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The Boxcar Children #82
The Summer Camp Mystery
Henry, Jessie, Violet and Bennie Alden arrive at Camp Seagull, eager to begin a new week of making friENDs and participate in the annual camp Olympics. But someone is determined that they won’t win! Can they find out who before the Olympics is ruined for everyone?
Audio Cassette
First published January 1, 2001
About the author
Gertrude Chandler Warner
592 books785 followersGertrude 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/...
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
September 8, 2015
For my one-hundredth review, I knew I had to do something special, so I decided to return to the deep past and tell a funny childhood story.
Once upon a time, when I approximately seven years old, I was at my Michigan grandparents' house for a week in the summer. One afternoon, my cousin Erik and I played in the backyard with our Uncle Steve, taking turns hiding and finding our flip flops and Erik's large stuffed Spongebob. This was fun for a while, but I eventually got tired of it. I saw that Erik was walking on both feet again, so I assumed he had found the shoe I had hidden. "Can we play hide and seek now?" I asked. I heard them say 'yes,' so I told one of them to count and dashed off to find a hiding place. I settled in under my grandparents' solid desk, sitting down in the opening for the chair.
After a while, I got bored of waiting for them to find me, so I dashed out of my hiding place to grab this book. I read it under the desk, and liked it very much; I had never been to camp before, and even though I was terribly shy and had no interest in overnight camp, I was curious to read about it. Also, I distinctly recall liking an illustration of Jessie in a shark costume.
When I had finished the novel, no one had found me, though I had heard someone calling my name once and had ignored them like the good hide and seek player I was. I figured that the others had forgotten, or maybe Grandma had waylaid them with cookies. I went around the house looking for them, but no one was there, so I went outside. Everyone was in the yard, looking around. When my mom saw me, she turned around and said in a stressed voice that I perceived as fury, "Where have you BEEN all this time?" I explained that we had been playing hide and seek. She told me that Erik's parents had arrived to take him home, and they still had not found his flip-flop from the last time I had hidden it!
I was absolutely dumbfounded. The whole time I was hiding and reading an entire Boxcar Children mystery, they had been looking for his shoe? I would have felt proud of my hiding skills if everyone had not turned on me with dismay and frustration. "Do you remember where you hid it?" "We got everybody out here to look, and we kept asking where you were, but no one knew!" "We've been looking for ages!" "Where did you hide it?"
"I hid it in the big weed bush."
"What? What 'big weed bush?'"
"The one by the side of the house! The big weed bush!"
No one knew what I was talking about, so Mom suggested that I show them. I led the crowd around to the large, green, leafy plant by the side of the house. "In here!"
There were mingled cries of "That's the rhubarb bush!" and "How will we find it in there?!" Shaken by all this attention and angst, I reached inside the plant and pulled out the grey flipflop. Everyone was enormously relieved, and Erik's parents could finally take him home. They were glad I had located the shoe with such ease, but despite the resolution and my feeling of innocence, I still got scolded. Also, Grandma was visibly affronted that I had called her rhubarb plant "a big weed bush." I was just ignorant... I didn't mean to offend her impeccable lawn care, and it upset me that she was so miffed.
I recently told this story to a friend, and she giggled, "You were like, 'dishonor on me, dishonor on my cow!'" Yes. Yes. That is exactly how I felt.
Once upon a time, when I approximately seven years old, I was at my Michigan grandparents' house for a week in the summer. One afternoon, my cousin Erik and I played in the backyard with our Uncle Steve, taking turns hiding and finding our flip flops and Erik's large stuffed Spongebob. This was fun for a while, but I eventually got tired of it. I saw that Erik was walking on both feet again, so I assumed he had found the shoe I had hidden. "Can we play hide and seek now?" I asked. I heard them say 'yes,' so I told one of them to count and dashed off to find a hiding place. I settled in under my grandparents' solid desk, sitting down in the opening for the chair.
After a while, I got bored of waiting for them to find me, so I dashed out of my hiding place to grab this book. I read it under the desk, and liked it very much; I had never been to camp before, and even though I was terribly shy and had no interest in overnight camp, I was curious to read about it. Also, I distinctly recall liking an illustration of Jessie in a shark costume.
When I had finished the novel, no one had found me, though I had heard someone calling my name once and had ignored them like the good hide and seek player I was. I figured that the others had forgotten, or maybe Grandma had waylaid them with cookies. I went around the house looking for them, but no one was there, so I went outside. Everyone was in the yard, looking around. When my mom saw me, she turned around and said in a stressed voice that I perceived as fury, "Where have you BEEN all this time?" I explained that we had been playing hide and seek. She told me that Erik's parents had arrived to take him home, and they still had not found his flip-flop from the last time I had hidden it!
