The Mystery of the Orphan Train

The Boxcar Children #105

by Gertrude Chandler Warner

The Aldens visit an old Kansas inn that's full of secrets! Nobody knows why a famous photographer visited the inn just to take a single picture. And what about the other legendary guest―a heroic young stranger who’d come west on an "orphan train?" The children discover a long lost-riddle that just might solve all these mysteries―if only they can solve it!

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

128 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2005

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

[Janete on hiatus due health issues · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book + Scribd audio. An easy way to improve my English. And this book was very thrilling!

Synopsis: "The Aldens visit an old Kansas inn that's full of secrets! Nobody knows why a famous photographer visited the inn just to take a single picture. And what about the other legendary guest - a heroic young stranger who'd come west on an "orphan train"? A long-lost riddle just might solve all these mysteries!"

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Of the three Boxcar Children books we've read, the others being #1 and #2, I enjoyed the mystery of this one more than the other two, in which setting and character are more of a focus. The pace of the action was quicker. The clues were "clue-ier" than in the other two, so it was more predictable-- perhaps more formulaic as a result of selecting #102 vs. the beginning of the series. The build up of simple clues is good for the boys, since this is their introduction to mysteries, and they need to be led into trying to solve the mystery as we read.

Joey (3) enjoyed this one so much that he asked to pick out a Boxcar Children story for himself. He picked one with "pizza" in the title. Of course. We'll see how well he sits through it.

[Jill · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is # 105 in the Boxcar Children Mystery series. I was in 2nd grade when this series became my favorite book. It wasn't until I starting reading the book to my children that I realized it was an actual series. Each school year I would go down to the 2 grade room and borrow the book from Miss Ott's class room. I wanted books about the Orphan Train and this was one of 2 that showed up in my library search. I just HAD to get it! I think this is a great series to share with your children. A chapter or two each evening, you read one and they read the next. It only took me an hour to read!

[Kasey Loftis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book in the series. I loved the old Victorian bed and breakfast setting. The mystery was fun and I couldn't believe that I didn't catch the name thing. These books have been so fun to revisit and to experience so many different settings and places. The only thing about this one that I didn't like was the use of cell phones. Since the boxcar children have been written over a span of many many years and through so many different time periods, I enjoy technology not being mentioned so that we can picture them at any point-from when they were originally written, during the 60s or during the 90s....whichever time period fits for you!

[Joseph D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 105 of the Boxcar Children series. This fun mystery has a great twist, weird puzzle, and happy ending even if a bit silly in the end. Aside from that I love the spirit of these books showing a willingness to pitch in where needed. The lessons on attitude I feel is lost on a lot of the younger children. The idea of hardworking being its own reward. Spend time with these and you will get a sense of the old virtues we’ve stepped away from. I recommend this one and the whole 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 really enjoy when they solve mysteries from the past. This book has such a great ending.

[Vintagebooklvr · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun children's mystery that includes a little bit of history. The clues leading to a lost mystery are clever but are not impossible to figure out. It was written better than I expected.

[Charles Reed · Rating 4 out of 5]

81%

Stupid but funny, not a real mystery

[Mik · Rating 5 out of 5]

I ABSOLUTELY LOVED this book! It really puts your mystery sleuthing tactics to good use to find out the culprit to this one! Not really even a culprit at all so to speak but a GREAT mystery that was FINALLY solved and good outcome for a person and his beloved family to be resolved too as well! Overall a MUST read(:

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

great when ur little

[K · Rating 3 out of 5]

Better than the usual boxcar fare

[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 :)

[Stacie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The kids get to visit Kansas and solve the riddles, plus learn a little history about Orphan Trains.