The Ghost Ship Mystery

The Boxcar Children #39

by Gertrude Chandler Warner

While visiting a seaport town in New England, the Aldens learn about a shipwreck from 1969. Legend has it, the ship can be seen on the water in stormy weather. It's a mystery that has never been solved, but the Boxcar Children are up to the task!

Genres: Mystery, Childrens, Fiction, Middle Grade, Young Adult, Audiobook, Chapter Books

131 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

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.

As a child, Gertrude enjoyed many of the things that girls enjoy today. She loved furnishing a dollhouse with handmade furniture and she liked to read. Her favorite book was ALICE IN WONDERLAND. Often on Sundays after church, Gertrude enjoyed trips to visit her grandparents' farm. Along the way, she and Frances would stop to pick the wildflowers they both loved. Gertrude's favorite flower was the violet.

Her family was a very musical one. They were able to have a family orchestra, and Gertrude enjoyed playing the cello. Her father had brought her one from New York ---a cello, a bow, a case and an instruction book. All together, he paid $14. Later, as an adult, she began playing the pipe organ and sometimes substituted for the church organist.

Due to ill health, Ms. Warner never finished high school. She left in the middle of her second year and studied with a tutor. Then, in 1918, when teachers were called to serve in World War I, the school board asked her to teach first grade. She had forty children in the morning and forty more in the afternoon. Ms. Warner wrote, "I was asked or begged to take this job because I taught Sunday School. But believe me, day school is nothing like Sunday School, and I sure learned by doing --- I taught in that same room for 32 years, retiring at 60 to have more time to write." Eventually, Ms. Warner attended Yale, where she took several teacher training courses.

Once when she was sick and had to stay home from teaching, she thought up the story about the Boxcar Children. It was inspired by her childhood dreams. As a child, she had spent hours watching the trains go by near her family's home. Sometimes she could look through the window of a caboose and see a small stove, a little table, cracked cups with no saucers, and a tin coffee pot boiling away on the stove. The sight had fascinated her and made her dream about how much fun it would be to live and keep house in a boxcar or caboose. She read the story to her classes and rewrote it many times so the words were easy to understand. Some of her pupils spoke other languages at home and were just learning English. THE BOXCAR CHILDREN gave them a fun story that was easy to read.

Ms. Warner once wrote for her fans, "Perhaps you know that the original BOXCAR CHILDREN. . . raised a storm of protest from librarians who thought the children were having too good a time without any parental control! That is exactly why children like it! Most of my own childhood exploits, such as living in a freight car, received very little cooperation from my parents."

Though the story of THE BOXCAR CHILDREN went through some changes after it was first written, the version that we are familiar with today was originally published in 1942 by Scott Foresman. Today, Albert Whitman & Company publishes this first classic story as well as the next eighteen Alden children adventures that were written by Ms. Warner.

Gertrude Chandler Warner died in 1979 at the age of 89 after a full life as a teacher, author, and volunteer for the American Red Cross and other charitable organizations. After her death, Albert Whitman & Company continued to receive mail from children across the country asking for more adventures about Henry, Jessie, Violet and Benny Alden. In 1991, Albert Whitman added to THE BOXCAR CHILDREN MYSTERIES so that today's children can enjoy many more adventures about this independent and caring group of children.

Books about Gertrude: https://www.goodreads.com/characters/...

Reviews

[Linda Branich · Rating 4 out of 5]

This 39th book in the Boxcar Children's series involves a bit of a mystery while they are vacationing in a New England village. There is an old legend about a whaling ship that sank off the coast of Ragged Cove many years before near the Howling Cliffs in a bad storm. Since there was only one survivor, there was, and still is, an uncertainty about what really happened.

Decendents of both the ship's Captain and a man reported to have led a mutiny aboard the Flying Cloud before it sank have been at odds with each other, even a couple generations down the road.

The delightful quartet of Alden siblings, ranging in age from 6 to 14, have such sincerity, honesty, humor, old fashioned good manners, thirst for knowledge, respect for others and each other, and outgoing personalities, that they befriend and engage even the grouchiest members of the community and contribute to finding the truth of this bit of the town's history.

The Boxcar Children series, though originally published decades ago, are timeless chapter books covering such a wide range of adventures and topics, that even children who don't particularly like to read will be caught up in these stories. They are like a weekly wholesome family TV series. Highly recommended! My three children loved them in the 70's and 80's ( they are spread out over 15 years) and my grandchildren ( spread out beginning in the 90's) have been enjoying them as well, even down to the youngest ones now in elementary school. I find it exciting to see those worn books passed down from one generation to the next. A great series for summer reading, as there are well over 100 books with occasional pencil illustrations, running on the average about 120 to 140 or so pages in an easy to read font, with simple and understandable vocabulary for the targeted age group, but also with fun, educational facts.

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good sibling work. Fun setting in New England. Family secrets. And some stuff to learn about.

[Simon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A classic and well acclaimed series, recommended as a great series for young readers. The Boxcar Children invoke the enjoyment for mystery-solving and having a close relationship with family.

