reviews
Mar 23, 2008
Katie
rated it: 
If I had just given this a rating instead of feeling the need to re-read it, I would have clicked five stars and moved on with my life. I remember REALLY liking these books when I was a kid. And I like to think of myself as fundamentally the same person. Turns out, The Boxcar Children series is terrible! The only reason I gave it two stars was out of respect for the sliver of memory I have left of enjoying it. The writing is uninspired, the situations are improbable, and the stories aren't even
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(4 people liked it)
Nov 28, 2007
Analicia
rated it: 
No, this was not one of the best children's books ever written, but I had to include this as one of my all time favorites because I cried and cried and cried when I read it. I was about 6 years old and I remember running into my parents' room and throwing myself on the bed, just sobbing. My mom couldn't figure out what was wrong with me; I finally calmed down just enough to whimper that I didn't want them to be rescued! I wanted them to always have adventures by themselves without the grandfathe
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(12 people liked it)
Dec 28, 2011
Lin
rated it: 
I read this book as a child and adored it. As an individual who adores details, this book speaks to the super organized, control freak in me. Warner weaves so many details into the lives of the Boxcar children that I found myself mentally picturing their home in exquisite detail. Over a decade since I last read it, I still remember the milk kept cool by the waterfall, or carrying the cherries back to the boxcar between them. These details are the strength of the book - for the little girl or boy
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(2 people liked it)
Mar 03, 2009
Greta
rated it:
I never read these as a child and don't think I had much interest in them until searching for more books for my son to read. He's 7, in 2nd grade, but reads on a 5th grade reading level. I'm always trying to find books he can read that are on his level where the content isn't too old for him. This was one of the books I picked off the library shelf in hopes that it would meet that criteria. I thought it was a nice story and look forward to reading a few more of the boxcar books to see how th
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(4 people liked it)
Feb 09, 2009
Megan
rated it: 
I happened to stumble across this and I was addicted to these when I was younger so I thought a re-read was in order. It was a little different than I remember but just as charming. I can see why I wanted to live in a boxcar when I was little. However, there is some weird gender things and other stuff that I never would have noticed as a child but seems glaringly obvious and weird as an adult. Overall reading it again was a heck of a lot of fun.
Feb 01, 2008
Stacy
rated it: 
I wanted to read this book because my mom said it was one of her favorites from her childhood. She said she identified with the children who had to take care of themselves. I don't think that's a compliment to my grandparents.
Anyway, reading this makes me realize how much children's literature has changed. The plot is like Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events - orphan siblings using their own resources to help themselves. But the tone is so sugary sweet it gives me a More...
Anyway, reading this makes me realize how much children's literature has changed. The plot is like Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events - orphan siblings using their own resources to help themselves. But the tone is so sugary sweet it gives me a More...
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Aug 21, 2007
Bookwormdragon
rated it:
This is one of the many classics from my childhood. I greatly enjoyed the whole series as a child, and would certainly recommend them to other readers in the targeted age-group, but I can't say that I have an overwhelming urge to re-read them as an adult. The Boxcar Children books fall into what I like to call the 'Library' category: worth checking out from the library, but not worth buying sight-unseen. While young children will probably enjoy them, I doubt that they will want to read most of t
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(2 people liked it)
Jun 07, 2008
Ann
rated it:
The one gripe I have with this book is that it's so fake. Those children are damn LUCKY to be near civilization, or else they'd die in a week. "Oh, let's go to a dump to find some dishes!" "Yes, Jessie, let us go!"
"I shall go to town to find a job! Because you are girls and a five year old boy, and I am totally sexist, I shall worry that you will not be able to protect yourselves!"
"OMG! Violet is, lyk, sick! since we're just, like, More...
"I shall go to town to find a job! Because you are girls and a five year old boy, and I am totally sexist, I shall worry that you will not be able to protect yourselves!"
"OMG! Violet is, lyk, sick! since we're just, like, More...
