the phone, Grandfather, when we got back from Pioneer Square. You said everything depended on finding Rachel.”
Grandfather smiled a little. “Oh, you heard that, did you? That must have been when Reena phoned me.”
“You were talking about the bronze pig at the market, weren’t you?” Violet added.
Grandfather didn’t deny it. “Finn was afraid you’d never figure out his clue about the flying fish. He insisted somebody take you on a tour of the marketplace. I’d planned to take you myself, but something came up. Reena was kind enough to fill in for me.”
“I was worried you’d never find Rachel,” said Finn. “And solving the mystery depended on it.”
The children were looking over at Finn in surprise. “You made up the riddles?” Benny questioned.
“There’s nothing I like better than a mystery,” said Finn. “When your grandfather told me about his plan, I offered to help out.”
“You sure did a good job,” Benny told him, popping a cherry tomato into his mouth.
Jessie added, “I’ll second that!”
As the waitress refilled their water glasses, Henry watched her closely. As if feeling his eyes on her, Gwen looked over.
“Yes, I was in on it, too, Henry,” she confessed, reading his mind.
“Gwen’s a friend of mine from school,” Reena told them. “She wanted to help out.”
Gwen explained, “It was my job to make sure you sat down at the right table.”
Jessie nodded. That explained why she’d asked them to move to the booth.
“We saw you one day, Gwen,” said Violet, “You were walking with Reena.”
“Wow!” Reena shook her head in disbelief, “You kids don’t miss a thing.”
“We’ll, we do miss things sometimes,” Jessie said, with a twinkle in her eye. “When our trip ends, we’re sure going to miss Seattle!”
“And our new friends,” Violet was quick to add.
Finn nodded approvingly. “Well said!” he remarked. Then he turned to Grandfather. “You must be very proud of your family, James.”
At that, Grandfather had to laugh. “Finn, I never know what’s around the next corner.”
“I do,” Benny piped up. “I bet it’s another mystery!”
About the Author
G ERTRUDE C HANDLER W ARNER discovered when she was teaching that many readers who like an exciting story could find no books that were both easy and fun to read. She decided to try to meet this need, and her first book, The Boxcar Children, quickly proved she had succeeded.
Miss Warner drew on her own experiences to write the mystery. As a child she spent hours watching trains go by on the tracks opposite her family home. She often dreamed about what it would be like to set up housekeeping in a caboose or freight car — the situation the Alden children find themselves in.
When Miss Warner received requests for more adventures involving Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny Alden, she began additional stories. In each, she chose a special setting and introduced unusual or eccentric characters who liked the unpredictable.
While the mystery element is central to each of Miss Warner’s books, she never thought of them as strictly juvenile mysteries. She liked to stress the Aldens’ independence and resourcefulness and their solid New England devotion to using up and making do. The Aldens go about most of their adventures with as little adult supervision as possible — something else that delights young readers.
Miss Warner lived in Putnam, Connecticut, until her death in 1979. During her lifetime, she received hundreds of letters from girls and boys telling her how much they liked her books.
The Boxcar Children Mysteries
T HE B OXCAR C HILDREN
S URPRISE I SLAND
T HE Y ELLOW H OUSE M YSTERY
M YSTERY R ANCH
M IKE’S M YSTERY
B LUE B AY M YSTERY
T HE W OODSHED M YSTERY
T HE L IGHTHOUSE M YSTERY
M OUNTAIN T OP M YSTERY
S CHOOLHOUSE M YSTERY
C ABOOSE M YSTERY
H OUSEBOAT M YSTERY
S NOWBOUND M YSTERY
T REE H OUSE M YSTERY
B ICYCLE M YSTERY
M YSTERY IN THE S AND
M YSTERY B
Grandfather smiled a little. “Oh, you heard that, did you? That must have been when Reena phoned me.”
“You were talking about the bronze pig at the market, weren’t you?” Violet added.
Grandfather didn’t deny it. “Finn was afraid you’d never figure out his clue about the flying fish. He insisted somebody take you on a tour of the marketplace. I’d planned to take you myself, but something came up. Reena was kind enough to fill in for me.”
“I was worried you’d never find Rachel,” said Finn. “And solving the mystery depended on it.”
The children were looking over at Finn in surprise. “You made up the riddles?” Benny questioned.
“There’s nothing I like better than a mystery,” said Finn. “When your grandfather told me about his plan, I offered to help out.”
“You sure did a good job,” Benny told him, popping a cherry tomato into his mouth.
Jessie added, “I’ll second that!”
As the waitress refilled their water glasses, Henry watched her closely. As if feeling his eyes on her, Gwen looked over.
“Yes, I was in on it, too, Henry,” she confessed, reading his mind.
“Gwen’s a friend of mine from school,” Reena told them. “She wanted to help out.”
Gwen explained, “It was my job to make sure you sat down at the right table.”
Jessie nodded. That explained why she’d asked them to move to the booth.
“We saw you one day, Gwen,” said Violet, “You were walking with Reena.”
“Wow!” Reena shook her head in disbelief, “You kids don’t miss a thing.”
“We’ll, we do miss things sometimes,” Jessie said, with a twinkle in her eye. “When our trip ends, we’re sure going to miss Seattle!”
“And our new friends,” Violet was quick to add.
Finn nodded approvingly. “Well said!” he remarked. Then he turned to Grandfather. “You must be very proud of your family, James.”
At that, Grandfather had to laugh. “Finn, I never know what’s around the next corner.”
“I do,” Benny piped up. “I bet it’s another mystery!”
About the Author
G ERTRUDE C HANDLER W ARNER discovered when she was teaching that many readers who like an exciting story could find no books that were both easy and fun to read. She decided to try to meet this need, and her first book, The Boxcar Children, quickly proved she had succeeded.
Miss Warner drew on her own experiences to write the mystery. As a child she spent hours watching trains go by on the tracks opposite her family home. She often dreamed about what it would be like to set up housekeeping in a caboose or freight car — the situation the Alden children find themselves in.
When Miss Warner received requests for more adventures involving Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny Alden, she began additional stories. In each, she chose a special setting and introduced unusual or eccentric characters who liked the unpredictable.
While the mystery element is central to each of Miss Warner’s books, she never thought of them as strictly juvenile mysteries. She liked to stress the Aldens’ independence and resourcefulness and their solid New England devotion to using up and making do. The Aldens go about most of their adventures with as little adult supervision as possible — something else that delights young readers.
Miss Warner lived in Putnam, Connecticut, until her death in 1979. During her lifetime, she received hundreds of letters from girls and boys telling her how much they liked her books.
The Boxcar Children Mysteries
T HE B OXCAR C HILDREN
S URPRISE I SLAND
T HE Y ELLOW H OUSE M YSTERY
M YSTERY R ANCH
M IKE’S M YSTERY
B LUE B AY M YSTERY
T HE W OODSHED M YSTERY
T HE L IGHTHOUSE M YSTERY
M OUNTAIN T OP M YSTERY
S CHOOLHOUSE M YSTERY
C ABOOSE M YSTERY
H OUSEBOAT M YSTERY
S NOWBOUND M YSTERY
T REE H OUSE M YSTERY
B ICYCLE M YSTERY
M YSTERY IN THE S AND
M YSTERY B
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