Monkey Trouble

The Boxcar Children #127

by Gertrude Chandler Warner (Creator), Robert Papp (Illustrator)

It's spring, and all the baby animals are being born; a perfect time to visit the zoo. The Aldens and their friends are taking pictures there for a photo contest. But when cameras go missing and a girl is accused of cheating, the Boxcar Children must find out just who is monkeying with the contest!

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Childrens, Audiobook, Animals, Chapter Books, Realistic Fiction

128 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

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.

Books about Gertrude: https://www.goodreads.com/characters/...

Reviews

[Kathryn · Rating 2 out of 5]

not one of the stronger mysteries and the adult in me wasn’t too keen about the lack of supervision and care the monkeys were receiving at the zoo.

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was one of the better books I have read in this series it was fast-paced, and the story kept you in the whole time. It was cute to see how the monkey got out to take little knick knacks to save for himself later. I also liked seeing them interact with more of their students instead of adults.

[Charles Reed · Rating 4 out of 5]

80%

The monkeys were really fun!

[Joseph D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 127 of the Boxcar Children. ​This one was a complete snarl with a strong theme that others fortunate situation does not make it okay to take from them. This mystery is fairly innocent and although there is a bad guy, it isn’t as bad as a jewel thief or dog napper like some of the recent ones. Good read with a strong message.

Joseph McKnight
http://www.josephmcknight.com

[Cat Denmark · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really fun mystery, a little complicated towards the end. My favorite part was when the monkey escaped from its cage multiple times. 9yo

[Cherish Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

(4☆ Would recommend)
I loved these books as a kid & I'm really enjoying reading through the series again. I liked the mystery & the suspense. I like how there is more than one possible suspect, who each have reasonable motive. Would recommend.

[Stacie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The kids go on a field trip to the zoo. While there a camera goes missing and they have to figure out what happens and avoid the thieving monkey!

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was so excited to pick up another Boxcar Children book. I got to read it to my younger sister. I remembered how much I fell in love with the series when I was younger. It made me feel like a little kid again.

[Deanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about a monkey and 4 Children.

[Engi Sloan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Terrific mystery

I consider this a good book!! If there was a ten star rating I would like to give it a 9!! This was a great zoo saving mystery, keep it up!!!!

[Y · Rating 1 out of 5]

A particularly inane entry in the series.

[Caitlyn Weir]

This book shares a story of compelling detective work and the smarts behind a family who can save the day by finding anything they put their minds to.

[Doug Bivens · Rating 5 out of 5]

This 1 was sooo cute!! Good lesson too