The Boxcar Children Books 1-4 [BOX SET] (Paperback)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

The paperback editions of The Boxcar Children Mysteries: #1, The Boxcar Children; #2, Surprise Island; #3, The Yellow House Mystery; and #4, Mystery Ranch are offered together in a cardboard case.

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.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company (September 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0807508543
• ISBN-13: 978-0807508541
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.4 x 1.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (89 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,271 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #1 in	Books > Children's Books > Series > Mystery & Detective > The Boxcar Children
  #6 in	Books > Children's Books > People & Places > Family Life > Orphans & Foster Homes
  #12 in	Books > Children's Books > People & Places > Family Life > Siblings > Fiction

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

144 of 144 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Four plucky orphans take on the world, September 25, 2004

By	Kona (Emerald City) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This pleasant story opens as four tired and hungry siblings, aged 5 to 15, press their noses against a bakery window, eyeing the lovely goodies inside. They have recently lost their parents and are on the run from their mean grandfather, whom they have never met. They find an abandoned boxcar in the woods, set up housekeeping, and live quite happily on berries, bread, and a little meat bought with the oldest boy's gardening pay. Life is very good until one of the girls becomes sick and they must tell an adult about where they live.

The book was written in the 1942 by a teacher who cleverly used only the 500 most common words in the English language to create a very easy to read, yet exciting, beginning chapter book for 7 and 8 year olds. Most of the story concerns the children's sense of fun and boundless resourcefulness, as they take care of themselves, all the while being cheerful and thankful for what they have. Children who are ready for a chapter book will be delighted to find this one is very easy to read. They will enjoy the children's adventure of living in the woods without adults, and, of course, it has a very happy ending. This book is the first (and I think the best) of a very long series of adventures for the Boxcar Children.

45 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Give your child a love for reading, January 23, 2004

By	Amanda Porick "Mandie Porick" (Wheaton, IL) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I read these books in 3rd grade. I'm 25 now. I still think fondly about the times when I read the Boxcar Children series. I still remember the vivid explaination by Gertrude Chandler Warner of the treasures the children find including a cup with a chip in it that they use to survive while living in the boxcar.

This is one of the many books that helped me develop a great love for reading. As an educator, I can now say that this is one of the literary gems out there that is timeless for students (and adults) of all ages to enjoy.

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Boxcar Children was the first book I ever read: I was 7., February 28, 1998

By A Customer

I still recall with some clarity the closeness I felt to the children as I made my way through this book in the second grade. I remember that I was fully immersed, and that I immediately checked out other books in search of a similar experience. I became a reader for life. Many times I have wondered if this was an out-of-print title, a well known book, or simply an obscure children's adventure which happened to be in our Holy Cross School library in Mendota, Il. On a whim, I stopped into Amazon and I was ecstatic to learn that it is a classic, and that I can(and will) purchase the entire series for my own children.