All About the Boxcar Children Mysteries Book Series
Every child should grow up reading the Boxcar Children Mysteries Book Series! These timeless books capture the hearts of young children with heart-warming characters and captivating plots. This series would make a wonderful addition to your home library!
Summary of the Boxcar Children Mysteries
The renowned Boxcar Children series, originally written by Gertrude Chandler Warner is a great series for your kids to grow up loving!
The orphaned Alden family, Henry (14), Jesse (12), Violet (10), and Benny Alden(6), after having run away because they were being sent to an assumedly cruel grandfather’s house, find a mysterious end of a freight train on the coast of New England in a forest in which all their grand adventures begin.
Although the entire series suggests it, the original story is the only one with the children living in the safe place of the boxcar. After the first book, they slowly become young detectives, cracking numerous mysteries and solving problems.
They commit themselves to the hard work required to care and provide for the younger siblings, stumbling upon many mysteries along the way that sparked many of the novels in the series. Their adventures go from surprising discoveries, uncovering an amazing secret and strange things from the Revolutionary War to a run-down ranch, a bad storm, and a mysterious Aunt Jane.
It will surely captivate your children’s imagination, and they will soon be turning the pages with eager anticipation for a read of the next book!
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Books in the Series
The Boxcar Children mysteries consists of 162 books, including quite a few extra specials and side-series. The first nineteen listed below are all written by the original author, Gertrude Chandler Warner, and the rest were written by a different group of authors.
- The Boxcar Children
- Surprise Island
- The Yellow House Mystery
- Mystery Ranch
- Mike’s Mystery
- Blue Bay Mystery
- Woodshed Mystery
- Lighthouse Mystery
- Mountain Top Mystery
- Schoolhouse Mystery
- Caboose Mystery
- Houseboat Mystery
- Snowbound Mystery
- Tree House Mystery
- Bicycle Mystery
- Mystery in the Sand
- Mystery Behind the Wall
- Bus Station Mystery
- Benny Uncovers A Mystery
- Albert Whitman Company
- Warner, Gertrude Chandler (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 672 Pages – 09/01/1990 (Publication Date) – Random House Books for Young Readers (Publisher)
About the Author Gertrude Chandler Warner
This American author created the first 19 books of The Boxcar Children inspired by her childhood dream of wanting to live in a train car. She lived in Connecticut, and with World War I approaching, became a 1st grade teacher, although she never finished high school because of an illness. She wrote many other children’s books along with the Boxcar Children mysteries.
What age is the Boxcar Children series for?
All my kids have at least read the first few books and loved them! The readability grade range is probably from about age 6-12 (1st- 4th grade), depending on the child’s interests and level of reading. They are a great series to start kids on to help them continue learning to read.
Themes in the Boxcar Children Book Series
The Alden children learn and serve selflessly alongside many of their friends, putting others’ happiness before their own. They creatively work to live a lively and innocent life together.
The Alden family characters are relatable to kids and the lessons they learn as well. The lasting impression throughout the entire series is the brave siblings’ love for each other. They focus on the needs of their brothers and sisters, working to stay a closely-knit family.
Using the Boxcar Children Book Series in your Homeschool
If you are a new homeschooler or have young children, this would be an excellent starter book series to read aloud to your kids. The chapters are short so they will be able to keep your kids attention easily. I would read the first book to them to introduce them to the fascinating fictional world of the Alden family and Warner’s style of writing. Keep reading and soon your kids will want to read the books for themselves.
The Boxcar Children Mysteries are excellent books to give to a new reader. When my kids are ready to begin reading books on their own, I choose books with larger fonts, illustrations, and less text per page. This helps them slowly transition from picture books to chapter books.
We start with books like Frog and Toad by Arnold Lobel or Little Bear Stories by Else Homelund Minark. Next comes the Boxcar Children Books! This series is perfect to bridge the gap for kids who want to read chapter books.
The Boxcar Children Book Series on TV
After reading a few of these books, your kids will be sure to love the TV show on the Boxcar Children which you can find on Apple TV, Amazon Prime, and Surprise Island full movie is currently free on YouTube.
- Warner, Gertrude Chandler (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 1760 Pages – 09/01/2010 (Publication Date) – Random House Books for Young Readers (Publisher)
Don’t let your kids miss this incredible book series. Follow the Alden family on all their episodes as they solve mysteries, experiencing unforgettable adventures together! Your children will love these books!
