The Giant Yo-Yo Mystery

The Boxcar Children #107

by Gertrude Chandler Warner, Robert Papp

The Aldens are helping one of Grandfather's friends break a world record by building the world's largest yo-yo! But someone follows them, and then the plans for the yo-yo turn up missing. Someone is trying to sabotage the yo-yo before it's launched!

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

124 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

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

[Angelo Kuntz · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Giant Yo-Yo Mystery.

The Alden family Henry, Jessie, Violet, Benny and James their grandfather are sitting at home. When Benny shouts, “Hey guys. I just beat my record of 42. It’s now 57.” “For what?” Violet asked. “For making this yo-yo go up and down” replied Benny.

“Speaking of yo-yos” said their grandfather, “I know a person who is trying to make the world’s largest yo-yo.” Henry asked if they could go see him so James took them to Jeff’s shop. When they got there, Jeff greeted them and told them to come in.

Emily was inside helping Jeff make the yo-yo. The children asked if they could help. Jeff said that they could by turning on the camera and filming. Benny said he could do that. He went over to the camera and tried to turn it on but it didn’t turn on.

“There’s no flash card in here” Benny said. “What do you mean?” said Jeff. “I swear I kept the same flash card in there.”

They looked everywhere but couldn’t find it Violet asked if he had another flash card. He said he did and took it out.

When the Alden family left a gray station wagon followed them until James pulled over.

The next morning they went to the shop and Jeff was talking to a lady named Ms Thornton. She was saying that she would do anything to stop him from building the yo-yo.

When they finished Henry called their grandfather and asked them if he and his siblings could go to the library. He said they could so they went to the library and read some books. In one of the books it said that Erik Thornton had tried to build the world’s largest yo-yo but the attempt failed.

The day of the launch they brought the yo-yo to the park with a truck. And a 200 foot crane lifted it up from the cord and at the top, the crane let go and the yo-yo fell down and at the bottom it started back up again. It repeated eight times before it stayed at the bottom. It was a success.

[Joseph D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 107 of the Boxcar Children. At first I thought ok now we can make a mystery if anything, but instead I was pleasantly surprised. This little book is about forgiveness and moving on whenever we feel hurt. It also addresses the extent that people will go to when they want to succeed even at another’s expense. Really good one, wouldn’t miss it as part of the series.

Joseph McKnight
http://www.josephmcknight.com

[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.

[Kathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Adventures in woodworking, microfiche and sabotage.

[Charles Reed · Rating 4 out of 5]

83%

Giant yo-yo yo!

[Linda Branich · Rating 5 out of 5]

Henry, 14, Jesse, 12, Violet, 8, and Benny, 6, once ran away after their parents' deaths and chose to live in a boxcar rather than face the unknown with their Grandfather. Much time has passed and they are happily living with him. The boxcar has been moved to his yard.

In this 107th book, the children visit one of their grandfather's friends who is a woodworker and more skilled with a yo-yo than the grandfather. Benny has a yo-yo and wants to learn tricks. Jeff Naylor can do more than teach tricks-- he is attempting to gain a place in the McGinness Book of Records by building the world's biggest working yo-yo, but soon after the children begin helping him there is sabotage. Will Jeff be able to complete the task?

As always, The Bocar Children books deliver good moral values and a sense of strong family ties, fair play, hard work paying off, honesty, friendship, teamwork, resourcefulness, and much more.

This is a wonderful, almost timeless series for elementary aged children. Even though the author died in 1979, her books are enjoyed by young people even today. My children read them, and now my grandchildren are reading them. They love the adventures and mysteries found in each book.

I highly recommend reading the first book first, just to get the history. It really is not white necessary to read them in order, but it doesn't hurt.

[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 :)

This one was the worst boxcar book I read. It had some serious editing issues. I remember being to frustrated with it. I'm surprised I finished it!

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I want to read this one. I don't know anything about it.
~Beth

[Mrs. Bahns · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this book someone is trying to build a giant Yo-Yo. Apperently someone else wants to first and takes things to make it.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is a good book but there are no interesting vocabulary .