The Guide Dog Mystery

The Boxcar Children #53

by Gertrude Chandler Warner, Charles Tang (Illustrator)

The Aldens are visiting a guide dog school! But when they arrive, strange things start to happen. Benny sees mysterious lights on in the middle of the night, and someone breaks into the kennel where the guide dogs are kept. Is someone after one of the dogs? The Boxcar Children are determined to find out!

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

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

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

[Jamie Leeper]

I am 52 years old and usually read adult books. Recently I have been getting some young peoples books too. They are easy to read and very enjoyable. I love the Boxcar Children mysteries. In this story the kids go for a week to visit a dog training school where they train dogs for the blind. There is a shadow moving outside at night and they see it from their window. A mystery needing to be solved. Very good book!

[Stephanie Pieck · Rating 1 out of 5]

Even if this book was written decades ago, it has too many holes and implausibilities to rate higher (in my opinion).
The trouble starts early, as the four Alden children are welcomed to live for a week at a guide dog school. Student rooms at the school are on the fourth floor, which seems impractical since new handlers would be expected to take their dogs out to relieve themselves, and using an elevator for this seems to differ from the layout of most training centers. Then there is the fact that Anna, the student paired with the beautiful golden retriever Ginger, doesn't keep the dog in her room. If a handler is going to "get attached" to their new guide dog, as the young trainer in this book says they must, sending the dog back to the kennel after each lesson doesn't seem like the best way to accomplish this.
I could also say more about the unlikelihood of what the Alden children do and how, or the behavior of the adults in the book.
The story has its heart in the right place, but unfortunately, there are too many missteps in the execution of the tale. But if your kids are diehard Boxcar Children fans, these things might not matter.
If you want a more accurate portrayal of guide dogs and blind people, look elsewhere.

[Simon · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Guide Dog Mystery," part of "The Boxcar Children" series by Gertrude Chandler Warner, is a delightful read for young mystery lovers. In this book, the Alden children find themselves on a new adventure, exploring a hidden beach and uncovering secrets.

The writing style is straightforward, making it easy for young readers to follow along. The Alden children's resourcefulness and teamwork shine as they solve the mystery, highlighting the importance of family and cooperation. The plot is engaging, with enough twists to keep readers interested without being too complex.

Overall, "The Guide Dog Mystery" is a charming addition to "The Boxcar Children" series, perfect for kids who enjoy a classic, gentle mystery.

[Abigail · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not one of the better ones. At the beginning it felt like the Aldens were making a mountain out of a mole hill. Later in the book, they figured something out, but didn't think to share this information until much later. There was a "young man" (assumably post college age, but not necessarily, I suppose) who was interested in a college-freshman to-be that was "four years older than Henry." Just felt a little weird, especially the way things were phrased. And then "heck" was used once, which almost never happens in Boxcar Children books.

[Joseph D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 53 of the Boxcar Children. Can you think of anything worse than stealing someone’s guide dog? I couldn’t. It is ok because the Alden children are on the case. This was a fantastic ride with some good red herrings. Maybe it was just that I really want this perpetrator caught. A quick happy story ending in justice.

Joseph McKnight
http://www.josephmcknight.com

[Angie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lizzie: I love this book . The boxcar children are soooooo helpful. I think all boxcar help you learn I have learned a lot.I love learning about animals I love hearing the sounds. I love learning about guide dogs in this book.

[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.

[Kristiana]

Spoiler Alert:

The end of the story reveals that a character has been acting oddly because he’s nervous around another character and has been wanting to ask her out.
It’s not a prominent part of the book, but it is told very clearly.

[Josiah · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good book, but I think the series is drying up now.

[Lucinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Childhood favorite. Introduced me to guide dogs

[aem · Rating 3 out of 5]

sweet story

[Charles Reed · Rating 3 out of 5]

68%

Everyone is weirdly honest when they get captured.

[Kim Hampton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great addition to the series. I loved learning about how guide dogs are raised and trained.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really good book 📖. You learn more about seeing-eye guide dogs 🦮 and training them. It was very interesting 🤔.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the best Boxcar Children Mystery book that I have read so far.

At the beginning, there is a bit about seeing eye dogs. I already knew the stuff, but it was new to my son.

Next is the mystery. In all the Boxcar books I have previously read, the mystery is quite easy to figure out, but the mystery in this particular book is more difficult to solve.

[Maggie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish I had a dog like Ginger. She's a really good dog and I was so glad that she wasn't stolen. I really love all of Gertrude Chandler Warner's books (The Box Car Children books) because whenever I start one, I always really want to finish them. They're always such good books.

[Laura Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Boxcar Children set a great example of working together, sharing and doing the right thing. This installment in the beloved series also sheds light on the seeing impaired and the incredible animals trained to help them navigate their lives without sight.

[Kaetlyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

HENRY, JESSIE, VIOLET, and BENNY go to a guide dog school and a man is trying to steal a dog. Her name is Ginger. She's a beautiful and good for a guide dog. Then a girl is going to buy Ginger. The man steals Ginger. And they get her back.

I like that Anna gets ti keep Giner.

[Allison McLeod · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it

I chose five stars because I thought it was a really good book. My favorite part was when Anna and ginger( the guard dog) got to go around town together and have get to know each other.

[Karina Mason · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was disappointed in the quality of this book. The writing and storyline wasn’t as strong or interesting as the earlier books.

[Partridge Public]

WArner, Gertrude C. PB

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

great when ur little

["Mayra loves yall" · Rating 2 out of 5]

well it was okay i gess i wont read a book like that again!!

[Cori · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read May 12, 2019

[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 :)

[Katy Lovejoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite boxcar children of all time