I was absolutely dumbfounded. The whole time I was hiding and reading an entire Boxcar Children mystery, they had been looking for his shoe? I would have felt proud of my hiding skills if everyone had not turned on me with dismay and frustration. "Do you remember where you hid it?" "We got everybody out here to look, and we kept asking where you were, but no one knew!" "We've been looking for ages!" "Where did you hide it?"
"I hid it in the big weed bush."
"What? What 'big weed bush?'"
"The one by the side of the house! The big weed bush!"
No one knew what I was talking about, so Mom suggested that I show them. I led the crowd around to the large, green, leafy plant by the side of the house. "In here!"
There were mingled cries of "That's the rhubarb bush!" and "How will we find it in there?!" Shaken by all this attention and angst, I reached inside the plant and pulled out the grey flipflop. Everyone was enormously relieved, and Erik's parents could finally take him home. They were glad I had located the shoe with such ease, but despite the resolution and my feeling of innocence, I still got scolded. Also, Grandma was visibly affronted that I had called her rhubarb plant "a big weed bush." I was just ignorant... I didn't mean to offend her impeccable lawn care, and it upset me that she was so miffed.
I recently told this story to a friend, and she giggled, "You were like, 'dishonor on me, dishonor on my cow!'" Yes. Yes. That is exactly how I felt.
January 23, 2017
First: Don't give this to your kids to make them comfortable with going to camp. Camp Seagull is a nightmare.
Henry and Jesse are 12- and 14-year-old junior counselors with no training or experience, who are immediately placed in charge of groups of younger kids, because that's a good idea. Of course, they perform adequately because this is a Boxcar Children book, but the camp director, who allowed this to happen, is sensibly wary of their incompetence mid-book and talks to them about it, despite being a fictional adult who shouldn't be allowed to direct a sandwich.
On the first day of camp, at the ferry to Claw Island, Henry, Jesse, Violet, and Benny meet Kim, who's a bitch. She hates them a lot and is mean and tries to undermine Jesse. Proving that Kim is undermining Jesse (and Henry) in the Seagull Olympics is the conflict of the book. The Seagull Olympics, oh yes! Because whoever ghost-wrote this decided to use the first part of the as a structure for camp. The Seagull and Dolphin groups are locked in a balls-out, arbitrary, and meticulously scored competition with each other, like Hogwarts if every time Harry ate a meal, everyone else at the table was bullying him about the consumption of his meal as it achieved or deducted points from Gryffindor.
Basically, Camp Seagull is a terrible place run by irresponsible adults where the Boxcar Children get all the attention to the point where most of the other campers don't even have names.
This has confirmed all my suspicions of post-the first Boxcar Children books. I've heard that #2-#20 are decent and I might get around to them someday. But no one was having fun at camp in this book, so it wasn't fun. It was rather depressing.
Henry and Jesse are 12- and 14-year-old junior counselors with no training or experience, who are immediately placed in charge of groups of younger kids, because that's a good idea. Of course, they perform adequately because this is a Boxcar Children book, but the camp director, who allowed this to happen, is sensibly wary of their incompetence mid-book and talks to them about it, despite being a fictional adult who shouldn't be allowed to direct a sandwich.
On the first day of camp, at the ferry to Claw Island, Henry, Jesse, Violet, and Benny meet Kim, who's a bitch. She hates them a lot and is mean and tries to undermine Jesse. Proving that Kim is undermining Jesse (and Henry) in the Seagull Olympics is the conflict of the book. The Seagull Olympics, oh yes! Because whoever ghost-wrote this decided to use the first part of the as a structure for camp. The Seagull and Dolphin groups are locked in a balls-out, arbitrary, and meticulously scored competition with each other, like Hogwarts if every time Harry ate a meal, everyone else at the table was bullying him about the consumption of his meal as it achieved or deducted points from Gryffindor.
Basically, Camp Seagull is a terrible place run by irresponsible adults where the Boxcar Children get all the attention to the point where most of the other campers don't even have names.
This has confirmed all my suspicions of post-the first Boxcar Children books. I've heard that #2-#20 are decent and I might get around to them someday. But no one was having fun at camp in this book, so it wasn't fun. It was rather depressing.
July 8, 2021
Always a good time reading these books with the kiddies. They like trying to figure things out and I love how it makes us all try to figure out the mystery.
August 23, 2023
I have read 82 books so far in the boxcar children series for my English studies and this book is the worst in the series.
It shows the ugliness of humanity. Of course, the Alden children were good kids, but I felt suddenly their personalities seem to have changed. They should have complained properly about the suitcases, the Big Idea competition, the flags, and her frequently disappearing campmate. But strangely enough they didn't, so the problems just piled up. Benny was hardly noticeable in this story. This story is not a mystery but a record of bad memories at the campsite.
