The Boxcar Children # 1

The Boxcar Children #1

by Getrude Chandler Warner

So far the best thing about doing this blog is I'm discovering all sorts of books where I ask, "Why haven't I read this one before?"  I asked that question after the reading my first Nancy Drew book, after my first Hardy Boys book, and now after reading my first Boxcar Children book.  While I anticipate reading more from all three series, I think I liked the Boxcar Children the best.  The four Alden orphans are amazingly hardworking, resourceful, and fun.


Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny are orphans on the run from their wicked grandfather whom they've never met.  They decide their best bet to remain a family is to set up house in an abandoned boxcar.  They use a brook to wash,  a waterfall as a refrigerator, a public fountain for water, empty milk bottles to store water, and eating utensils they found at the dump to create the necessities of home. In addition they create their own broom to clean with, a cart for Benny to play with, and a book to teach Benny to read.  I just loved to see what they would come up with next. The way they took advantage of every little item reminded me of two series I did read as a child, The Borrowers and The Littles and a newer book I've recently read, Masterpiece.


While this book was mainly about the hardworking and resourceful nature of the four Alden children which kept wondering if they could make it on their own,  there was also the mystery of their grandfather.  Why was he considered so evil? Why exactly were the Alden children hiding from him?  Would their grandfather ever track them done? If he did what would happen?  Was he like Count Olaf in the Series of Unfortunate Events.


One aspect that I think today's readers will find interesting is how the Alden orphans took advantage of every little thing they came across.  They found four wheels in the dump and turned it into a cart.  They treated slightly broken cups like little treasures.  Recently my son bought a cup at a rummage sale.  He dropped it on the floor when we got home and it shattered.  We threw it out.  I can't imagine the Alden orphans throwing anything out.  


I'm extremely excited about this book and was thrilled to see one of my students reading a book from the series this past week.  I hope to find time to read book 2 soon.  I want to see how the conclusion of book 1 leads them into new adventures.  


First published in 1942

Reading Level: Slightly Easier Than Fifth Grade Level

Genre: Mystery

Locations: classroom library, school library, Grace A. Dow, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble.