The Mystery of the Haunted Boxcar

The Boxcar Children #100

by Gertrude Chandler Warner (Creator), Hodges Soileau

The Aldens' boxcar is the perfect place for games, picnics, sleepovers, and fun. But is it also the perfect place for ghosts? When strange things start happening there, Benny is convinced that the boxcar is haunted. Will the Boxcar Children be able to scare away the ghost...or is it good-bye to their boxcar?

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

128 pages, Library Binding

First published January 1, 2004

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

[Natelle Woodworth · Rating 5 out of 5]

My kids’ favorite so far! This one was so fun!

[Shannon Ferguson · Rating 4 out of 5]

My little boy read this together and loved it. Adding to my list to keep this sweet memory popping up.

[Sam Kuntz · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Mystery of the Haunted Boxcar is about Violet, Jesse, Benny, and Henry’s boxcar which seems haunted. One night, they see strange lights coming out of the boxcar and then they go look for clues. The next day they find a book in the boxcar. They soon find someone is doing something to the boxcar. The group finds some kicked over chairs in the boxcar and know that someone is up to no good. I have liked the boxcar children series. I hope you read this book. – Sam Kuntz

[Ariel · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The Mystery of the Haunted Boxcar" is such a spooky and fun book! The Alden kids have this awesome boxcar that they use for all kinds of cool stuff like games and sleepovers. But then weird things start happening, like strange noises and things moving on their own. Benny, one of the Alden kids, thinks the boxcar might be haunted! Ahh!

I loved this book because it's a real mystery! The Alden kids have to figure out if there really is a ghost in their boxcar or if something else is going on. They use clues and work together to solve the mystery. It's like being a detective with them!

The best part is that even though it's kind of spooky, it's not too scary. It's just the right amount of creepy and exciting. Plus, it's cool to see how the Alden kids use their smarts to solve the mystery and keep their boxcar safe.

If you like ghost stories and mysteries, "The Mystery of the Haunted Boxcar" is the perfect book for you! It's full of thrills and twists that'll keep you turning the pages until the very end!

[Joseph D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 100 of Boxcar Children. This is a fun innocent mystery suitable for even the more delicate of young readers and a great opportunity to introduce them to mysteries. That said there is nothing like a mystery in your own backyard. This was a wonderful nostalgic book as the series celebrates the century mark. A lot of this novel harkens back to book one but keeps it fresh too. Masterfully done!​

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 really enjoy when they investigate something that brings up stories from the past. Would recommend.

[Jennifer Heise]

This call-back to the original Boxcar Children book is... well, nostalgic. If someone is a fanatic for the Boxcar Children, this is the ultimate completist (but of course you have to ask yourself, when did they have all the time to do all those adventures without everyone growing up?!)

[V. Arrow · Rating 4 out of 5]

You can tell while reading this that it's #100. It was nice to see the series look back at its own roots. However, trying to play off like someone in their mid-50s in the 1990s would have been like, an Edwardian child vagabond, does not math right.

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my favorite series as a kid, so I thought I’d start reading some again. Of course it’s not groundbreaking, but it’s still fun!

[Charles Reed · Rating 4 out of 5]

84%

Yay #100 was nice!

[BrianS 398 · Rating 5 out of 5]

A simple mystery easily solved with a callback to the original books settings. Light hearted and fun.

[Adeline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book!! I absolutely loved it! It’s an easy to read book if you read it in one sitting it would only take about an hour or so.

[Kim Hampton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great mystery.

[Stephanie Stephens · Rating 4 out of 5]

my little 2 really enjoy any of these books

[Lara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like that there were suspicious people next door. And one of them had a great aunt that lived a long time ago...

[Nathan]

great but this was the last book i read

[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 :)

[Doug Bivens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved The Boxcar Children Books when I was younger and still love them. Great read!!

[Stacie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Boxcar children get to learn the history of their boxcar and solve a riddle at the same time!

[Jenna weigelt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book

IDK but it is one really good book I started the book after school . and finished it in 2 hours