Bus Station Mystery

The Boxcar Children #18

by Gertrude Chandler Warner

The Aldens are bound for the Science and Hobby Fair, but when a bad storm hits, they’re forced to stay in the bus station. Before they know it, the Boxcar Children are in the middle of a mystery involving a polluted river, two strange boys, and a bus station manager who knows more than anyone suspects...

Genres: Mystery, Childrens, Fiction, Chapter Books, Audiobook, Middle Grade, Classics

Audio CD

First published January 1, 1974

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

[Cynthia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This went in a completely different direction than I was anticipating. Bus Station Mystery starts off with the Aldens deciding to go to a hobby fair a couple towns over and they choose to take the bus. While waiting at a bus station for the next bus to arrive, a nasty thunderstorm traps them at the station for several hours. However, there are shenanigans afoot at this bus station. Upon arrival, two boys get thrown out of the station by the owner of the building and he leaves the Aldens with instructions not to let them back in while he goes to his house to prepare for the storm. The owner appears to be agitated and unpredictable, he is hospitable in one moment and very angry the next. After he leaves, the Aldens explore the building and find glass beakers full of water samples, aquatic plants, and textbooks on chemistry. Against the owner's wishes, the Aldens let the boys back in when lightning starts striking in the area. They find the boys to be odd but then suddenly the storm clears as quickly as it came and the boys leave the station. Soon after, the bus arrives and the Aldens ride over to the hobby fair where they find interesting things such as pottery, clocks, random collections, wildlife exhibits, fishing gear, and more. There is also another table for Mr. Pickett's Perfect Paints, and while the Aldens are there the random boys from earlier show up and start picketing Mr. Pickett's table.

This is basically where the story takes off and we find out that the people in the Bus Station town are all angry because Mr. Pickett's new factory is polluting the area. The river is full of waste, the fish and plants are dying, and the surrounding wildlife is being drastically affected. Furthermore, the quality of air in the area has been negatively impacted. This is what has the Bus Station owner so upset, because he lives along the river and is a chemist and he sees how quickly it is being ruined. Mr. Pickett argues that it doesn't matter if he's destroying the area - his factory provides jobs and boosts the economy of the area so he sees no issue.

The Aldens soon end up at the center of things. This installment of the Boxcar Children really lacks a lot of mystery. The only mystery that they solve here is that the boys picketing Mr. Pickett are his own sons. However, one can predict that quite easily from the beginning. All these events end up culminating in a town hall meeting where the Aldens show up and bring their grandfather to show that you can run factories without producing harmful wastes. He offers to show Mr. Pickett how to accomplish these things and the town comes to a peaceful compromise where they all keep their jobs, boost the economy, and protect the surrounding environment.

Since I majored in aquatic and marine biology, I really ended up enjoying where this story went. This book was published a year after the EPA went into effect, and I think its awesome that Gertrude Chandler Warner was tackling this topic at the time. It's amazing to know that an author I admired so much as a child was writing about serious issues impacting our environment to a young audience so that they could understand what was going on with factories and pollution too. Certain people still can't wrap their minds around it 50 years later.



... But I digress.

[L.M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

So ironic how everyone was trying so hard on the 80's and 90's to turn us all into little environmentalists but they failed so miserably. And ironic that the saving grace in this book (environmentally speaking) was a guy who runs uber-green plastics factories.

[Caleb · Rating 4 out of 5]

their bus was late

[Mikayla · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was my least favorite Boxcar Children as she just seemed to be driving a point home, not really worried about the mystery (which was super weak).

[Kara Kuehl · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good story with great morals (keeping nature clean/not polluting), but I did find myself getting a little bored (except for maybe in the middle). Younger readers may loose interest.

I really appreciate the fact that when the Alden’s get too nosy, they realize their fault and try to make it right.

Things to be aware of in “Book Title”

Language:
- 3 “stupid”

[hedgehog · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some historical context here: Bus Station Mystery was originally published in 1974. It was only two years earlier that the insecticide DDT was banned. The Endangered Species act was signed at the tail end of 1973, just before this book came out on shelves. So the environmentalist message here was very much topical!

