The Mystery at Skeleton Point

The Boxcar Children #91

by Gertrude Chandler Warner

While Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny help a friend fix up an old mansion filled with skeletons belonging to the doctor who once lived there, statues begin disappearing from the mansion grounds and a walking skeleton may be the culprit.

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

128 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

[Janete on hiatus due health issues · Rating 3 out of 5]

SYNOPSIS: "The Aldens agree to help Grandfather's friend fix up Skeleton Point, an old mansion. But they never expected what they would find on the grounds of this dilapidated estate. Skeleton Point is filled with old skeletons belonging to its former owner, and townspeople have seen the skeletons walking through the house. Suddenly, the mansion's valuable statues begin to disappear."

[Joseph D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 91 of the Boxcar Children. This was a fun mystery. The children have lots of suspects and many people who just do not want them around. This was a little bit of a break from the norm, but action packed and of course they will have to do their homework to catch the baddies. High recommend. ​

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. I didn't like how the bad guy didn't get turned over to the police at the end. Would recommend.

[Aimee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book as part of a Halloween special set of three Boxcar Children books. It was a pretty good book. I would give it 3.6 stars.

[aem · Rating 3 out of 5]

Helpful and kind Boxcar children...

[Charles Reed · Rating 4 out of 5]

82%

A pretty good and cool mystery

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a quick read and a fun mystery with suspense keeping the story well paced. My 9 and 12 year old kids really got into it. Ending was a bit anticlimactic but we enjoyed it overall.

[V. Arrow · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is like Nancy Drew and the Whispering Statue, Jr.

[Kim Hampton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great addition to the series.

[Theresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adore The Boxcar Children. The children are all sweet and lean on one another.

In this story, Grandfather Alden has taken the kids to see his cousin who has bought a property called Skeleton Point. It's called that because the former owner owned such a collection of bones.

Also in this story are three people who are all making problems for the children. It's up to them to figure out who is stealing all of the things from Charlotte's house.

It has just enough suspense to be a fun mystery for children (and adults like me), who like to figure it out without being scared to death.

[Cassie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is okay/good so far. I think children ages 8-11 can read it. The Boxcar Children is not my favorite series, so that might be the reason of my opinion. You can read it if you are in between the ages that I recommend but, I think that if you are not in between those ages, it is still okay if you want, will, or have read it. So yeah, bye-bye!

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Of all the Boxcar children mysteries we have read so far, this has been my least favorite. It might be okay if you have never read before, but it is way too similar to some of the other Boxcar Children books. (They all follow the same pattern.)

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

"That was a really good one minus there being no cooking." As said by my daughter. It was a very captivating thrill ride for sure.

[Doug Bivens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good slightly spooky story. Good for reading this time of year!(October..)

[Stacie · Rating 4 out of 5]

An empty mansion, lots of skeletons, and missing statues... the kids really will need to put their heads together to solve this mystery!

[Y · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.