"The Boxcar Children" Books & Movies Page at BlackHat Mystery Bookstore

Bestseller children's book "The Boxcar Children" was written in 1924 by Gertrude Chandler Warner [1890-1979] of Connecticut;
she wrote 18 more 'Boxcar Children' books from 1953 to 1976, and other authors-for-hire have written over 100 more since 1991.

The Story The Alder children – Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny – become orphans and overhear adults discussing seperating the children to foster homes, or sending them to an orphanage, or even worse, dumping them with their estranged grandfather. So the four children run away, with their dog Watch. One rainy night on the road, they seek shelter in an abandoned railroad boxcar. Next day, Henry finds work at a bakery in a nearby small town, and they settle in to a secretive life that keeps bringing them mysteries that need solving.
The 1924 version has a broken father carried home to a motherless ramshackle house; he dies a few days later. The 1942 version skips the early story (with a few later backstory explanations), and begins with the four runaway children gazing hungrily into the window of the bakery. {Okay, spoilers:} The 1924 book ends with their steel-magnate grandfather Cordyce holding an athletic contest, which Henry wins. The 1942 version has grandfather Alder posting flyers seeking his four runaway grandchildren; kindly Dr. Moore makes the connection and when Violet gets sick, reunites the family. In both versiosn, they move into grandfather's mansion, and he surprises them by moving their abandoned boxcar to the back of the garden.

History of The Books Gertrude Chandler Warner [1890-1979] lived her entire 89 years in Putnam, Connecticut. She taught school from 1918 to 1950. The first 'Boxcar Children' book was published in 1924 and was medium successful. But Gertrude rewrote the book in 1942 – shortened, more concise, and with a vocabulary reduced to 600 words – and that book was a worldwide bestseller, and has been in print ever since. Gertrude and her sister Frances wrote other books now and then. After retirement, Gertrude revived the 'Boxcar Children' book series and wrote 18 more books from 1953 to 1976. Since 1991, publisher Albert Whitman & Company [est. 1919] of Illinois hired writers to produce more than 100 more 'Boxcar Children' books under the 'house name' of Gertrude Chandler Warner. Canada produced an animated feature film in 2014, and a new deal struck in 2016 plans three animated feature films for release starting in 2018.

PURPLE CHECK: listed on Amazon Editors '100 Children's Books To Read In A Lifetime' in August 2014

The Boxcar Children Mystery Series [est. 1924]
Connecticut author Gertrude Chandler Warner [1890-1979] wrote the original book in 1924 and 18 more from 1953 to 1976; other authors-for-hire have written 124 more,
from 1991 to 2016; there are also 22 Specials, published from 1993 to 2012. The series is written for ages 6 to 10; the four Alden children – Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny,
with their dog Watch – are simply nice kids, they look out for each other, they use their heads, and they have great values.
list of Boxcar Children books at Wikipedia
browse all Boxcar Children books {200+ titles} at Amazon
publisher Albert Whitman & Company [est. 1919] of Park Ridge, Illinois

"The Haunted Cabin Mystery" [#20 = 1991]
"The Deserted Library Mystery" [#21 = 1991]
"The Animal Shelter Mystery" [#22 = 1991]
"The Old Motel Mystery" [#23 = 1991]
"The Mystery of The Hidden Painting" [#24 = 1992]
"The Amusement Park Mystery" [#25 = 1992]
"The Mystery of The Mixed-Up Zoo" [#26 = 1992]
"The Camp Out Mystery" [#27 = 1992]
"The Mystery Girl" [#28 = 1992]
"The Mystery Cruise" [#29 = 1992]
"The Disappearing Friend Mystery" [#30 = 1992]

"The Mystery of The Singing Ghost" [#31 = 1992]
"The Mystery In The Snow" [#32 = 1993]
"The Pizza Mystery" [#33 = 1993]
"The Mystery Horse" [#34 = 1993]
"The Mystery At The Dog Show" [#35 = 1993]
"The Castle Mystery" [#36 = 1993]
"The Mystery of The Lost Village" [#37 = 1993]
"The Mystery of The Purple Pool" [#38 = 1994]
"The Ghost Ship Mystery" [#39 = 1994]
"The Canoe Trip Mystery" [#40 = 1994]