It is also, because Warner was very conscious about writing a simplified story, with simple language, HILARIOUS. Mr. Pickett, of Pickett's Perfect Paints factory, has been polluting the river with his horrible manufacturing processes! The fish are all dying and the town stinks! The EPA was only formed in 1970, and so one can assume Mr. Pickett rolled up his sleeves and gave any barebones regulations two middle fingers. I mean, it was the 1970s. Even Frank the angry chemist activist bus station restaurant owner (LOL) was probably sitting inside an asbestos-lined bus station. Who knows! Anyway, the story ends in a TOWN HALL MEETING where the CONCERNED CITIZENS stand up and give Mr. Pickett a piece of their minds! Mr. Pickett is so sorry, but... but.... profits? Luckily, the Aldens to the rescue! I have to quote this entire thing; it's incredible:

Mr. Pickett stood up [...] "I do want to be a good neighbor to Frank and to everyone. But who can show me how to run my factory and keep the river clean?"

[...] Mr. Alden stood up and smiled. [...] "I have had some of the same troubles in my plastics factories that you have had," he explained. "Bad odors. Polluted water. In my plants we have found a way to burn the bad-smelling gases before they go up the chimney. We need a great deal of water. But we use the same water over and over. Not a bit of dirty water empties into any river or sewer."

"None?" asked Mr. Pickett.

"None. The dirty water goes into big tanks. The dirt and pollution settle to the bottom of the tanks. Clean water rises to the top. It can be used again, and the tanks are cleaned out to hold more water."

Mr. Pickett was listening carefully.

Mr. Alden continued, "You probably have a dust problem in your factory, too. That's not bad for the river, but it is bad for your workers. We use a huge suction machine to ull the dust out of the air so that the air is safe to breathe. [...] If Mr. Pickett agrees, I'll be glad to take him to my factories and show him what we do. My men will explain how the air and water are kept clean. I will be happy to talk with him about the business details."

Then Grandfather Alden and Mr. Pickett shake hands, and EVERYONE IN THE ROOM CLAPS.

- Mr. Pickett is a Good Capitalist, and so is Mr. Alden, so now it is OK for him to be filthy rich, buying his grandchildren entire lighthouses and shit
- Yes, I will just love dumping millions of dollars into cleaning up his factories because I care about not exploiting my cheap labor, said no manufacturing company ever
- I can't believe Grandpa Alden just mansplained a water treatment plant to a guy who is presumably about his age and understands what these things are LMAO
- Mr. Pickett just straight up admits he's giving his workers black lung disease or whatever is going on in this dusty, carcinogen-riddled factory. Enjoy those lawsuits!
- Honestly my theory about Mafia Don James Alden is only growing. Look at how happy he is to snare Mr. Pickett into "business details". He's gonna buy out this dude's company. He is gonna put this guy in debt. AMAZING
- There's also an issue earlier in the book where Frank the bus station owner is in danger of losing his home because Mr. Pickett wants to plow it all for a parking lot, and has bought all the surrounding area already. I just want to say that these 3rd-grade-level books are not the place to discuss easements, but come ON, Mr. Pickett! I don't think that's legal! Where else are you prepared to cut corners, huh? Huh???

I'm not gonna lie, though, the simplicity of the Rich Factory Owner giving up in the course of one town hall meeting makes me want to boot Scott Pruitt back into this book series and wait for Gramps Alden to throw him into a waste treatment plant.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bust Station Mystery, by Gertrude Chandler Warner, is the eighteenth book in The Boxcar Children series, published in 1974.

The Alden children are on their way to the Science and Hobby Fair when inclement weather has them trapped longer than expected at a bus station/restaurant. Soon they discover strange smells, two mysterious boys, and the owner of the bus station that lead to a startling mystery involving a factory and a contaminated river that's destroying the town.

I really enjoyed this entry in the series. The Boxcar Children are really wonderful to read. Not only are they juvenile mysteries, but they are also well written and the Alden children are very independent people. They take action, observe their surroundings, etc. Things that set them apart. This one also deals with a problem, sadly, that we're still facing today in this world, large companies bringing business into towns, but causing vast amounts of pollution to nature.

Definitely worth the short read, and I think children and adults would enjoy this one. This is one of the original nineteen that Gertrude Chandler Warner wrote before her death in 1979. I haven't read them all (still working my way through them), but this one was very well written, and still relevant.

