The Election Day Dilemma

The Boxcar Children #145

by Gertrude Chandler Warner (Creator)

Cousin Alice is running for mayor in her town, and the Aldens are helping with her campaign! But Alice s campaign posters are torn down and painted over and the same thing happens to her opponent! Then posters for a third candidate appear around town, but nobody has ever seen him in person. Will the town elect a mystery man for mayor? The Aldens are on the case!"

Genres: Mystery, Childrens, Audiobook

128 pages, Paperback

Published September 1, 2016

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

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was actually pretty well-done. I appreciate that it shows two mayoral candidates can want what is best for a town, yet have a different vision or different approach to improving the town. I appreciate that the candidates were respectful of one another and listened to the other's ideas and those of the townspeople. Sometimes we have the best of intentions, yet are ignorant in one way or another. This shows you need to keep an open mind and open ears. Perhaps it's a bit idealized but I don't mind that for a "political" story for this age group. I imagine a young Leslie Knope would have enjoyed this ;-)

[Janete on hiatus due health issues · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this 2 times. Now I read it while listened to the audiobook.

[Brynja · Rating 4 out of 5]

IF YOU DONT WANT SPOILERS DONT READ THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I realy liked this book beacause my favorite part was the 4 year old dog running for mayor!
And I never guessed Birdie was behind it all.

[Kendra · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s amazing that Boxcar Children books keep getting published, and they still hold the same appeal for me that they had when I devoured them as a child. In this one, the Walden kids are visiting their cousin who is running for mayor of her small town. But somebody is set on interfering with the election and the Waldens must solve the mystery of who is behind the mischief.

The mystery here is pretty solid, and I loved the handling of the election theme. The book goes over the basics of voting and elections, and also incorporates a few other lessons on ecology and city governance; but the educational portions don’t overpower the plot or endearing characters. My kids and I all really liked this.

My Rating: 4 Stars // Charleston’s Rating: 4.25 Stars // Book Format: Print

[Hanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

good Lord what has this world (and this series) come to?
-why haven't the children aged at all? ten years have passed and henry is still 16 and benny is still 6. benny was 6 when I was 6
-WHAT HAPPENED TO THE REST OF THE PAGES??? I swear this book is literally only 1/4 the size of the old books
-#cookiecutterstory but with a decently interesting concept. there was no mystery though??? so what's really the point????
-cousin alice is still super nice, and probably my favourite out of the non-alden-children characters
-the children's lack of aging is still creeping me out. I guess I subconsciously thought the boxcar children would always be my age??

and now we have explained why society is a mess. they should have stopped at book 50 MAX

[Joseph D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 145 of the Boxcar Children series. This one takes us to another town and another relative and this one is running for mayor. Of course there is something strange going on a the Alden kids are there to figure out what is going on. The thing that I love that is addressed in this novel is voter turnout. Overall I loved the message and even the idea that not all turns out like you would like regardless of the work you put in. A fun little read. ​

Joseph McKnight
http://www.josephmcknight.com

[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. Would recommend.

[Charles Reed · Rating 4 out of 5]

80%

It was cool to see different political agendas in a child friendly read.

[Beth McVey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not our favorite Boxcar children book.