The Ice Cream Mystery

The Boxcar Children #94

by Gertrude Chandler Warner, Hodges Soileau (Illustrations)

The Aldens are helping out at the Greenfield Ice Cream Barn. They are learning to make ice cream and creating some new fun flavors. But they soon notice that the ice cream isn’t the only thing getting mixed up at the Ice Cream Barn. It appears someone wants to shut the shop down! Can the Boxcar Children sort out this sticky mess before the Ice Cream Barn gets licked?

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

122 pages, ebook

First published January 1, 2003

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

[Courtney]

This story was a quick read. It started with an ice cream wagon coming down the Alden's street, and they came close to the owners. So when the owners start having things happen to their shop and their horse, the Alden's have no problem helping them find the suspect. In the end, they solve the mystery, and the shop owners make a new ice cream called Mystery Ice Cream.

[V. Arrow]

Gotta say, from the title, I was not expecting a horse thief.

[Rhonda D.]

The Boxcar Children are at it again. Mysterious things are happening at the ice cream shop when the owners take on a delivery route. Is it a former employee, a potential rival or someone else? Closed signes on an open shop, fliers stolen, and a horse taken. Will the Boxcar Children save the day in time??!!

[Joseph D.]

Book 94 of the Boxcar Children. This time someone is out to put the local ice cream shop out of business. With plenty of suspects and worse things happening it is up to the Boxcar Children to solve the mystery before the ice cream shop is put out of business. Overall a fun read and leaves us wondering how any of them small town shops survive. A book to hold up in support of local and small businesses. Loyal customers help them stay in business.

Joseph McKnight
http://www.josephmcknight.com

[Lorraine]

Completely solid as a chapter book. The mystery was engaging enough that Fiona was intrigued to find out whodunnit. Good vocabulary. The prose and dialogue sound natural rather than way too babyish. I was not bored to tears.

[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.

[Anna]

Awesome!

[aem]

cute, but bad behaviour is accepted???

[Charles Reed]

78%
The ice cream business is cold, so this is the 2nd ice cream shop Mystery, yeah?

[Samuel]

This was good. But It made me want ice cream!

[Chelsea]

Read aloud with Anna

[Kim Hampton]

Another great book in this series. This one had a lot of suspects, so it was really fun trying to figure out who-dun-it!

[Kristin]

I'm starting with #94 because we happen to have it in the house. I can't remember what I thought of these as a kid, but as an adult the Alden children sure seem like an independent, do-good group of kids. Reading this was like stepping back in time. They ride their bikes, eat ice cream, make some friends and use their smarts to solve a mystery along the way. In the end they even show compassion for the bad guy. Aww. Wholesome entertainment. Added bonus: I predict that my daughter's going to love the horse!

[Tingkuanh]

I think this book is awsome because there were wonderful ideas in this book.There were fantastic and intresting ideas to catch the thief made out of yong characters in the book.Thats why I like it.

[Ashley Vaughan]

Makes me want to see one of those old ice cream wagons.:0 MMMMMMMM!!!!! :):)

[Ashley]

great book very interaging

[Laura]

great when ur little