3 comments
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Dec 20, 2011
Esti
rated it:
Bonus review (not following the rules, but very heartfelt): I re-read this book out of sheer nostalgia, after typing up my review of the very unfortunate graphic novel adaptation. Though I probably read it a dozen times as a child, I hadn't looked at it since about fourth grade. I was impressed, when I read the graphic novel, how much I remembered from the original... Benny's pink cup, the swimming pool, the wonderful domesticity of everything, to the point of spending scarce money on salt and s
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Oct 31, 2011
Kathryn
rated it:
I chose this book for my popular series because I feel like it is a good book that older readers can relate to. There are four kids Benny, Jessie, Henry and Violet. This kids lost their parents at a young age. Therefore, they are forced to go live with their grandfather, who they feel does not like them very much. So, the children decided to run away. The children were on their own, walked through woods and came across and empty box car. The oldest, decided this place would become their new home
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Oct 31, 2011
Allyson
rated it:
What a fun adventure story that kids will love! I think this book would be great for kids from 1st grade and up. These four orphans are brave and set a good example for kids. I'm sure every kid that reads this book would want to be a boxar kid. This is a great example for kids to be strong and brave. When the kids are caught in a storm, they find a red boxcar and make it into their home. What kid doesn't like adventure? And what kid doesn't want to be a part of a club like the boxcar children? I
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Oct 24, 2011
Jennelle
rated it:
I've read some reviews that say this series may not hold for modern young people, but really, I read it in the mid-late 80s and I enjoyed it, and I think there is still plenty of entertainment value for today's kids. Maybe some kids will be deterred by the lack of technology, but if they enjoy a good adventure, I'm not sure they'll miss it. After all, the adventures that the children go on are often the kinds of adventures that many kids dream of (like spending the summer all by themselves on
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Jul 02, 2011
Nicola
rated it:
Reason for Reading: This is another book from the Random Bookshelf that I am reading from this year.The Boxcar Children have played a big part in my and my children's lives. I intend to acquire a complete set of the first 19 books (the others hold no interest to me) and keep them as keepers on my juvenile shelves for my future grandchildren.
When I read these books from the library is the mid '70s, they were hardcover's with picture boards and I was entranced with them. I'd always go More...
When I read these books from the library is the mid '70s, they were hardcover's with picture boards and I was entranced with them. I'd always go More...
Jan 29, 2011
Kathryn
rated it:
I know I read this as a child--I remember it rather differently. Everything you read as a child seems ever-so-much-moreso, and this is no exception.
Commentary available on the web about Gertrude Chandler Warner repeatedly mentions that she wrote the book because her elementary school students lacked books with exciting incidents but a very simple reading level. She definitely succeeded in filing that gap. They also note that the book was criticized because "the children were ha More...
Commentary available on the web about Gertrude Chandler Warner repeatedly mentions that she wrote the book because her elementary school students lacked books with exciting incidents but a very simple reading level. She definitely succeeded in filing that gap. They also note that the book was criticized because "the children were ha More...
Oct 14, 2010
Brooke
rated it:
I read this in 1993 when I was in 3rd grade and just loved it.
I never thought of all the gender stereotypes because I knew that it was an old book and you often see that in old books.
Come on, there is a "horse and cart" coming down the road, the boys are wearing short pants and stockings, and the girls have on kerchiefs over their heads.
Clearly this is not a modern book and we don't need to expect it to be modern.
Kids reading it should not be cha More...
Oct 10, 2010
Kelsey
rated it:
The boxcar children is about 4 kides named Henry. Jessie, violet, and Benny. There parents both died so the cildren run away so there grandfather dosen't find them. The think that there grandfather is old, and mean. the go to the bakery and as they look at the display window when the backers wife comes and lookes at them with a verry bad look she hates kids. As the walked in they bought a lofe of bread and Henery asked if they could sleep ther at night if they helped do the dishes in the morning
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Jun 22, 2010
Melissa
rated it:
Warner, Gertrude Chandler. The Boxcar Children. Illinois: Albert Whitman & Company, 1977. Print.
Genre: Children’s Chapter Book
The Boxcar Children, by Gertrude Chandler Warner is about four orphans running away from their orphanage due to mistreatment. They find a boxcar and make it into their home because they fear their legal guardian, their grandfather. While living in the boxcar, they encounter some issues that determine their future will not be as they’d hope living on their own. More...