"The Mystery of The Hidden Beach" [#41 = 1994]
"The Mystery of The Missing Cat" [#42 = 1994]
"The Mystery On Stage" [#43 = 1994]
"The Dinosaur Mystery" [#44 = 1995]
"The Mystery of The Stolen Music" [#45 = 1995]
"The Chocolate Sundae Mystery" [#46 = 1995]
"The Mystery of The Hot Air Balloon" [#47 = 1995]
"The Mystery Bookstore" [#48 = 1995]
"The Mystery of The Stolen Boxcar" [#49 = 1995]
"Mystery In The Cave" [#50 = 1996]

"The Mystery On The Train" [#51 = 1996]
"The Mystery of The Lost Mine" [#52 = 1996]
"The Guide Dog Mystery" [#53 = 1996]
"The Hurricane Mystery" [#54 = 1996]
"The Mystery of The Secret Message" [#55 = 1996]
"The Firehouse Mystery" [#56 = 1997]
"The Mystery In San Francisco" [#57 = 1997]
"The Mystery At The Alamo" [#58 = 1997]
"The Outer Space Mystery" [#59 = 1997]
"The Soccer Mystery" [#60 = 1997]

"The Growling Bear Mystery" [#61 = 1997]
"The Mystery of The Lake Monster" [#62 = 1998]
"The Mystery At Peacock Hall" [#63 = 1998]
"The Black Pearl Mystery" [#64 = 1998]
"The Cereal Box Mystery" [#65 = 1998]
"The Panther Mystery" [#66 = 1998]
"The Mystery of The Stolen Sword" [#67 = 1998]
"The Basketball Mystery" [#68 = 1999]
"The Movie Star Mystery" [#69 = 1999]
"The Mystery of The Pirate's Map" [#70 = 1999]

"The Ghost Town Mystery" [#71 = 1999]
"The Mystery In The Mall" [#72 = 1999]
"The Gymnastics Mystery" [#73 = 1999]
"The Poison Frog Mystery" [#74 = 2000]
"The Mystery of The Empty Safe" [#75 = 2000]
"The Great Bicycle Race Mystery" [#76 = 2000]
"The Mystery of The Wild Ponies" [#77 = 2000]
"The Mystery In The Computer Game" [#78 = 2000]
"The Mystery At The Crooked House" [#79 = 2000]
"The Hockey Mystery" [#80 = 2001]

"The Mystery of The Midnight Dog" [#81 = 2001]
"The Summer Camp Mystery" [#82 = 2001]
"The Copycat Mystery" [#83 = 2001]
"The Haunted Clock Tower Mystery" [#84 = 2001]
"The Disappearing Staircase Mystery" [#85 = 2001]
"The Mystery On Blizzard Mountain" [#86 = 2002]
"The Mystery of The Spider's Clue" [#87 = 2002]
"The Mystery of The Mummy's Curse" [#88 = 2002]
"The Mystery of The Star Ruby" [#89 = 2002]
"The Stuffed Bear Mystery" [#90 = 2002]

"The Mystery At Skeleton Point" [#91 = 2002]
"The Tattletale Mystery" [#92 = 2003]
"The Comic Book Mystery" [#93 = 2003]
"The Ice Cream Mystery" [#94 = 2003]
"The Midnight Mystery" [#95 = 2003]
"The Mystery In The Fortune Cookie" [#96 = 2003]
"The Radio Mystery" [#97 = 2003]
"The Mystery of The Runaway Ghost" [#98 = 2004] 200
"The Finders Keepers Mystery" [#99 = 2004]
"The Mystery of The Haunted Boxcar" [#100 = 2004]

"The Clue In The Corn Maze" [#101 = 2004]
"The Ghost of The Chattering Bones" [#102 = 2005]
"The Sword of The Silver Knight" [#103 = 2005]
"The Game Store Mystery" [#104 = 2005]
"The Mystery of The Orphan Train" [#105 = 2005]
"The Vanishing Passenger" [#106 = 2006]
"The Giant Yo-Yo Mystery" [#107 = 2006]
"The Creature In Ogopogo Lake" [#108 = 2006]
"The Rock and Roll Mystery" [#109 = 2006]
"The Secret of The Mask" [#110 = 2007]

