The Mystery on Blizzard Mountain

The Boxcar Children #86

by Gertrude Chandler Warner

The Aldens help to blaze a new trail on Blizzard Mountain where rumors tell of buried treasure. But something strange is going on--supplies go missing, strange noises are heard in the woods, and a member of their group disappears!

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

122 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2002

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

[Nader Nate · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book takes place in winter in the mountains and I recommend to read it in winter season.
as usual the characters are lovely and adorable nothing new except that I felt some maturity in them
There are two mysteries in this one and one is not resolved and i like this idea, also I liked the atmosphere of the story and the description of the snowy mountains and cabins and the side characters too, In the end, even if the mystery in this story was not the best, the characters, atmosphere, and easy writing style made me admire this book.
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#VERDICT
(7.3/10)

[Leah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one takes place in winter in the mountains. The story involves missing gold and trail blazing. The mystery involves a museum robbery. The children go hiking with a friend of their grandfather's. They have some trouble on the mountain but are still able to solve the mystery. This one isn't as exciting as some of the other stories.

[Bailey Marissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

As I'm reading this as an adult, I'm seeing they have an ability to write suspense at the right time without moving into over-the-top.

Recommended 8+ for scary sitautions.

[Kasey Loftis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was another good one in the series but not really a favorite. I enjoyed the atmosphere of the snowy mountains, cabins, and hiking. As I've said in a few other reviews, it's always a bit annoying that as soon as the children find the culprit, the person is immediately so apologetic and remorseful. And they always get off the hook with nothing. The guy literally stole from a museum. That's some pretty heavy prison time but he got absolutely nothing.

[Joseph D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 86 of the Boxcar Children. This was a fun mystery that is very young kid friendly. Fun mountain adventure. There are two mysteries in this one and one is not resolved. It will be interesting if we come back to this venue. Overall, this is what we have come to expect and it is a solid story. ​

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.

[Library Queen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actually pretty solid for being so short

[Adam Carman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listened to this for a trip down memory lane. Not a great work of literature but always fun to revisit.

[Kim Hampton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great mystery in this series.

[Mikayla · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was so bland it hurt.

[Gabrielle Koizumi · Rating 3 out of 5]

The twist at the end was interesting and less predictable than other boxcar children books, but the lack of justice or arrest is a weird message to send.

[Sy Ewoniuk · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read The Boxcar Children Mystery on Blizzard Mountain by Gertrude Chandler Warner. I finished this book 9/12/12. This book is a mystery. What I like about this book is that it kept me on my heels. There was always twist and turns and was really suspenseful. There was a time in the book where there food and Henry's boots dissapered and spooky noises were outside the cabin. I would use the words amazing, suspenseful, and cool. Yes I would read more books by this author. I plan on reading more in the future. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes teenagers and mysteries.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

William liked it enough...He asked questions while I was reading it, etc. But, at times he got really bored with the book. There wasn't enough action for him. I loved the boxcar children when I was young and I thought he would too, but it doesn't seem like it was his favorite. Maybe i'll read him some fantasy children's books and he'll like them better.

[Monique the Book Geek · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars - I read several Boxcar Children series books when I was a kid... This book is reminiscent of Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys, with younger characters, geared toward a bit of a younger audience. This is a quick read that I enjoyed and likely enjoyed more in my youth.

With "blizzard" in its title, I read this to fulfill the March Mystery Madness "weather" prompt in 2021.

[Charles Reed · Rating 2 out of 5]

40%

There was like, no description of the snow at all, just like last time.

[ana grace]

Regardless of the fact that I laughed during the parts that were supposed to scary, I thoroughly enjoyed rereading this book. It may not have amazing as I thought it was in elementary school but it was an interesting reading experience nonetheless.

[Kara Kuehl · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book was very good! I really enjoyed the plot. It was entertaining, mysterious, and unexpected. The only reason it’s not 5 stars is because of the haunted factor they added to the book. I feel like the book would have been better without it.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The children are helping a young ranger map out a new trail on Bizzard Mtn, but someone seems to be trying to stop them. Supposedly there is a treasure buried there by a long-ago avalanche. When the museum in town is robbed, the two seem to tie together.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

great when ur little

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was all right, but the mystery wasn't the best. We enjoyed book #1 and book #46 much better than this one.

[Tyson Baker · Rating 1 out of 5]

It was very scary.

[Hillvan]

460L

[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 :)

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

Much better than the last one that was picked out to read. This one had my girls on edge and worried up until the end.

[Stacie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The adults are really jerks this time, but that doesn't stop the kids from giving them a beat down, boots or no boots.

[Julia]

A fun read with a young friend.

[Jessica Dudenhofer Beery · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun audiobook during our road trip to Iowa.