It shows the ugliness of humanity. Of course, the Alden children were good kids, but I felt suddenly their personalities seem to have changed. They should have complained properly about the suitcases, the Big Idea competition, the flags, and her frequently disappearing campmate. But strangely enough they didn't, so the problems just piled up. Benny was hardly noticeable in this story. This story is not a mystery but a record of bad memories at the campsite.
May 18, 2016
I liked it because I like mysteries. My favorite part was when the Dolphins won best costume. ~Kai, Age 7
October 5, 2024
Decent, low stakes mystery for children. Interesting that in some ways in this one the good fortune that sets up the Aldens' vacation is what leads to people targeting them in the mysterious sabotage. While the Aldens are as usual unaware of the motivation, they rectify it once made aware, and that is a good lesson for all.
June 30, 2023
Book 82 of the Boxcar Children. This mystery focuses on sportsmanship more than anything. This one was very straightforward and not as many twists. Nonetheless it is well written and a fun little work.
Joseph McKnight
http://www.josephmcknight.com
Joseph McKnight
http://www.josephmcknight.com
October 17, 2024
(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.
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.
March 11, 2022
I read this to my third grade class and they loved it!
June 14, 2023
48%
Your team is supposed to be penalized for individual actions, that's the point.
Your team is supposed to be penalized for individual actions, that's the point.
May 28, 2024
This was a cute, quick middle grade mystery.
October 21, 2024
This particular book was a lot easier to figure out than the others I've read. I still enjoyed it though.
June 29, 2022
Book Review
“The Boxcar Children: #82 The Summer Camp Mystery” by Gertrude Chandler Warner.
Rating: 3.5/5
Thoughts
Back in November, my students and I participated in a school event called “Read Your Heart Out Day.” The goal was to start and finish a book in one day!
I was so proud of my students this year because we not only read ONE whole book we almost finished TWO whole books!!!
I have never read this series before, but I enjoyed reading it to my students. I hope to eventually read more books in the series. I would definitely recommend this book to students in 3rd & 4th grade students.
Synopsis: Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny are off to Camp Seagull. They are excited about the annual camp Olympics, until things start going horribly wrong. They lose their luggage, the camp flag disappears and someone seems to be stealing all their ideas. The Boxcar Children are determined to get to the bottom of this case!
If you enjoy books as much as I do, you can follow me on Instagram at @a_classy_rebel_reader for more book reviews and bookish content!
#TheBoxcarChildren #TheSummerCampMystery #GertrudeChandlerWarner #Imaclassyrebelreader #lookatmyclassyrebelread #bookcommunity #instabooks #igreads #igbooks #bookish #books #booksbooksbooks #booklove #bookaesthetic #bookobsessed #reader #reading #Mystery #ChildrensBooks #ReadYourHeartOutDay #TeamDolphins #TeamSeals #CampSeagull #TricksSecretsAndDisguises
“The Boxcar Children: #82 The Summer Camp Mystery” by Gertrude Chandler Warner.
Rating: 3.5/5
Thoughts
Back in November, my students and I participated in a school event called “Read Your Heart Out Day.” The goal was to start and finish a book in one day!
I was so proud of my students this year because we not only read ONE whole book we almost finished TWO whole books!!!
I have never read this series before, but I enjoyed reading it to my students. I hope to eventually read more books in the series. I would definitely recommend this book to students in 3rd & 4th grade students.
Synopsis: Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny are off to Camp Seagull. They are excited about the annual camp Olympics, until things start going horribly wrong. They lose their luggage, the camp flag disappears and someone seems to be stealing all their ideas. The Boxcar Children are determined to get to the bottom of this case!
If you enjoy books as much as I do, you can follow me on Instagram at @a_classy_rebel_reader for more book reviews and bookish content!
#TheBoxcarChildren #TheSummerCampMystery #GertrudeChandlerWarner #Imaclassyrebelreader #lookatmyclassyrebelread #bookcommunity #instabooks #igreads #igbooks #bookish #books #booksbooksbooks #booklove #bookaesthetic #bookobsessed #reader #reading #Mystery #ChildrensBooks #ReadYourHeartOutDay #TeamDolphins #TeamSeals #CampSeagull #TricksSecretsAndDisguises
August 22, 2009
great when ur little
June 22, 2014
Read this with Phineas and McKenna to get them excited about their first time at overnight camp. They both go next week.
December 3, 2016
Kids try to have fun, but some kids are mean and the adults are clueless. Well, screw it all... the kids will find a way to solve it.
December 16, 2022
The narrator did not keep my attention.
February 11, 2026
Read this again and I LOVED it. Still loved Nancy Drew Summer Camp book but this was awesome, too.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews