The Doughnut Whodunit

The Boxcar Children #146

by Gertrude Chandler Warner (Creator)

A hip new doughnut shop known for its bizarre recipes is opening up in Greenfield. At first, the owners of the other doughnut shop in town, Delilah’s, aren’t worried. Their shop has been a fixture downtown since just after World War II. But when the new shop starts making doughnuts that look just like some of Delilah’s greatest hits, the Boxcar Children must figure out if it’s just a coincidence or if someone from the new shop is stealing Delilah’s recipes.

Genres: Mystery, Audiobook, Childrens, Chapter Books, Adventure

128 pages, Hardcover

Published March 1, 2018

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]

Audiobook read by Aimee Lilly is well done. My children listened to it several times.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

We love listening to the Boxcar Children. Peter especially likes Benny because he eats a lot. I like that it tells stories about how to be aware of what’s going on around you. They have fun mysteries. These are great to listen to in the car.

[Kendra M Layden · Rating 5 out of 5]

My son loved this book. He liked the mystery, especially when it had to do with donuts

[Joseph D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 146 of the Boxcar Children series. Strange goings on and corporate espionage. Well, some facsimile to that. The new doughnut shop in town is suddenly using family secret recipes of the old shop. There are plenty of suspects. Can the Alden children solve what is going on? I loved that this goes back to the Alden roots and shows them working hard, not just solving the mystery.

Joseph McKnight
http://www.josephmcknight.com

[Eliana · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is a new doughnut shop in town but the Boxcar Children help the old doughnut shop because the assistant left. But while the Aldens are helping, the most important doughnut goes missing! Everything is misplaced! Can the Aldens explain the break-in and save the doughnuts?

[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.

[Horizon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Have a 6 year old? Great for problem solving guessing what will happen next and a neat wrap up. Would be fun to combine with a trip to a donut shop.

[Rainbow Bay Stanley · Rating 4 out of 5]

7 min review
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Ogr3...

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another fun read for my kids. I never get tired of seeing them try to figure out the clues on their own and solve the mysteries along with the Aldens.

[Jacob · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was one of the better recent mysteries. A consistent plot, just fast enough paced, and no unimportant details. Definitely a good independent read for grades 2-4.

[Charles Reed · Rating 4 out of 5]

84%

A persian Doughnut is the king.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very entertaining and fun. Everyone loves donuts!

[Reyna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like mysteries and the Boxcar Children books are just that! They're great!

[Lillian Slater · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the best parts of being a parent is getting to share childhood favorite books with them and seeing them love them just as much as I did! The boxcar children helped me discover my love of reading and mysteries as a kid and now they’re doing the same for my own kids, a whole generation later. What a cool feeling.

[Cori · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read May 24, 2019