"The Seattle Puzzle" [#111 = 2007]
"The Ghost In The First Row" [#112 = 2007]
"The Box That Watch Found" [#113 = 2007]
"A Horse Named Dragon" [#114 = 2008]
"The Great Detective Race" [#115 = 2008]
"The Ghost At The Drive-In Movie" [#116 = 2008]
"The Mystery of The Traveling Tomatoes" [#117 = 2008]
"The Spy Game" [#118 = 2009]
"The Dog-Gone Mystery" [#119 = 2009]
"The Vampire Mystery" [#120 = 2009]

"Superstar Watch" [#121 = 2009]
"The Spy In The Bleachers" [#122 = 2010]
"The Amazing Mystery Show" [#123 = 2010]
"The Pumpkin Head Mystery" [#124 = 2010]
"The Cupcake Caper" [#125 = 2010]
"The Clue In The Recycling Bin" [#126 = 2011]
"Monkey Trouble" [#127 = 2011]
"The Zombie Project" [#128 = 2011]
"The Great Turkey Heist" [#129 = 2011]
"The Garden Thief" [#130 = 2011]

"The Boardwalk Mystery" [#131 = 2013]
"Mystery of The Fallen Treasure" [#132 = 2013]
"The Return of The Graveyard Ghost" [#133 = 2013]
"The Mystery of The Stolen Snowboard" [#134 = 2014]
"The Mystery of The Wild West Bandit" [#135 = 2014]
"The Mystery of The Soccer Snitch" [#136 = 2014]
"The Mystery of The Grinning Gargoyle" [#137 = 2014]
"The Mystery of The Missing Pop Idol" [#138 = 2015]
"The Mystery of The Stolen Dinosaur Bones" [#139 = 2015]
"The Mystery at The Calgary Stampede" [#140 = 2015]

"The Sleepy Hollow Mystery" [#141 = 2015]
"The Legend of The Irish Castle" [#142 = 2016]
"The Celebrity Cat Caper" [#143 = 2016]

Boxcar Children Special Editions
These special editions have fun questions and riddles that readers can solve right along with the four Alden kids.

"Mystery On The Ice" [BCS#1 = Kindle 12/2011]
"Mystery In Washington, D.C." [BCS#2 = Kindle 12/2011]
"Mystery At Snowflake Inn" [BCS#3 = Kindle 11/2013]
"Mystery At the Ballpark" [BCS#4 = Kindle 12/2011]
"Pilgrim Village Mystery" [BCS#5 = Kindle 11/2013]
"Mystery At The Fair" [BCS#6 = Kindle 11/2013]
"Pet Shop Mystery" [BCS#7 = Kindle 12/2011]
"Niagara Falls Mystery" [BCS#8 = Kindle 11/2013]
"Mystery In The Old Attic" [BCS#9 = Kindle 11/2013]
"Windy City Mystery" [BCS#10 = Kindle 11/2013]
"Mystery of The Queen's Jewels" [BCS#11 = Kindle 11/2013]
"Mystery of The Black Raven" [BCS#12 = Kindle 11/2013]
"Mystery In New York" [BCS#13 = Kindle 11/2013]
"Home Run Mystery" [BCS#14 = Kindle 11/2013]
"Honeybee Mystery" [BCS#15 = Kindle 11/2013]
"Mystery of The Screech Owl" [BCS#16 = Kindle 11/2013]
"Mystery of The Tiger's Eye"
[BCS#17 = Kindle 11/2013]
"Candy Factory Mystery" [BCS#18 = Kindle 11/2013]
"Mystery of The Alligator Swamp" [BCS#19 = Kindle 11/2013]
"Great Shark Mystery" [BCS#20 = Kindle 12/2011]
"Black Widow Spider Mystery" [BCS#21 = Kindle 11/2013]