Bust Station Mystery, by Gertrude Chandler Warner. My rating - 4/5

[Joseph D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 18 of the Boxcar Children. This was a fun one reviewing pollution and ways companies can be socially responsible and still turn a profit. I liked the idea that it isn’t environment or business but there is ways we can find to do both as long as owners can get behind doing the right things for the environment. This is a strong recommend for children to learn that sometimes you need to come at a problem from another direction. ​

Joseph McKnight
http://www.josephmcknight.com

[Jon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just bought the last two books to complete my collection of the original 19 Boxcar novels as written by GC Warner. It's always fun to step back in time, and this installment expounding on the perils of pollution is still relevant even now, almost four decades since it was written.

If you have children you would do well to introduce them to this series, the earlier the better.

[Wesley and Fernie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprisingly good, and touched on some subject matter that’s still relevant. Definitely recommended.

[Octavia Cade · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the better of the Boxcar series so far, this has a really strong environmental focus, as the kids come up against the owner of a polluting factory. Notably - and the most interesting thing about the book - is that the kids of the factory owner, who are about the same age as the Alden kids, are solidly against what their dad is doing. They're performing science experiments to prove the ill effects of pollution on the local environment, they're picketing their dad's demonstrations, and if he's terrible for the planet he's at least raised kids with a sense of right and wrong, which is more than can be said for many of the polluting industrialists of today.

There's still something very innocent about the conclusion, though. These are children's books, so unbridled capitalism hasn't quite crushed all hope, but the conclusion that Grandfather Alden will use his experience running factories to help lessen the pollution coming out of this one, making everyone happy, isn't as great as it appears on the surface. What would have happened had there not been an eco-friendly millionaire come to show the polluter the error of his ways? Nothing, that's what, because the little people's objections were from little people, and thus insignificant. Then there's the irony of a plastics factory leading the way in non-pollution, and Warner admittedly gets a pass on that one because back in the day I'm not sure they knew about the damaging effect of microplastics, for instance, but that's an aspect that hasn't aged well. I mean, it's a nice ending. Idealised. The environment is saved and workers get to keep their jobs, and wouldn't it be great if it happened that way in real life as well?

[JP · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Boxcar Children are on their way to a fair and get stranded at the titular Bus Station by a storm. Of course, a mystery is brewing (otherwise, why would we be reading this book). Fish are dying, paints are poisoning, and family is fighting.

The bus station itself makes for a pretty interesting setting and the characters are ... mostly fine. On one hand, if people would just talk a bit more, there would be rather less mystery. On the other hand, the Aldens are strangers sticking their noses in the whole mess, so why would everyone want to talk to them in the first place.

And then there's this:

Mr. Pickett [said] ... "I do want to be a good neighbor to Frank and to everyone. But who can show me how to run my factory and keep the river clean?"

... Mr. Alden stood up and smiled. ... "I have had some of the same troubles in my plastics factories that you have had," he explained. "Bad odors. Polluted water. In my plants we have found a way to burn the bad-smelling gases before they go up the chimney. We need a great deal of water. But we use the same water over and over. Not a bit of dirty water empties into any river or sewer."

This is just... bizarre. Is water treatment such a mystery? I fully expect that Mr. Pickett wasn't cleaning the water because it was cheaper and no one was forcing him to, not because he didn't know how... It just feels... weird.

It's fine. But certainly not one of the best books of the series.

[Savani · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bus Station Mystery brings the Alden siblings on another adventure filled with curiosity, kindness, and a bit of small-town mystery. This time, the story begins when Benny wants to attend the Science and Hobby Fair in Oakdale, and naturally, his older siblings: Henry, Jessie, and Violet; join him. Their trip, however, turns out to be far more eventful than just a fair visit.

When the Aldens stop at Plainville Junction to change buses, they meet Frank, the man who runs the station. A tornado watch forces them to take shelter there, and Frank kindly allows them to stay inside, even telling them to help themselves to the food in the refrigerator. Before leaving to check on his house and boat, he warns them not to let two boys they’d seen earlier into the station. But when the storm worsens, the Aldens’ good hearts win out, and they can’t leave the boys outside in danger.

The storm scene captures that classic Boxcar Children tone; responsible kids doing their best to make good decisions, even if it bends the rules a little. After the storm passes, the boys leave, but not before they notice a letter addressed to Frank that seems to interest them. The letter turns out to be a small but key clue that ties into the story later on.