Genre: Children’s Chapter Book
The Boxcar Children, by Gertrude Chandler Warner is about four orphans running away from their orphanage due to mistreatment. They find a boxcar and make it into their home because they fear their legal guardian, their grandfather. While living in the boxcar, they encounter some issues that determine their future will not be as they’d hope living on their own. More...
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Feb 15, 2010
Spoonbridge
rated it:
Recently, my sister and I have been revisiting favorite books from our childhoods for purely nostalgic reasons. Going along with that nostalgia, we have been reading them to each other on car trips, as that was how we remember many, including the Boxcar Children. This first book is an origin story for the troop of siblings who later would go on many adventures solving various mysteries, though if I recall correctly, these may or may not be actual crimes. I remember loving this series as a kid, a
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Feb 15, 2010
Hollowspine
rated it:
For my nostalgia month I read this book, one that my mother read to me and my brother when were young enough to cuddle next to her in bed and be read to sleep by her gentle voice.
Going back to this book it really is apparent just how old it is and how different things were when it was written. I read it to my mother and brother during the car ride back from Mankato, it took a little longer than the ride to finish the book, about two to two and a half hours. As a child I think I rem More...
Going back to this book it really is apparent just how old it is and how different things were when it was written. I read it to my mother and brother during the car ride back from Mankato, it took a little longer than the ride to finish the book, about two to two and a half hours. As a child I think I rem More...
Oct 15, 2009
Delicia
rated it:
Genre: fiction, chapter book
Topic: runaways, life in a boxcar,
Theme: independence, trusting adults, becoming self-sufficient,
Illustrations: There are very few illustrations in this book. The few there are depict scenes from the story.
Use: read aloud, guided reading, independent reading
Reading level: Fluent
Literary Elements: vivid descriptions
Thoughts:
Henry, Jessie, Violet and Benny, four orphaned brothers and sisters, suddenly appear More...
Topic: runaways, life in a boxcar,
Theme: independence, trusting adults, becoming self-sufficient,
Illustrations: There are very few illustrations in this book. The few there are depict scenes from the story.
Use: read aloud, guided reading, independent reading
Reading level: Fluent
Literary Elements: vivid descriptions
Thoughts:
Henry, Jessie, Violet and Benny, four orphaned brothers and sisters, suddenly appear More...
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(2 people liked it)
May 25, 2009
Dan
rated it:
Just finished reading this to my 6 year old; and I highly recommend it for that age group. Though the exceeding politeness of the children and the 1940s setting are both a bit quaint (a bit Bobbsey Twins-ish), if I step back a bit, I can really see the appeal this book would have to children, much in the same manner as Harry Potter. A group of very capable children, seemingly misunderstood by a world adults, making a go of it on their own.
They discover an abandoned boxcar which th More...
They discover an abandoned boxcar which th More...
Feb 02, 2012
Frank
rated it:
I have wanted this marvelous children’s book since I was old enough to read, and I finally found it!
Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Bennie are standing outside a bakery one night. Hungry, they go inside to buy some bread. As the Baker’s wife scowls at them, they ask her if they can stay the night. The children tell her their parents are dead and the only remaining relative, their grandfather (whom they’ve never met,) didn’t like their mother and they are scared of him. After offering to help wi More...
Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Bennie are standing outside a bakery one night. Hungry, they go inside to buy some bread. As the Baker’s wife scowls at them, they ask her if they can stay the night. The children tell her their parents are dead and the only remaining relative, their grandfather (whom they’ve never met,) didn’t like their mother and they are scared of him. After offering to help wi More...
Jun 11, 2011
Mandolin
rated it:
When their parents die and they are told that they are going to be sent to live with their wealthy grandfather, whom they've never met and whom they believe to be a hard and cruel man, four children run away to make a life for themselves. With ingenuity and perseverence, Henry, Jessie, Violet and Benny create a home in an abandoned boxcar that they find in the woods, filling it with "treasures" from a nearby dump. While living in the boxcar, they have several interesting adventures (
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Mar 09, 2010
Briana
rated it:
I remember my teacher reading this series out loud to us in first grade while we'd color pictures and do crafts. This is THE book that got me hooked on reading. I guess the classroom environment helped with this also. It was so relaxing to listen to her voice read the stories, and I'd listen so attentively in order to not miss one single detail. I don't really remember much about the book now, but I do know that this is definitely what made me want to read more and more. I just loved getting cau
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Jan 27, 2011
-k The Lady Critic
rated it:
I read this way, way back when I was first starting to read chapter books. It was The Boxcar Children – the series – and the Babysitter Little Sister books that kept me occupied for hours. So, imagine my surprise when I discovered this book on netGalley. I knew at once that I needed to re-read it.
