The Niagara Falls Mystery

The Boxcar Children Special #8

by Gertrude Chandler Warner

This is the Boxcar Children’s first trip to Canada, and they are very eager to explore Niagara Falls and all of the attractions in the area. They are even more thrilled when a friend of Grandfather’s asks if they want to help out in his souvenir shop. But then valuable things begin to disappear from the store. The Boxcar Children must find out who is responsible!

Genres: Mystery, Childrens, Fiction, Chapter Books, Juvenile, Young Adult

121 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1997

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

[Lesley Looper · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute little mystery! Visiting Niagara Falls is on my bucket list, and this is one of the few books about Niagara Falls available locally on Overdrive. I’m not sure how I missed the Boxcar Children books as a kid.

[Lord Nouda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the few books in the series that I actually own (at least I think I still have the book somewhere in the house). My allowance of a buck a week back then wasn't much so it took me a month to save enough to get a book and this was one of my earliest purchases. *sigh* It kinda makes me miss the good old days when reading was everything and I didn't have to worry about life in general...

[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 there is more than one possible suspect, who each have reasonable motive. I was honestly disappointed with the ending in this book. The suspense was built up very well, but the ending fell a little flat.

[Neha Regi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book cause I was bored and needed a break between the books I was reading. It turned out to be a really good read. It was short and sweet but you really got to know all of the characters. The ending was a little surprising and unexpected so the book did a good job tricking the reader.

[Gracie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think that the mysterys of the boxcar children are always really good. This one is really good.

[BefuddledPanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

The mystery in this one was a bit messy and underwhelming. May be ok for kids but this is not the best if the boxcar children mysteries.

[Adam Carman · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this volume the Aldens must recover a stolen guestbook and a lost wallet while still enjoying themselves at the Falls and clearing the name of a new friend.

[♥Xeni♥ · Rating 3 out of 5]

First off, I read these Boxcar Children books when I was a lot younger. There were some that I would read over and over and others that I read once and chucked to the back of my bookcase. Overall, though, I loved them all.

This was one of the stranger BC books. I have never been to the Falls, but I definitely want to go now and see if things were like how the Alden family found them to be (especially the Maid of the Mists). The mystery didn't seem to be so much of a mystery for me, rather than just some events that were happening. But I do like the Holiday Special series regardless!

[Mao Mao · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book that I've read in the boxcar series. I gave it 5 stars because I love mysteries. I have already read the whole series of ABC mysteries, listened to the audio books, and I loved it. I had been to Niagara Falls, and I'm learning more about it.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

haven't read this either.

[Cws]

JEAR3-War

[Rebecca]

One of my favorite childhood series. I read all the books I could get my hands on :)

[Catha · Rating 5 out of 5]

So fun to read this book with my 7 year old as we traveled to Niagara Falls for Spring Break this year!!

[M-girl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked it because they found the Prince of Wales Guest Book!