The Great Bicycle Race Mystery

The Boxcar Children #76

by Gertrude Chandler Warner, Charles Tang

The Aldens have joined a bicycle race! Three days of riding and camping should be fun for everyone. Even Grandfather joined the race. But right from the word “Go!” things go misleading road signs by day and collapsing tents by night. Henry’s first flat tire could be bad luck, but three flat tires point to foul play. But who is playing foul—and why? The Boxcar Children are determined to solve the mystery before they cross the finish line.

Genres: Mystery, Childrens, Fiction, Audiobook, Chapter Books, Middle Grade, Sports

118 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2000

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

[Stephen]

The Aldens participate in a charity bicycle race, hoping to raise money to have a mountain wilderness maintained instead of being developed into homes and fast food joints. Someone is determined to undermine the race, however, and as usual the Alden kids investigate. I think I was too old for the Box Car children when this came out (I had moved on to Animorphs by 2000), but it's enjoyable. I mostly read it for the bikes and nostalgia!

[Simon]

"The Great Bicycle Race Mystery" captures the classic charm of the Boxcar Children series, thrusting Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny into a high-stakes cycling competition where the atmosphere quickly shifts from recreational to suspicious. The narrative tone is one of urgent curiosity; it balances the lighthearted excitement of a community race with the underlying tension of sabotage. As the siblings navigate the course, they encounter a series of deliberate mishaps—misleading signs, sabotaged equipment, and structural failures—that turn their participation into a race against a hidden antagonist. The pacing is tight, mirroring the speed of the bicycles themselves, and effectively keeps the reader guessing about who would want to ruin such a celebratory event.

The siblings' dynamics are the engine of the story. Henry is the protector and strategist, using his athletic stamina to keep the group moving, though his single-minded focus on winning can occasionally blind him to the subtle clues unfolding around him. Jessie serves as the organizational backbone, her analytical mind spotting the inconsistencies in the sabotage attempts that others might overlook. Violet provides the necessary intuition; her quiet observation of the other racers allows her to pick up on nervous body language and interpersonal friction. Benny, while often the source of comic relief, possesses a unique perspective that frequently cuts through complex adult behavior to reveal the simple truth of a situation. Their collective asset is their absolute trust in one another, which allows them to divide and conquer when investigating the various suspects among the other racers and event staff.

The themes of the novel center on sportsmanship, the nature of competition, and the importance of integrity. The book explores how the desire to win can warp an individual's moral compass, leading to the destructive behavior seen in the saboteur. It also highlights the resilience of the children, who choose to prioritize safety and fairness over personal glory. These themes are woven into the plot through the contrast between the Boxcar Children’s teamwork and the cutthroat, suspicious behavior of the other participants. For those who enjoyed the mystery-solving mechanics and the focus on youth-led investigation in "The Great Bicycle Race Mystery," I recommend "The Mystery of the Missing Map" by Gertrude Chandler Warner or "The Westing Game" by Ellen Raskin.

[Xyra]

The Boxcar Children series is a lot of fun!

If you like The Hardy Boys or Nancy Drew then you will like these mysteries. they are shorter and geared to a young reader, but they flow well and tell a good story. it's nice to see a family work together to solve a mystery. However, if you are the type of person who doesn't like optimistic characters with a positive outlook on misfortune, then these books are not for you.

The writing style is comfortable with a nice flow. The characters are friendly and intelligent and respectful of others. There are a few illustrations, very nice pencil sketches, that accentuate different scenes throughout the story.

This was a good read and a fun one!

[Joseph D.]

Book 76 of the Boxcar Children series. This was a fun one as it was a mystery where the perpetrator actually went after the Alden children to some extent. Some of the stuff done could have injured people, albeit it is kept lighthearted. Good strong mystery with environmental undertones. Good demonstration of getting involved.

Joseph McKnight
http://www.Josephmcknight.com

[Cherish Brown]

(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]

Kids try to do good and save a mountain, but of course jerk adults ruin it with sabotage and a mystery.

[GheenGirls]

Turtle: Great! Wants to read again before returning to the library.

[Charles Reed]

72%

I guess nobody told them titanium bikes are awful.

[Danny Mcalister]

Gertrude Chandler Warner is one of my most esteemed authors. I hold her in high regard and would rate her a perfect 10 out of 10.

[Kim Hampton]

Another great mystery.

[Mary]

my 8 year old loved it. My 5 year old also enjoyed it.

[Angel Mouser]

I liked how this mystery was simple but realistic.

[Oumou]

Today I am going to write about a book that I just read i hope you like it.



The book I just read is called The Great Bicycle Race Mystery and the author is Gertrude Chandler Warner. The story talks about five siblings that love riding bikes. Who are Henry, Jessy, Violet, and Benny. They want to save their favorite park. They rode their bikes to save Eagle Mountain which is the park's name and their grandfather is joining them to raise money for the park because a developer, her name is Ma Whatney is trying to buy the park from the owner of the park she wants to cut down mos of the trees, and put in lots of roads and a golf course and a lot of huge house.

One of the main characters that I would liker most as a friend is Henry because firs he is courageous and second his is very supportive with his siblings.


I really want to tell the whole story, but I can't you have to read it to find out the solution of the story and understand how was it possible.

I really liked the book because it matches with my friend's life experience.

Their is a book that is very similar to this one it is called Lips Touch Three Times.

[Cws]

JMAR4-War

[Rebecca]

One of my favorite childhood series. I read over a hundred of them. The first 50 or so were in order; after that I read whatever book I could get my hands on :)

[Angie]

Lizzie rated this 4*
Abbie gave it 5*

[Kathy]

Another fun day with the kiddies and the boxcar children.

[Laura]

great when ur little