I loved this book when I was young and I’m rather surprised that I don’t own a copy of my own. I could have sworn that I did, but upon further investigation of my bookshelf I couldn’t find More...
I loved this book when I was young and I’m rather surprised that I don’t own a copy of my own. I could have sworn that I did, but upon further investigation of my bookshelf I couldn’t find More...
Dec 06, 2010
Colin
rated it:
The Boxcar Children
Have you ever lived in a boxcar with your sisters and brothers? If you haven’t then you should read The Boxcar Children 1 and see the life of being in a boxcar! A boxcar is a freight car with a roof and two sliding doors on the side. They needed the boxcar because they ran away from where they were staying.
This book is about these four children named Jessie Alden, Violet Alden, Benny Alden, and Henry Alden. First they walk off in the woods and see a boxcar. They th More...
Have you ever lived in a boxcar with your sisters and brothers? If you haven’t then you should read The Boxcar Children 1 and see the life of being in a boxcar! A boxcar is a freight car with a roof and two sliding doors on the side. They needed the boxcar because they ran away from where they were staying.
This book is about these four children named Jessie Alden, Violet Alden, Benny Alden, and Henry Alden. First they walk off in the woods and see a boxcar. They th More...
Dec 08, 2009
Christopher
rated it:
3rd - 5th grade
I gave this book three stars because the episodic chapters are very good for transitional readers. The pages have 21 lines of text. The sentences vary in length from 4 to 25 words. The sentence structure is more complex because of the use of commas and dialogue. But the subject matter is not so far beyond a transitional reader that they won't be able to relate to or understand the story. There is not much conflict in the story, at least it isn't felt directly whil More...
I gave this book three stars because the episodic chapters are very good for transitional readers. The pages have 21 lines of text. The sentences vary in length from 4 to 25 words. The sentence structure is more complex because of the use of commas and dialogue. But the subject matter is not so far beyond a transitional reader that they won't be able to relate to or understand the story. There is not much conflict in the story, at least it isn't felt directly whil More...
Jun 25, 2008
Jackie
rated it:
I wanted to see what I had missed, and now I have. The concept of the story is better than the actual telling of the story, but that's looking through an adult's eyes. The mini author biography in the back of the book calls these books mysteries--I can't quite see that. At least not this first one, and I'm frankly not feeling the urge to read any more. I'll probably hand this book over to a book drive and call it all good enough.
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Nov 15, 2011
The Boxcar Children:
The Box Car Children is about a set of orphan siblings that find themselves living in an old abandoned boxcar. The story is written by Gertrude Chandler Warner with very simple language like “Let me think. I guess that will be the sitting-room, and maybe some of the time it will be the kitchen.” The diction is made simple for young readers but the plot of the children living in the cabin in consistent. I hope that I can learn how to write in a simple and understandable w More...
The Box Car Children is about a set of orphan siblings that find themselves living in an old abandoned boxcar. The story is written by Gertrude Chandler Warner with very simple language like “Let me think. I guess that will be the sitting-room, and maybe some of the time it will be the kitchen.” The diction is made simple for young readers but the plot of the children living in the cabin in consistent. I hope that I can learn how to write in a simple and understandable w More...
Nov 28, 2011
Nicole
rated it:
As a child I loved the Boxcar Children books, and as an adult I still enjoy them but do not find them as well written and beneficial, in terms of vocabulary and high-literacy, as I would like them to be. I still loved the relationships and bonds formed between the siblings as they solve various mysteries and have to work together. The books are great to teach children about the importance of working together, using clues, and doing the right thing. The story turns when one of the siblings, Viole
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