About the Author

Gertrude Chandler Warner grew up in Putnam, Connecticut. She wrote The Boxcar Children because she had always dreamed about what it would be like to live in a caboose or a freight car—just as the Aldens do. When readers asked for more adventures, Warner wrote more books—a total of nineteen in all. After her death, other authors have continued to write stories about Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny Alden, and today The Boxcar Children® series has more than one hundred books.

Reviews

Children's NOTES Boxcar Children Redux Two titles mark a landmark anniversary of a classic series. The first, The Boxcar Children 60th Anniversary Edition by Gertrude Chandler Warner, illus. by L. Kate Deal, contains the original text, with an introduction by Barbara Elleman, as well as a brief biography of the author, b&w photos and "An Open Letter to Children Who Ask How I Happened to Write The Boxcar Children," all contained in a handsomely designed volume. (Sept) Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Gr 3-5-While adult fans of the original series, which began in 1942, might be interested in seeing their favorite characters in a new format, these books fall short of expectations. In all three titles, the art feels stiff and awkward-the characters' faces are undeveloped and indistinct, making them difficult to connect with. The text, rather than the images, moves the action along, flattening the excitement of the Alden kids' discoveries and making even the dramatic moments when the mysteries are revealed seem clunky and anticlimactic.-Lauren Anduri, Brooklyn Public Library, NY Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information.