The mysteries are certainly twinged with a bit more danger now, and you can tell that other authors are penning the stories. They still make for excellent adventures and problem solving. These books keep to the classic focus of the original 19 stories and have heart and family values and helping others as a forefront in every story.

The children are all oh-so-friendly to each other and those they meet. They seem to agree about mostly everything; their world seems to be made of butterflies and rainbows. The times of this book being written to present day are vastly different.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The family has come to the Black Dog Inn on the ocean for a visit. They see strange lights during a storm and hear the story of the ship that sank in that area many years ago. While scouring the beaches and rocks, they find artifacts which they take to the Sailors' Museum, run by Miss Coffin, who is not very friendly. She and Captain Bob who runs a whale-watching boat seem to be enemies, too. Of course the children have to solve these mysteries.

[Joseph D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 39 of the Boxcar Children. This was a fun little adventure as most are. This was the first real use of a red herring I have seen in the series. Perhaps it will turn into something later in the series, which was hinted at. Either way it was masterfully done. ​

Joseph McKnight
http://www.josephmcknight.com

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remembered really loving this book when I was in elementary school and I was excited to find a copy for cheap online. Decided it would be my New Year read, because it's short and a kids' book so I could get a fast start on my 2024 reading numbers. I maintain that it's one of the strongest post-Warner Boxcar Children books.

[Cherish Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

(4☆ Would recommend)
I loved these books as a kid & I'm really enjoying reading through the series again. I liked the mystery & the suspense. I like how so many people get closure in this story. Would recommend.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fun adventure with the Aldens.

[Rachel Laskey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just finished reading this book with my son. I don’t remember it being one I particularly liked when I was younger and it’s been his least favorite too.

[Alex · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a bit of a weird one.

[Charles Reed · Rating 3 out of 5]

50%

Pretty boring.

[Kim Hampton · Rating 4 out of 5]

For some reason I didn't enjoy this one quite as much as the others in the series. I think because there were several really unfriendly people in it.

[Samuel · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was good. I highly recommend this series. But this book was kind of confusing.

[Isabel Sasine · Rating 5 out of 5]

audible

[Adam Carman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nostalgia lane--a great blend of seafaring history and Boxcar adventure!

[Kelsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

At the begining the four Alden children go to ragged cove,Massachusetts so there grand father could do bissnus and inding up getting on a wale watching boat. There was a storm the night befor. When everyone was on the boat the heded to howling clifs were the Fling Cloud crashed. Benny was climbing the rockes and found an old post box. a post box is somthing the sailors used to hide mesages,toys and carvings in them for other people.so captin bob helped him get the box out of the nud and rocks.inside there were carvings, spoon and a tube. the tube had old pappers and captin coffens personal diary.the children took the things to the flying cloud museum when the disscoverd the book was missing.the next day in the papapper there was a report that the museum had ben robed.it turned out that captin bob took the book to read it him self.Mrs.Coffin reporded the robery cause her books she rote was not true based on her family storys passed down from generations. Captin bob returned the diary to Mrs coffen and she will righa another book.

[Sy Ewoniuk · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read The Boxcar Children the Ghost Ship Mystery by Gertrude Chandler Warner. I have finished this book on 12/16/12. This book is a mystery. What I liked about this book is that it kept me on my heels. There were twists and turns and was really suspenseful. A couple of times in the story there was mysterious lights coming from Howling Cliff on the town of Ragged Cove in Massachusetts. They call it that because some people believe that they hear cries from people on a ship called the Flying Cloud. They believe these are signs from the ship that sunk close to town because of a mighty gale from the northeast. The ship rose in flames just before it started sinking. There was also a robbery in the sailing museum in town and the owner was nowhere to be found. I would use the words mysterious, suspenseful, and cool. Yes I would read more books by this author. I’m going to read more books by this author next quarter. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes kids and mysteries.

[ana grace]

I've now realized why this is one of the few Boxcar Children books I have little childhood memories of. There isn't even much of a mystery and the "mystery" that we do get so simplistic and predictable that even a younger reader could figure it out. Needless to say, I'm not a fan.

[Partridge Public]

Warner, Gertrude C. PB

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

great when ur little

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was the 4th Boxcar book in our audio set from the library. I definitely have had my fill of the Boxcar Children for a while. My 2 oldest boys really enjoy them though.

[Twyla · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite part was when the bad man was caught by the police. The worst part was when the bad man tried to almost drown one of the girls.

[Rebecca]

One of my favorite childhood series. I read over a hundred of them. The first 50 or so were in order; after that I read whatever book I could get my hands on :)

[Jocelyn Montalvo Cullum]

I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/14138283

[Beth Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

Re-read for nostalgic purposes, took about 30 minutes. Still enjoyable, though this one wasn't as fun as others.

[Stacie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The kids find adults focused on some past event that has a mystery attached to it, something is robbed, and the kids save the day. These kids need to be studied!