Boxcar Children Mysteries, Books One Through Twelve in Kindle format

"The Boxcar Children Mysteries: Books One Through Twelve" for Kindle [2011]
Kindle Edition from Albert Whitman & Co. [1/2011] 12 ebooks for $31.97
includes 12 ebooks: "The Boxcar Children" [#1 = 1924]; "Surprise Island" [#2 = 1949]; "The Yellow House Mystery" [#3 = 1953]; "Mystery Ranch" [#4 = 1958]; "Mike's Mystery" [#5 = 1960]; "Blue Bay Mystery" [#6 = 1961]; "The Woodshed Mystery" [#7 = 1962]; "The Lighthouse Mystery" [#8 = 1963]; "Mountain Top Mystery" [#9 = 1964]; "Schoolhouse Mystery" [#10 = 1965]; "Caboose Mystery" [#11 = 1966]; and "Houseboat Mystery" [#12 = 1967]

'The Boxcar Children Special Series' bundle in Kindle format

"The Boxcar Children Special Series" for Kindle [2016]
Kindle Edition from Albert Whitman & Co. [1/2016] 21-ebook bundle for $80.89
The bundle of 21 ebooks includes: "Mystery On The Ice" [BCS#1 = 12/2011]; "Mystery In Washington, D.C." [BCS#2 = 12/2011]; "Mystery At Snowflake Inn" [BCS#3 = 11/2013]; "Mystery At the Ballpark" [BCS#4 = 12/2011]; "Pilgrim Village Mystery" [BCS#5 = 11/2013]; "Mystery At The Fair" [BCS#6 = 11/2013]; "Pet Shop Mystery" [BCS#7 = 12/2011]; "Niagara Falls Mystery" [BCS#8 = 11/2013]; "Mystery In The Old Attic" [BCS#9 = 11/2013]; "Windy City Mystery" [BCS#10 = 11/2013]; "Mystery of The Queen's Jewels" [BCS#11 = 11/2013]; "Mystery of The Black Raven"
[BCS#12 = 11/2013]; "Mystery In New York" [BCS#13 = 11/2013]; "Home Run Mystery" [BCS#14 = 11/2013]; "Honeybee Mystery" [BCS#15 = 11/2013]; "Mystery of The Screech Owl" [BCS#16 = 11/2013]; "Mystery of The Tiger's Eye" [BCS#17 = 11/2013]; "Candy Factory Mystery" [BCS#18 = 11/2013]; "Mystery of The Alligator Swamp" [BCS#19 = 11/2013]; "Great Shark Mystery" [BCS#20 = 12/2011]; and "Black Widow Spider Mystery" [BCS#21 = 11/2013]

The Author
Gertrude Chandler Warner [1890-1979]
Gertrude Chandler Warner was born in 1890 and raised in Putnam, Connecticut, across the street from a railroad station, which later inspired her to write about children living in a boxcar.
In 1918, she began what would become a thirty-two year career teaching first and third grade at the Israel Putnam School. She wrote several other books for children or adults; then after retirement, she resumed writing books in the "Boxcar Children" series from 1949 to 1976. Gertrude Warner died in Putnam in August 1979 at eighty-nine years old.
Gertrude's entry at Wikipedia
The Boxcar Children Museum [est. 2004] in Putnam, Connecticut

"The Boxcar Children" animated family film
[Canada April 2014, USA DVD Aug 2014]

'The Boxcar Children' 2014 animated film

Four plucky orphan children seeking shelter discover an abandoned red railroad boxcar and make it their secret home . . . Based on the worldwide bestseller 1924 children's novel by Gertrude Chandler Warner
Directed by Daniel Chuba, Mark A.Z. Dippé & Kyungho Jo; adapted by Justin Merz & Zach Strauss; music by Kenneth Burgomaster (cello & piano); featuring voices of Zachary Gordon {as Henry}, Joey King {as Jessie}, Mackenzie Foy {as Violet}, Jadon Sand {as Benny}, Martin Sheen, Illeana Douglas, J.K. Simmons, Audrey Wasilewski, D.B. Sweeney; won Best Animated Feature at St. Tropez Intl. Film Festival
Phase 4 Films widescreen color DVD [8/2014] for $7.99
full credits at IMDb • official movie site • movie entry at Wikipedia
watch full movie {framed, with ads} [1:28:32] online at YouTube

"The Boxcar Children" animated family film series
Announced 5/2016: Publisher Albert Whitman & Company and Shout! Factory Kids and Legacy Classics have signed a production partnership and film distribution deal
for a slate of new family movies based on Gertrude Chandler Warner‘s “The Boxcar Children” book series. The first of three new animated features will be timed to
the 75th anniversary of the re-publication of the first 'Boxcar Children' book.

