warner, David Cunningham (Illustrator) 3.79 of 5 stars 3.79 avg rating — 1,482 ratings — published 1964 — 14 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Gertrude Chandler Warner…

Series by Gertrude Chandler Warner

The Boxcar Children (130 books)
by Gertrude Chandler Warner, David Cunningham (Illustrator)
3.906713847310077 of 5 stars 3.91 avg rating — 95,802 ratings

The Boxcar Children Special (21 books)
by Gertrude Chandler Warner
3.762432509235578 of 5 stars 3.76 avg rating — 3,519 ratings

The Adventures of Benny and Watch (12 books)
by Gertrude Chandler Warner, Kay Life (Illustrator)
3.914814814814815 of 5 stars 3.91 avg rating — 270 ratings

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Gertrude Chandler Warner

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Series by Gertrude Chandler Warner

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combine editions
Gertrude Chandler Warner's Books