As the Aldens continue their trip, Benny overhears a conversation about Frank and a meeting, which stirs his curiosity. When they reach Oakdale, they not only enjoy the fair but also encounter the same boys again, this time picketing a man named Mr. Pickett, who owns a paint factory accused of polluting the local river.

The environmental theme is a thoughtful touch in this story. It shows the Aldens’ sense of responsibility not just to people but to their surroundings. When they learn that Mr. Pickett wants to buy Frank’s home and turn it into a parking lot for his workers, the Aldens get involved. They soon discover that Frank is a chemist and that his research could help stop the pollution caused by Mr. Pickett’s factory.

The mystery itself is gentle but meaningful. There are no dark or frightening moments, just the right level of suspense for younger readers. It’s less about solving a crime and more about uncovering a problem and finding a fair, moral solution. In true Boxcar fashion, it all comes together at a town meeting where Grandfather Alden steps in to help. By the end, Mr. Pickett agrees to work with Mr. Alden and Frank to improve conditions for everyone.

The story closes on a warm note, with Frank inviting the Aldens to dinner, a fitting reminder of how kindness and cooperation can turn even tense situations into friendships.

Bus Station Mystery is a wholesome, well-paced story that mixes adventure, responsibility, and community values. It’s not one of the most dramatic entries in the series, but it carries a meaningful lesson about helping others and protecting the environment.

[Misbah · Rating 3 out of 5]

On the way to the Carnival, the Alden kids discover a mystery at the bus station that involves the Bus Station manager and two young boys. The Aldens soon learn that there is a chemical plant polluting the water and the two boys are picketing against it. They get their grandpa involved and go attend the town meeting regarding the chemical plant and whether it should be shut down. The townspeople vote to close down the plant but Mr. Alden steps in with a better plan. He had the same issues with his plant and he had devised a system that would let the plant function as is and also save the local river. Everybody is happy with the new plan.

[Jenna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read aloud to my daughter. The pacing of these books are slow with a lot of detail. I appreciated the focus on water pollution and some conversations we could have about caring for the environment. One of my biggest frustrations with this series as an adult is how dated the characters are, especially the predominate focus on male characters with minimal agency by the sisters in the family.

[Charlotte]

This is one of the last Boxcar Children books that Gertrude Chandler Warner's wrote herself, and the mystery itself is pretty good. Our 4 year old had a little trouble understanding the twist, but our 7 year old did great with it. It's not spooky or scary in any way, and has an environmental preservation theme.

[Crissy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Going on a day trip and end up being stranded at the bus station. Sounds pretty average for my trips but then the owner leaves strangers alone to go check on his home. Things aren't adding up and the kids need to make more trips to get to the bottom of things.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another interesting one! I'm almost done with the books that Warner herself wrote. The children take a bus to visit a science fair, and get embroiled in a fight between a paint company that is polluting the air and rivers, and the people who want to stop it. Grandfather saves the day.

[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 how you don't discover a lot of the side characters' motives until the end of the book.

[Jeffery Worrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book and how clever all the characters are in this series.

[Britt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pollution prevention

These cute adventure stories are still relevant for today's kids as well as when they were written. Great kids, interested in others.

[Lydia Darais · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book all in one day, I love the boxcar children. This book was full of mystery and secrets uncover at the most surprising moments!

[Noelle Andersen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would probably read something else classic-but mysteries such as Nancy Drew, Boxcar Children etc. are interesting when I run out of reading material.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

favorite part was when they go to Frank's bus station and then the storm comes and a tree blew down over the street so the bus can't come

[Tony · Rating 3 out of 5]

1970s view of pollution and industrial development, shown through a kids mystery book.

[Lori Greene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brings back great memories

[Charles Reed · Rating 4 out of 5]

76%

Save the planet

[John · Rating 2 out of 5]

Grandfather sure had to make a big production at the town meeting instead of talking to the factory owner privately beforehand.

[Kim Hampton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book, but I wonder why the children were taking a bus to the science fair, when Henry has a car?

[xanthofile · Rating 3 out of 5]

The messaging was good in this, easy to tell there was research done for this but the plot was messy and chaotic.