"The Boxcar Children #2: Surprise Island" animated family film [released in 2018?] 5/2018

Announced 10/2016: Legacy Classics and Shout! Factory have signed Martin Sheen & J.K. Simmons as voice actors for the second "Boxcar Children" animated feature film,
based on "Surprise Island" [book #2 = 1949]; added 2/2017: Dane DeHaan has joined the voice cast • latest info at IMDb

"The Boxcar Children" stageplay by Barbara Field
The stage adaptation by Barbara Field of the classic book "The Boxcar Children" is quite popular in children's theatre in America. Recent stagings include: Orlando Repertory Theatre in Florida (April 2012); Waukesha Civic Theatre in Wisconsin and Buffalo Academy of Visual & Performing Arts in New York (July 2013); Muncie Civic Studio Theatre in Indiana (April 2014); and Lincoln Center Magnolia Theatre in Fort Collins, Colorado (October 2015)
playscript in book form not available (2016)

Visiting this webpage from outside the U.S.A.? It is possible to make purchases from these coded Amazon (USA) links
via other Amazon sites: just follow these instructions.

	"Star Stories For Little Folks" [grades 4 & up; 1918] by Gertrude Chandler Warner sixteen tales relating to stars & constellations in the sky Fredonia Books 9x6 pb [5/2003] for $9.99 Cosimo Classics 8x5 pb [11/2006] for $12.99
	"Life's Minor Collisions" [1921] by Frances & Gertrude Warner 220-page Kindle Edition from Amazon Digital Services [11/2011] for FREE {sic} 224-page HardPress Publng 9x6 pb [8/2012] for $10.95 198-page Houghton Mifflin Co. hardcover [1921] out of print/used
	"The World In A Barn" [1927] by Gertrude Chandler Warner, Illustrated by Florence Liley Young Friendship Press 7x6 hardcover [1927] out of print/scarce
	"Windows Into Alaska: A Course For Primary Children, Stories and Notes For Teachers" [non-fiction 1928] by Gertrude Chandler Warner Friendship Press hardcover [1928] out of print/scarce
	"The World On A Farm" [1931] by Gertrude Chandler Warner Friendship Press hardcover [1931] out of print/scarce
	"Pleasures and Palaces" [1933] by Frances & Gertrude Warner Houghton Mifflin Co. hardcover [1933] out of print/scarce
	"Peter Piper: Missionary Parakeet" [1967] by Gertrude Chandler Warner & Leila W. Anderson Zondervan Publng hardcover [1967] out of print/scarce
	"Gertrude Chandler Warner (Children's Authors Series)" [grades 3 & up; 1995] by Jill C. Wheeler Checkerboard Library 8x8 library hardcover [9/2004] for $25.65 Abdo Publng 10¼x8¼ library hardcover [9/95] out of print/used
	"Gertrude Chandler Warner and The Boxcar Children" [grades 2-7; 1997] by Mary Ellen Ellsworth, Illustrated by Marie DeJohn Kindle Edition from Albert Whitman & Co. [9/2013] for $4.61 Albert Whitman & Co. 9x6¾ pb [1997] for $6.95 Albert Whitman & Co. 9¼x7¼ hardcover [1997] for $15.99

	"The Boxcar Children Bookshelf" 12-book set [2010] Kindle Edition from Albert Whitman & Co. [1/2011] 12 ebooks for $31.97 Paperback set consists of a poster, the first twelve books in the series, and a {cardboard?} bookshelf that is expandable to hold 32 books. Albert Whitman & Co. 7x6 pb set [9/2010] for $33.65
	"The Boxcar Children Guide To Adventure: A How-To For Mystery Solving, Make-It-Yourself Projects, and More" [2014] Kindle Edition from Albert Whitman & Co. [10/2014] for $5.38 Albert Whitman & Co. 8¼x5¾ hardcover [9/2014] for $12.98 Albert Whitman & Co. hardcover [9/2014] out of print/used